Skip to content

Meg Zimbeck

Meg Zimbeck reviews restaurants for Paris by Mouth and is our founder and Editor-in-Chief.

YamTcha restaurant in Paris

yam’Tcha (return Visit)

After working for Pascal Barbot at Astrance, Adeline Grattard opened yam’Tcha in 2009 in a tiny space in Les Halles. Combining influences and ingredients from Hong Kong with her French training, and offering tea pairings by Chi Wah Chan, yam’Tcha become a major sensation. A Michelin star followed, along with an episode of (the Netflix show) Chef’s Table. Yam’Tcha was, for a time, the hardest table to book in Paris. The hype has (somewhat) abated, and it’s now possible to… Read More »yam’Tcha (return Visit)

Frenchie restaurant in Paris | Paris by Mouth

Frenchie (return Visit)

Frenchie is the original outpost from Gregory Marchand, a chef who trained with Jamie Oliver in the UK and Danny Meyer in the USA. They hold one Michelin star and serve a no-choice tasting menu with five courses for 140€. The optional wine pairings are usually excellent. Frenchie opened in 2009 and has been a very tough reservation since at least 2010. Reservations open three weeks before a given date (Mon-Fri) and all tables are usually booked within a few… Read More »Frenchie (return Visit)

THE PARIS BY MOUTH NEWSLETTER

We launched a newsletter in May, 2022 and have already gained more than 22,000 paid subscribers – readers are hungry for unbiased, independent restaurant reviews. We reserve anonymously, pay full price, and tell you what we really think. We have more than a decade of experience eating in thousands of Paris restaurants, and that experience comes in handy when we’re trying to help you find the right restaurant for the right occasion.

Le Chateaubriand restaurant in Paris | parisbymouth.com

Le Chateaubriand (return Visit)

Since Le Chateaubriand opened in 2006, we’ve watched it transform the city’s dining scene and seen it rise and fall in the World’s 50 Best rankings. We returned recently and were delighted to find that it’s still one of our top picks for a casual (not fine dining) tasting menu in Paris. We recommend it for diners who are on the more adventurous side – those who enjoy natural wine and an unfussy, frenetic dining room. Le Chateaubriand may no longer have the… Read More »Le Chateaubriand (return Visit)

Flocon restaurant in Paris - smoked trout with beet, chestnut and beurre blanc

Flocon

Flocon is a sincere and locavore-leaning new restaurant run by a pair of brothers on the rue Mouffetard.

Dorade at Robert restaurant in Paris 75011

Robert restaurant (return Visit)

Robert is a small restaurant in the 11th that has had multiple chefs since opening in 2018. Following Peter Orr and Daniel Morgan, Jack Bosco is now running the kitchen and serving a menu that’s much more focused on meet and fish than his predecessor. The produce is still sourced from the restaurant’s own gardens in the Loire valley, but Robert is no longer a “haven for vegetarians,” as we described it when Daniel Morgan was the chef. Robert is not included… Read More »Robert restaurant (return Visit)

Le Verre Volé

A bare bones room lined with shelves of natural wines, a tiny kitchen turning out simple and dishes; this doesn’t immediately feel like the kind of place a person would cross town for. And yet many do. Booking is imperative.

Where to eat in Paris in August

Where to Eat in Paris in August

Most Paris restaurants close for summer vacation. We’ve confirmed their holiday plans in order to let you know where to eat in Paris this August.

Pouliche restaurant in Paris

Pouliche

Chef Amandine Chaignot has been a judge on the French show MasterChef for the better part of a decade. At her restaurant Pouliche, she puts out pretty plates for an Instagram crowd in a dining room that could be ripped from the pages of a West Elm catalog. The menu is heavy with vegetarian options – Wednesday is entirely vegetarian – and the space is filled with pretty young things. Portions are tiny. Read our full review of Pouliche. 11 Rue d’Enghien,… Read More »Pouliche

Ellsworth restaurant in Paris | parisbymouth.com

Ellsworth

Ellsworth has had many different iterations since it opened, but all have been delicious. Their most popular dish from the early days – the fried chicken – remains on the menu in small plate size among a changing roster of seasonal dishes. Braden Perkins and Laura Adrian, the duo behind (temporarily closed) Verjus, are raising most of the vegetables and eggs for Ellsworth at their farm outside of Paris, and chef Hanz Gueco is doing incredible things with these fresh… Read More »Ellsworth

Le Rigmarole

This small plates restaurant not far from République boasts a Japanese-accented assortment of dishes from French-American chef Robert Compagnon. Handmade pastas and yakitori are must-try items on the tasting menu. Ask for seat at the bar to see the binchotan grill at work. The team here easily caters to more (or less!) adventurous diners, with offerings like chicken sashimi and offal skewers. Co-owner Jessica Yang is the Taiwanese-American pastry chef behind the delectable desserts – save room.

