La Bourse et la Vie currently holds the #1 ranking in our list of favorite Classic Bistros in Paris. Come to celebrate, or come on a date. Come for the best steak-frites in Paris, or for the selection of after-dinner armagnacs. Come because you still remember the warm gougères that were served with your glass of Champagne. Come with a fat wallet, because all of this specialness is going to cost you. Not as much as the celebrated sister restaurant in New York, but still far more than an average neighborhood bistro. It’s worth it.

Notable dishes:

• foie gras with artichoke heart
• fried quail with citrus butter
• pot au feu
• steak frites
• crème au caramel
• chocolate mousse

Practical information

Address: 12 rue Vivienne, 75002
Hours: Open Monday-Friday for lunch and dinner. Closed Saturday & Sunday.
Telephone:+33 1 42 60 08 83
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La Bourse et la Vie in pictures

What people are saying

David Lebovitz (2016) says that Daniel Rose is “applying the same insistence he’s known for in his other restaurant, on the quality of ingredients and careful preparation of the iconic dishes that many of us know and love. It’s obvious on the menu, and on the plates, that Chef Rose has a deep affection for them too.”

Saveur (2016) advises “the dishes not to miss include duckling in orange sauce, a brilliant modern riff on boeuf à la ficelle (beef poached in bouillon), an epic chocolate mousse, and the best crème caramel in Paris.”

Time Out (2016) says “the two chefs brilliantly blend traditional French cooking with bolder, more original recipes, offering a small, careful selection of dishes like a sweetish beetroot salad with smoked eel, crème fraîche and raifort (a sharper version of Ukrainian borscht soup), or a well-seasoned steak cooked in Armagnac with perfectly cooked chips and an anchovy salad with vinaigrette.”

Patricia Wells (2015) says she is a pushover for oysters and that Daniel Rose’s rendition of “warm oysters broiled with a touch of spinach and a healthy dose of thick Normandy crème fraîche totally made my day. The serving was of three oysters, I could have easily had six!” On the downside, a thyme sorbet was “far too aggressively infused to be appealing.”

Simon Says (2015) François Simon says there is nothing bad to report here, calling it a superb demonstration and praising the foie gras with artichokes, the leeks in vinaigrette, and the quail fried in buckwheat batter. He finishes by attributing “the radiant air of a blossoming chef” to Daniel Rose, who is now cooking in New York.

Table à Découvert (2015) Caroline Mignot is in heaven tasting the leeks in vinaigrette, calls the fried quail an “absolute pleasure,” and announces that crème au caramel figures in the pantheon of greatest crèmes au caramel ever made. She leaves the table happy and totally conquered.

L’Express (2015) calls this a love letter to bistro cuisine.

Le Figaro (2015) praises the creamy artichoke heart with foie gras and the pot-au-feu with a slice of crispy head with ravigote sauce – a “model recipe.” Like Caroline Mignot, they’re crazy for the crème caramel.

Alexander Lobrano (2015) also calls this the best crème caramel he’s ever had. “It was rich, eggy, creamy and redolent of vanilla, and the only thing that could possibly have made it better was a stronger taste of burned sugar in the sauce… La Bourse et La Vie is a wonderful restaurant.”

Le Fooding (2015) raves about the pot-au-feu served with a rosy quasi de veau, os à moelle, crispy tête with sauce ravigote, and a bouillon from another galaxy garnished by a giant cèpe mushroom, mint, and lemon zest.

John Talbott (2015) says that Daniel and Mary-Aude Rose cannot do any better than this classic bistro and calls the oysters and the foie gras with artichoke “sublime.”

The New York Times (2015) calls this “an ode to the bistro,” saying that Rose applies his experience and skilled precision to the most comforting of French dishes: pot au feu, artichoke salad with foie gras (the first dish Rose ate when he moved to Lyon for cooking school), whole roasted chickens and steak-frites.”

La Bourse et la Vie in video