Our Guide to Paris: Le Comptoir du Relais

Yves Camdeborde’s beloved bistro, once neo and now classic.  Book months in advance for weeknight, no-choice dinner, or just queue up at lunch or weekends for the so-called “brasserie menu”, a free-for-all that can feel a bit like a tourist zoo at times. At worst, it’s sloppy and hectic. At best, it’s delicious.

Practical information

Address: 9 carrefour de l’Odéon, 75006
Nearest transport: Odéon (4, 10)
Hours: Open every day
Reservations: Book many weeks in advance for dinner weeknights; reservations not accepted for lunch and weekends
Telephone: 01 44 27 07 97

View a map of all of our restaurants here.
Average price for lunch: 20-34€
Average price for dinner: 35-49€
Style of cuisine: Classic French
Special attributes: market-based cooking, prestige ingredients, renowned chef, outdoor dining, good for solo dining, open Sunday, open Monday
Type of crowd: suits, foodies, neighborhood locals, tourists
Interior: charming & traditional
Atmosphere: bustling

Trusted reviews

• Le Figaro (2011) “Bistrote de haut vol au déjeuner invitant le meilleur des produits et clamant haut et fort le goût du terroir…”
• Le Figaro (2010) “Canaille et décomplexée en journée et le week-end, elle s’adapte à son écrin, le soir, en titillant les produits nobles, la saint-jacques, la truffe, le foie gras… le tout au rythme des saisons et en rotation quotidienne. Menu unique, certes, mais quelle qualité !”
• François Simon (2010) “C’est parfait.” (Video review)
• Alexander Lobrano (2010) “If the overall quality of what we ate was better than average, everything was boldly over-priced and by the time we’d finished our meal, a huge looming crowd had gathered…my distinct impression of this place is that it’s become a savvy tourist-oriented money-spinner. So I’d say, if you really want to sample Yves Camdeborde’s rightly legendary bistro cooking do everything you can to snag a table for the excellent prix-fixe dinner”
• Caroline Mignot (2010) “salades gourmandes…assiettes de salaisons, de fromages et plats mitonnés qui font envie. Comme cette poitrine de veau braisée aux épices tandoori…croustillante et caramélisée…c’est trop bon.
• Barbra Austin (2009) “…there is no mistaking Le Comptoir for a typical bistro…”
• Food Snob (2009) “The general theme was one of simple yet luxury ‘comfort food’…A good idea though was foiled by execution and raw materials that were found wanting.”
• François Simon (2009) “Toujours à la hauteur….”
• Chrisoscope (2007) “…très belle expérience gastronomique…”
• Sophie Brissaud (2005) “…pur Camdeborde : saveur, moelleux, croustillance, richesse et imagination ; des plats érotiques et nobles qui semblent vous déclarer leur amour à chaque coup de fourchette.”