How to get a French Health pass

When you arrive in Paris you’ll need to convert your foreign vaccination card into a French health pass if you want to visit restaurants, museums and other attractions. Here’s how to do it.

The best restaurants in Saint-Germain Paris France | Paris by Mouth

Semilla

Semilla is one of our favorite restaurants in Saint-Germain, with an excellent wine list and plenty of options for vegetarians. Open Sunday.

Restaurant Guy Savoy in Paris | Paris by Mouth

Guy Savoy

Guy Savoy is a fine dining restaurant inside the Monnaie (Mint) de Paris in Saint-Germain. It holds three Michelin stars, and was once once included among the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. I’ve been to Guy Savoy three times, and the only time I was impressed was the first. It was 2010, and I was the guest of a woman who routinely accepts freebies in exchange for crowing about the restaurants online (I was unaware of this at the time). I… Read More »Guy Savoy

Patio at GrandCoeur restaurant in Paris | Paris by Mouth

GrandCoeur

A beautiful and expansive outdoor terrace tucked inside a hidden courtyard in the Marais, this is the Paris address of Mauro Colagreco, whose restaurant Mirazur was rated as the World’s Best in 2022. GrandCoeur offers a Mediterranean menu full of fresh fish, with a few vegetarian & carnivorous options. It’s open every day and is a good option for larger groups.  GRANDCOEUR 41 Rue du Temple, 75004Open every day for lunch and dinnerReservations online or at +33 1 58 28 18 90… Read More »GrandCoeur

Le Saint Sebastien restaurant in Paris | Paris by Mouth

Le Saint-Sébastien

Le Saint-Sébastien is known for its handmade charcuterie, vegetable-driven (but not vegetarian) cooking, and desserts with a savory spin. The 400-reference-strong wine list and impeccable service make this neighborhood restaurant one worth crossing the city for. Now helmed by chef Christopher Edwards, the menu features plenty of peak-season produce, line-caught fish and an incredible selection of white wine and craft beer for sipping on the sidewalk terrace. Recommended for Great Vegetarian Food in Paris. Le Saint-Sebastién has been included our favorite… Read More »Le Saint-Sébastien

FIEF restaurant in Paris for vegetarian options

FIEF

FIEF is a sleek and modern restaurant in the 11th with a Top Chef finalist in the kitchen. Victor Mercier’s menu contains beautiful options for vegetarians, like an artichoke tartlet with black garlic paste and smoked pepper juice, but the fish and meat dishes are crazy good: fresh fish with carrots and spider crab caramel, or chicken with roasted and fermented cabbage and choron sauce. The name FIEF stands for Fait Ici En France (made here in France) and the… Read More »FIEF

Dupin

Dupin is a great addition to this southern corner of Saint-Germain, just down the street from Le Bon Marché. Vegetables and seasonal products are at the heart of chef Nathan Helo’s cooking, even when his dishes include perfectly-cooked pork or seafood. Recommended for Great Vegetarian Food in Paris. Modern & creative, open Saturday, vegetarian friendly, outdoor dining, in Saint-Germain 11 Rue Dupin, 75006Open Tuesday-Saturday for lunch & dinner (closed Sunday & Monday)Reservations online or at +33 1 42 22 64… Read More »Dupin

Macéo

Macéo is a light and airy restaurant near the Palais Royal from Mark Williamson (Willi’s Wine Bar), serving creative dishes with plenty of vegetarian options. It’s a good place to book for large groups, and for dinner on Monday. The wine list is incredible. Open Saturday, open Monday, good for groups, vegetarian friendly, near the Louvre, excellent wine 15 rue des Petits-Champs, 75001Open Monday-Friday for lunch & dinnerOpen Saturday for dinner onlyClosed SundayReservations online or at +33 1 42 97… Read More »Macéo

France Opens to Vaccinated Americans on June 9 (really!)

