Celebrating Christmas in Paris Restaurants

As is true almost everywhere, Christmas is a holiday that locals celebrate en famille, preparing meals at home that feature seasonal treats like Champagne, sea scallops, roasted birds, truffles (if they can find one), foie gras, and the traditional bûche de Noël. The vast majority of Paris restaurants will be closed for Christmas (see our calendar of holiday closures), but a few will be open and serving holiday meals. We’ve rounded up the best options below. Look for the  icon to see what we think are your best bets.

Christmas Eve (Le réveillon de Noël)

Staggeringly Expensive

• Le Meurice for 550€ (not including drinks), the no-choice menu will feature gingered sea scallops with cauliflower and caviar, lobster-stuffed sole with truffles, Bresse goose with truffled macaroni, and several desserts.

Expensive

• Senderens – for 240€ with wine or 170€ without wine, the menu includes foie gras, langoustines in crispy vermicelli with shellfish cream, pheasant with raviolis of celery root and truffle, a pumpkin dish, and several desserts.

• Shang Palace - for 250€ (not including wine) those who are sick of holiday food can opt for an eight-course menu with Chinese dishes like tempura oysters and beef with mushrooms. Reservations required via La Fourchette.

Moderately Priced

•  L’Auberge du 15 - for 100€ (not including wine), the multi-course menu will include chestnut soup with truffles and toasted almonds, sea scallops with buttered and truffled scallops, suprême de volaille fermière (farm-raised chicken) with roasted foie gras and truffled mashed potatoes, and dessert. Reservations via La Fourchette.

•  Bar le Passage – for 75€ (not including drinks), the menu includes a starter of foie gras followed by pheasant with pear and spinach, a pumpkin dish, and several desserts.  This is the more casual bar above the restaurant Senderens (described above).

• Chamarré Montmartre - for 75€ (not including drinks), the menu includes an oyster amuse-bouche, a first starter of Tourte de colvert (wild duck) and foie gras, a second starter of risotto with sea scallops and clams, a main dish of duck, plus a cheese and dessert course. Reservation and prepayment via La Fourchette is required.

•  Les Ombres - for 130€ per person including Champagne (but no other wine), the menu includes amuses bouche, starters of foie gras and sea bass, filet of beef with truffle sauce and several desserts, plus coffee, mineral water and an Eiffel Tower view. Reservations and prepayment required via La Fourchette.

• Pinxo will be serving a multi-course menu for 75€ featuring lobster, sea scallops, chapon, cheese and dessert. Wine pairings, including Champagne, for an additional 38€. Reservation and deposit via La Fourchette is required.

• La Table de Botzaris will be serving a three-course menu for 59 (not including wine), featuring salmon, cannelloni of turkey wtih chestnuts, cheese, and a homemade Bûche de Nöel. Reservation and deposit via La Fourchette is required.

• Les Cocottes will be open and is down the street from the Eiffel Tower. No reservations.

• Brasseries open 365 days/year: Le Pied de Cochon, Chez Jenny and all of the Flo brasseries (Bofinger, La Coupole, Julien, Le Vaudeville, Terminus Nord, Brasserie Balzar, Le Boeuf sur le Toit), Chartier

Christmas Day (le jour de Noël)

• La Table du Lancaster – for 110€ (not including wine), Christmas lunch will feature foie gras, truffled sea scallops, guinea hen, and a selection of Bûches de Noël. Reservation and prepayment via La Fourchette is required.

• Chamarré Montmartre - for 75€ (not including drinks), the menu includes an oyster amuse-bouche, a first starter of tourte de colvert (wild duck) and foie gras, a second starter of risotto with sea scallops and clams, a main dish of duck, plus a cheese and dessert course. Reservation and prepayment via La Fourchette is required.

• L’Ateliers de Joël Robuchon Saint-Germain & Etoile will be open, but are not necessarily doing a special holiday meal. No reservations*.

• La Table de Botzaris will be serving a three-course menu for 59 (not including wine), featuring salmon, cannelloni of turkey wtih chestnuts, cheese, and a homemade Bûche de Nöel. Reservation and deposit via La Fourchette is required.

• Les Cocottes will be open and is down the street from the Eiffel Tower. No reservations.

• Brasseries open 365 days/year: Le Pied de Cochon, Chez Jenny and all of the Flo brasseries (Bofinger, La Coupole, Julien, Le Vaudeville, Terminus Nord, Brasserie Balzar, Le Boeuf sur le Toit), Chartier

* The Ateliers de Joël Robuchon accept reservations only for the first and last seatings, and these are surely already booked. Everything else is first come, first served.

Related Posts

• Paris Restaurants for Ringing in the New Year
• Our Calendar of Holiday Closures