Vaccinated Americans, Canadians, and Brits are allowed into France from June 9 with a PCR or antigen test. Unvaccinated travelers from these countries have to jump through a lot of hoops. Australians, New Zealanders and other travelers from “green” countries with very low COVID rates face no restrictions in entering France or crossing EU borders.

Hugo and Co

Hugo and Co is the second Paris restaurant from chef Tomy Gousset, who we first encountered and loved at Tomy & Co. In contrast to the latter, which is now Michelin-starred and more formal, Hugo & Co is the more playful (and affordable) little brother. I love to come here with our vegetarian friends, who always find a huge number of options, but I’ve also swooned over a Croque Monsieur with thick cut ham, oozing Comté cheese, and black truffle.… Read More »Hugo and Co

L'Ami Louis restaurant in Paris | Paris by Mouth

L’Ami Louis

L’Ami Louis is one of the most atmospheric restaurants in Paris. It’s dark and dramatic, with white jacketed servers bringing overflowing plates of snails, foie gras, and other classic French dishes. The roast chicken, with its accompanying tower of shoestring fries, is as good as everyone says it is. But L’Ami Louis is also one of the most clubby restaurants in Paris. It’s filled with regulars, it’s hard to get a table, and the prices are high enough to scare… Read More »L’Ami Louis

Restaurant A.T in Paris

Restaurant A.T.

Restaurant A.T. is the project of Japanese chef Atsushi Tanaka, who serves a technicolor tasting menu in a minimalist dining room. My first visit in 2015 prompted disdain. The dishes seemed to be designed for the early days of Instagram, and didn’t have much depth beyond their pretty looks. Two different tables at dinner contained foreigners watching movies on their iPads. Whatever this place was, I wanted no part of it. Still, I gave A.T. another shot, returning for lunch… Read More »Restaurant A.T.

Le Clarence

Le Clarence is a fine dining restaurant in a private Paris mansion near the Champs-Élysées. It opened in 2017 and holds two Michelin stars. In 2022, it ranks #28 on the World’s Best Restaurants list. The luxurious space is owned by Prince Robert of Luxembourg and was decorated to evoke the Château Haut-Brion in Bordeaux, which he also owns. It’s gorgeous. Dining here is a chance to peek behind the curtain and live like an aristocrat for a few hours,… Read More »Le Clarence

Fulgurances L’Adresse

French food magazine Fulgurances opened L’Adresse in 2015 as a culinary incubator featuring a rotating cast of guest chefs.

Arnaud Nicolas restaurant and charcuterie in Paris | parisbymouth.com

Arnaud Nicolas

At the impossibly young age of 24, Arnaud Nicolas achieved one of the highest honors in gastronomy – the title Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) – for his talent in charcuterie. Fourteen years later, he opened an ambitious shop and restaurant near the Eiffel Tower with the explicit goal of returning charcuterie to a place of honor on the French table. In the same way that prize-winning artisans have reshaped traditional baguette-making and pâtisserie, Nicolas wants to reintroduce charcuterie to palates that have become used to mediocre industrialized examples. So is it really that different? Yes.

L’Assiette

With its worn wooden tables, intricately painted ceilings, and charcuterie slicer propped on the marble counter, L’Assiette has the precise look of a dream Paris bistro. It also serves many of the classic dishes, like escargots and cassoulet, which have mostly disappeared from the city’s restaurants. The far-flung location in the 14th arrondissement, near the Catacombs but far from the center, has probably helped L’Assiette to stay off the tourist radar. Chef David Rathgeber and his team are friendly with visitors but don’t cater to them. The customers who come to indulge in this hearty fare are mostly local, which makes this a great option for tourists looking to avoid their own countrymen.

Le Villaret

Le Villaret is one of our favorite Classic Bistros in Paris. Sometimes in life we chase after the ones who play hard-to-get and we ignore the nice, stable options who just want to treat us right. Le Villaret is the homely neighborhood bistro that I never appreciated until I stopped looking for love at Le Baratin and Le Repaire de Cartouche.

Le Baratin Restaurant in Paris | Paris By Mouth

Le Baratin

Food and wine pilgrims, particularly those who read the New York Times or watch Anthony Bourdain, are willing to climb the hill for this Belleville institution. Raquel Carena tends the fire, offering her own personal brand of bistro cooking – sometimes delicate, sometimes hearty, always heartfelt. In stark contrast to the loving kitchen, the dining room is cold as ice, thanks to the joyless leadership of Carena’s husband Philippe.

Tomy & Co. restaurant in Paris | parisbymouth.com

Tomy & Co.

We’re falling more in love with Tomy & Co. with each visit, and have elevated this to our #1 favorite Paris restaurant for modern & creative cuisine. Chef Tomy Gousset’s cuisine is thrillingly modern, and he’s a master of using herbs, acidity and texture to elevate sometimes humble ingredients like beef tongue or tête de veau.

Le Repaire de Cartouche | parisbymouth.com

Le Repaire de Cartouche

Le Repaire de Cartouche is a great place to sit at the bar without reservations, order wine with a slab of terrine, and wait for your table to open up at Au Passage. It’s still great fun as a wine bar, even if it can no longer deliver as a restaurant.

Café Méricourt in Paris | parisbymouth.com

Café Méricourt

At Café Méricourt, the interior is light and airy, the staff is among the friendliest in Paris, the loaves arrive daily from Ten Belles Bread, and the coffee, with beans sourced from an array of quality roasters, is reliably great. The food menu leans heavily vegetarian, with tasty options like shakshuka, green eggs and feta, or a daily green bowl. Their famous breakfast sandwich can be topped with bacon or avocado. Carnivores can tear into a delicious focaccia sandwich with… Read More »Café Méricourt

Le Grand Restaurant by Jean-François Piège in Paris | parisbymouth.com

Le Grand Restaurant

Address: 7 rue d’Aguesseau, 75008Hours: Open Monday-Friday for lunch & dinner. Closed Saturday & Sunday.Telephone: +33 1 53 05 00 00Book Online / Website / Instagram Le Grand Restaurant in Photos In Other Words Le Figaro (2015) “Le plat à ne pas laisser filer: homard bleu de Bretagne en feuille de figuier, mûres épicées, foie gras au poivre sauvage, pur instant de mijoté réinventé.” Simon Says (2015) “En fait, si l’on a bien compris, Jean François Piège semble vouloir siffler la… Read More »Le Grand Restaurant

best-baguette-paris

Where to Find the Best Baguettes in Paris

Where can you find a great baguette in Paris? Below we’ve listed and mapped the bakeries who have placed among the top ten winners in the city’s annual competition to determine La Meilleure Baguette de Paris. Look for the bakery that’s nearest to you, or focus your efforts on those who have finished first – we’ve indicated the Grand Prix winners with a heart.

Read More »Where to Find the Best Baguettes in Paris
Verjus restaurant in Paris | parisbymouth.com

Verjus Restaurant – TEMPORARILY CLOSED

Address: 52 rue de Richelieu, 75001Hours: Open Monday-Friday for dinner only. Closed Saturday & Sunday.Telephone: +33 1 42 97 54 40Website / Book Online / Facebook /  Instagram COVID-19 UPDATE:Verjus is currently closed. Our Most Recent Visit I never tire of returning to Verjus, which has one of the most creative and affordable modern tasting menus in town. Chef Braden Perkins is self-taught, disciplined and obsessive. He makes time time for travel in order to take inspiration from chefs around the world, returning… Read More »Verjus Restaurant – TEMPORARILY CLOSED

Figs in Paris restaurants | parisbymouth.com

Pirouette

At this beautiful restaurant in the underserved district just north of Les Halles, serious technique is brought to bear on beautiful veggies and offal alike. The consistently delicious dishes, the polished room and the very good wine list all add up to something that’s much greater than the bargain prices should allow. There’s a prix fixe at lunch for only 15€, and diners can go à la carte at lunch or dinner for 36€. Chef Tomy Gousset departed in 2016 to open Tomy & Co, but Pirouette remains a solid bet.

Read More »Pirouette

Restaurant David Toutain in Paris | parisbymouth.com

David Toutain

David Toutain, who brought acclaim to Agapé Substance before jumping ship back in December 2012, returned to the Paris scene with this signature restaurant in 2013. His meticulous and conceptual cooking highlights seasonal produce, with vegetables often playing the starring role. This is by no means a vegetarian restaurant, but Toutain’s ability to bring out the beauty in oft-ignored roots reminds us of his former boss Alain Passard.

Le Richer restaurant in Paris | parisbymouth.com

Le Richer

An offshoot of one our absolute favorites L’Office, you can stop by this former corner café at all hours of the day and night (sans reservation) for snacks, small plates, decent coffee, cocktails, or an evening meal.

Fish La Boissonnerie restaurant in Paris | parisbymouth.com

Fish la Boissonnerie

This popular restaurant and wine bar run by Drew Harre and Juan Sanchez is a sort of Anglo haven, excellent for a quick glass, a solo dinner at the bar, or for those times when you’re just tired of speaking French. The wine list at Fish la Boissonnerie is populated by small producers, many of them organic and bio-dynamic, with fair prices and plenty of options by the glass. They’re open every day, and we often find ourselves here on… Read More »Fish la Boissonnerie

52 Faubourg Saint Denis Restaurant in Paris | Paris By Mouth

52 Faubourg Saint Denis

After L’Office and Le Richer (one of our favorite new openings of 2013), Charles Compagnon is back with another gift for the Faubourg. If he has run out of ideas for restaurant names, the same cannot be said for the dishes coming out of his kitchen. The compact menu with 3-4 choices per course contains plenty that we want to eat: well-roasted duck with coco beans, corn and kale, and an egg yolk ravioli with ham and mushrooms that was satisfyingly reminiscent of one of… Read More »52 Faubourg Saint Denis

Freddy's Wine Bar from FB | parisbymouth.com

Freddy’s

Freddy’s is a great call when you want to share some delicious nibbles and great wine while perched on a stool, especially at odd hours or on Sunday and Monday when many other places are closed.

Celebrating Thanksgiving 2016 in Paris

Haven’t sorted out your Thanksgiving holiday plans yet? No need to freak out. We’ve rounded up a few resources to help our American readers, as well as any locals who’ll be sharing the table this year.

Papillon restaurant in Paris | parisbymouth.com

Papillon

Address: 8, rue Messonier, 75017Hours: Open Monday-Friday for lunch & dinner. Closed Saturday & Sunday.Telephone: +33 1 56 79 81 88Website / Facebook / Instagram COVID-19 UPDATE:Papillon has reopened. Papillon in Photos Photos by Meg Zimbeck © Paris by Mouth In Other Words John Talbott (2016) “The best/most innovative meal I’ve had in 3 weeks.” Les Grands Ducs (2016) “La carte est courte, c’est le moins que l’on puisse dire, et le menu déjeuner (choix imposé), à 36 €, une toute… Read More »Papillon

Mensae restaurant in Paris | parisbymouth.com

Mensae

Mensae is a contemporary French bistro not far from the sprawling Buttes-Chaumont park. Classics like frogs’ legs and steak tartare are frequently featured on the ever-changing menu, revisited with a contemporary bent and more reasonable portion size than the behemoths found in other restaurants. Don’t miss the chocolate mousse for dessert.

Arpège restaurant in Paris

Arpège

Alain Passard spins turnips into gold at this vegecentric (but not vegetarian) three star restaurant.

L'Ambroisie Restaurant in Paris | Paris By Mouth

Special Report on Haute Cuisine

Between September-December 2014, we anonymously tested all nine of the Paris restaurants that hold three Michelin stars, along with seven others that are considered to be shining examples of haute cuisine.  In total, we spent €7150 in tasting 200 individual compositions during more than 65 hours at the table. You can learn more about how and why we did this by reading Behind the Curtain: Examining Haute Cuisine in Paris.  Here are the articles that have come out of this: HAUTE FOOD PORN If you simply want… Read More »Special Report on Haute Cuisine

Behind the Curtain: Examining Haute Cuisine in Paris

More than 100 years ago, a tire company named Michelin began telling people about their best options for eating while motoring around the country. Travelers wanted to know what was worth a detour or a special journey, and that’s still the case today. The question I’m most frequently asked by our readers is where to go for a special blow-out meal. You want to celebrate a birthday, an anniversary, a victory. You want to seal a deal, whether business or pleasure. You’re willing to drop some cash, but you don’t want to feel like a fool.

Until now, I’ve had a hard time answering this question. I know well the landscape of the city’s classic bistrosmodern French restaurants, and food-loving wine bars, but this class of two- and three-star tables is a different terrain entirely. There’s an obvious barrier to understanding these restaurants: the staggering, outrageous, almost immoral price of a meal. Prior to this project, in which I anonymously tested every three-star restaurant in Paris over a period of twelve weeks, I had only visited a handful.

Read More »Behind the Curtain: Examining Haute Cuisine in Paris
Zéboulon restaurant near Palais Royal in Paris | parisbymouth.com

Zébulon

A second effort from the folks behind Pirouette, here with a chef who trained in Japan and his arsenal of anywhere-East-of-here flavors. The two-course 20€ lunch menu on the day of our visit included gnocchi with gingered sea bass, plus steak with caramelized shallots and tempura shimeji mushrooms. The three-course 45€ menu (available lunch & dinner) is a roster of French standards with exotic inflections, like my dish of perfectly cooked turbot accented with nori and encircled by delicate nests of interwoven fennel and shallot strands.  If there’s anything to shrug about, it’s the interior. Design choices that worked well in the shadowy space of Pirouette appear here, in the shadow of the centuries-old Palais Royal, as painfully new. In any case, Zébulon’s arrival is great news for anyone hoping to eat well before or after a visit to the Louvre, and a welcome addition to the increasingly interesting  (VerjusJuveniles,) Palais Royal quarter. Read More »Zébulon

Au Passage Restaurant in Paris | Paris By Mouth

Au Passage

Address: 1 bis passage de Saint Sébastien, 75011Hours: Open Monday-Saturday for dinner. Closed Sunday.Telephone: +33 1 43 55 07 52Book Online / Website / Facebook / Instagram Our Most Recent Visit It’s so nice when a restaurant delivers more than they need to, more than you expect to receive. When looking at a chalkboard menu filled with cheap small plates, one rarely hopes for anything more than simple products. But here at Au Passage, your 8€ octopus dish has undergone three days of preparation. There’s a quiet… Read More »Au Passage

Ledoyen Restaurant in Paris | Paris By Mouth

Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen

This historic three-star restaurant is perched in a pavilion just off the Champs-Elysées and has been a dining destination since the French Revolution. Long-time chef Christian Le Squer handed the reigns to Yannick Alleno in July 2014, and Alleno has promised a renewed focus on what he considers to be the great strength of French cuisine – sauces.

Caffè Stern

Many powerful names/brands have come together for this long-awaited opening inside the Passage des Panoramas. The Alajmo family (of the three-starred Le Calendre in Padua) have partnered with David Lanher (Racines, Vivant) to convert an engraving shop into an Italian restaurant. They had some help from designer Philippe Starck, but thankfully not too much. The historically protected space – a series of dimly glowing rooms that date back to the 16th century – is stunning. Read More »Caffè Stern

Buvette restaurant in Paris

Buvette Gastrothèque

Manhattanite Jody Williams has brought her well-loved French “gastroteque” back to the city that inspired the original rustic-chic cafe.

Ryst Dupeyron

The real specialty at this classic, luxe shop is Armagnac, with vintages dating back to 1868. Don’t know the first thing about Armagnac? Just ask, and one of the friendly staff will pour you a taste. The back room houses an impressive collection of first growth Bordeaux (Margaux, Latour) and Chateau d’Yquem, and R-D bottles their own lines of port and Scotch, too.

La Dernière Goutte

Terroir-driven, estate-bottled, organic and biodynamic wines from small producers are the specialty at this beloved shop, run for almost 20 years by Juan Sanchez. Especially strong in their selection of growers’ Champagnes and bottles from the Rhone Valley. Stop by on Saturdays for their free tastings with winemakers from 11am-7:30pm. Check our calendar of Paris food & wine events to find out which winemakers they’ll be hosting this week.

Read More »La Dernière Goutte

La Cantine du Troquet

Warm, welcoming and well-priced. This bistro from Christian Etchebest follows the model of his other cantines, La Cantine du Troquet and La Cantine du Troquet Dupleix.

Le Meurice

Le Meurice is a Michelin two-star restaurant headed by Alain Ducasse and run by executive chef Amaury Bouhours. Currently, the main attraction is pastry chef Cédric Grolet and his stunning desserts. The other star is the opulent room itself, designed by Philippe Stark and inspired by Versailles. At the time of my visit in 2014, Le Meurice held three Michelin stars and offered a relatively inexpensive lunch service (2 courses for 85€ or the whole lunch menu for 130€). While… Read More »Le Meurice

Restaurant Pierre Gagnaire in Paris | Paris by Mouth

Pierre Gagnaire

Pierre Gagnaire is a Michelin three-star restaurant that has also spent many years on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Gagnaire is considered a pioneer in molecular gastronomy and collaborated with chemist Hervé This in early explorations of synthetic cuisine – creating new forms and textures using tartaric acid, glucose, and polyphenols, and so on. In contrast to the ebullient food, the dining room at Gagnaire has always been icy and formal. Dining here – at least during my two… Read More »Pierre Gagnaire

Bob's Juice Bar in Paris | parisbymouth.com

Bob’s Juice Bar

I once sat across from Owen Wilson at a communal table at Bob’s Juice Bar. He seemed happy with his veggie bowl, and you probably will be, too. This is the original Paris outpost from Marc Grossman selling healthy salads, bowls, smoothies, and other vegetarian delights. Open Monday, open Saturday, good for breakfast, cheap eats, vegetarian friendly, gluten free options, vegan options 15 rue Lucien Sampaix, 75010Open for breakfast & lunch Monday-SaturdayClosed Sunday OUR PHOTOS OF BOB’S JUICE BAR IN… Read More »Bob’s Juice Bar

Epicure at le Bristol Restaurant in Paris | Paris By Mouth

Epicure

Epicure is a fine dining restaurant inside Le Bristol hotel. It’s led by chef Éric Fréchon and currently holds three Michelin stars.   Chef Éric Fréchon has a lot of fans, so I was expecting something great when I visited in 2014. The cooking, while enjoyable, didn’t offer anything new. The setting lacked soul. It occupies a very similar niche to Le Cinq but didn’t measure up. Fréchon’s cuisine plays it a little too safe for my taste. A dish of raw… Read More »Epicure

Much Ado About Munster: Cheese Names Do Matter

There are a lot of inflammatory stories in the media about how Europe is trying to bully the US in trade talks into “giving back” its cheese names. Should producers in Vermont be able to name their cheese after a French or Italian village? Are these names about civic pride, or do they indicate something more? As someone who regularly encounters Americans’ confusion about names during my weekly French cheese tours in Paris, I have some thoughts. First of all: this isn’t new.

Read More »Much Ado About Munster: Cheese Names Do Matter

Eating & Drinking in Pigalle

In case you missed his much-discussed lament in the New York Times, Thomas Chatterton Williams is upset that Hipsters Ruined Paris. More specifically, he’s annoyed by the proliferation of “burrata salad” at the expense of hostess bars in South Pigalle. He warns us against the anesthetizing effects of steel-cut oats and worries that there isn’t room for both kale and human trafficking in the neighborhood to which he moved two years ago. From Brooklyn, of course.

Read More »Eating & Drinking in Pigalle

Kei restaurant in Paris | parisbymouth.com

Kei

After working for Ducasse for seven years, Kei Kobayashi has opened an eponymous restaurant in the old Gerard Besson space near Les Halles, offering four or five courses at lunch (38/48€) and six or eight (75/95€) at dinner. His cooking is spare and delicate, like the room that surrounds you, and service is formal. They’re clearly shooting for the (Michelin) stars here.

Read More »Kei

Truffles – Black Diamond Basics

It’s truffle season in Paris, and the knobby tubers are turning up on restaurant menus all over town. Many people, however, don’t know their Alba from their elbow, and can’t understand why a kilo of fungus might sell for thousands of euros. Are are some basics, with a little help from truffle maven Patricia Wells.

Gail Simmons’ Paris favorites

Gail Simmons recently returned to Paris for the first time in a decade and (helped in part by your Twitter suggestions) ate her way through the city. She named the sweetbreads at Spring and Frenchie’s cod with smoked eggplant as two of her favorite Paris tastes. But what else did she put in her mouth?

Meg Zimbeck

Meg Zimbeck is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Paris by Mouth. Beyond the content on this site, she writes about food in Paris for the Wall Street Journal. In the past, she has served as the Paris editor for both Budget Travel and BlackBook and has contributed to Food & Wine, SAVEUR, AFAR, Gridskipper, the BBC’s Olive magazine, and the seat-pocket magazines of United, Virgin Trains, and Gulf Air. She also hosted a program on Paris Street Eats for the  Travel Channel (USA). Meg’s food photography has been… Read More »Meg Zimbeck