45, Rue Saint-Georges, 75009
Open every day for lunch & dinner
Reservations online or at +33 1 48 78 40 30
IN OTHER WORDS
The Gannet (2015) “Le Bon Georges is more traditional than the other newcomers on the Paris restaurant scene and the cuisine is closer to traditional French cooking, with an accent on well-sourced ingredients. On a recent visit, I was wowed when the chef remastered the classic oeufs mimosa, chopping the egg white then setting a barely poached egg yolk on top. It was served with some bonito (tuna) flakes and a generous dollop (and stripe) of Dijon mustard sauce, which gave it a lively kick.”
David Lebovitz (2015) “The emergence of Le Bon Georges… makes it clear that people still hunger for the classic Parisian bistro. And for good, honest food prepared by a staff that cares. Owner Benoît Duval-Arnould has managed to reinvigorate the Parisian bistro, making it relevant to today by carefully sourcing his ingredients from the best French producers.”
The Wall Street Journal (2015) “A post-card-pretty, traditional-style bistro in the 9th arrondissement… The menu at the very popular Le Bon Georges changes almost daily but runs to homey, carefully cooked dishes such as rabbit stewed with prunes, roasted rack of baby lamb and butter-braised yellow pollock with roasted baby leeks. The côte du boeuf Polmard, or rib-steak for two, has to be reserved in advance.”
Alexander Lobrano (2014) “Pretty much perfect neighborhood bistro… good, solid, simple food.”
L’Express (2014) “Un vrai bon plan… Le Bon Georges, le bistrot qui a (presque) tout bon!”
Table à Découvert (2014) “L’œuf poché et sa blanquette de légumes. Pas très généreuse la blanquette me dis-je en voyant arriver l’assiette. C’était avant de goûter… Au premier coup de cuillère, j’étais encore plus frustrée. L’œuf délicat et sa note maîtrisée de vinaigre, le crémeux de la liaison, son goût presque sucré par les légumes, les divers légumes en coupés en brunoise et la verdeur du persil plat ciselé créaient une synergie extra.”
John Talbott (2014) “Really cool, really old, really friendly joint… right now this stands Number 3 on my Great Hits List for 2014.”
Le Figaro (2014) “Un bistrot bien campé dans le parigot entre sérieux répertoire comptoir et fameux bagout viandard (notamment un fameux bœuf de chez Polmard).”
Thank you for the quality control warnings. That was a near miss. I almost made a reservation. Too many nice bistros in Paris to throw away an evening on this one.
Oof – that sounds awful, Brad. To be honest, I’ve never been over the moon about Le Bon Georges. I know a lot of people with great taste that like it a lot. I think the room and the terrasse are lovely, but I never found the food to be more than passable. From your description, it’s less so these days. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Le Bon Georges has been one of our favorite places in Paris to visit since they opened, but this last trip (two weeks ago) that all came to an end. Literally the worst meal of our trip, compounded by a total lack of understanding or awareness by the management and further ruined by their ‘New & Improved’, 128 page ‘Star Wine List’. Please tell me just WTF that wine list is doing at a neighborhood bistro such as Le Bon Georges?!! It’s not Taillevent…it’s a traditional corner bistro in a part of town that’s hardly calling out for a wine geek list with “trophy’ wine priced three times the retail price!!! I went into that dinner with definite reservations because of what I saw as a very bad business move, and my fears were totally confirmed. I even talked to Hugo Courtois (the Sommelier that night…the place apparently now has SIX Somms!!!) about the new direction the place had taken and he just shrugged, giving the vibe that he’d already had this discussion with many other regulars like me. But maybe I’m wrong…maybe the locals are thrilled to eat food that is nowhere near as good as it was a few years ago and wash it down with a €2500 bottle of Vogue Amoureuses! Or a ’19 J-V Bizot Vosne ‘Les Jachees’ for €3200…or an ’01 Leroy S-L-B Narbantons for a cool €5K
What we had was a total failure. Four covers, four awful meals across the board, in a place where I’ve raved about every single morsel I’ve ever eaten there. Not one appetizer was memorable in any way. Not exactly awful, but just very average. But the main courses…that was another story! Never in my life have I seen a duck magnet served uncarved…just an unappetizing block of duck plopped down on the plate. And even though my wife had ordered it ‘pink’ (as the chef suggested) it arrived RAW. Not simply rare, but blue! We sent it back and it returned still far too bloody to enjoy. Two of us ordered the pork, which sounded wonderful, but was instead so ridiculously fatty and at the same time tough as an old shoe and under seasoned. Our vegetarian friend ordered a mixed vegetable platter that was so underwhelming it was laughable…it was just a plate of vegetables…no special preparation, no sauce, just vegetables! All of the main courses had major preparation problems…the mistakes were glaring…and noticed by other diners around us, as well.
Over the past 30 years, I have eaten at just about every 3-star Michelin restaurant in Paris, so I think I know what to expect from a dining experience in a place with this. I love eating in all manor of Parisian Bistros with classically simple menus and great wine. If Le Bon Georges aspires to be something other than the Bistro it was in the past, that’s Kool and the Gang, but that would obviously require more than simply adding a ridiculously thick book of expensive wines to the menu. I hate to say it, but they seem to have lost the plot on why they’re in business. It’s not to trot out a Bible of Wine that will only impress oenophiles. They’ve forgotten that the food is why most people go to restaurants.
Ugh, I’m so sorry to hear that, MJ. Thanks for sharing your experience there. – Meg
“The young waiter, with a real attitude problem, treated us like dumb tourists…”
yup, waitstaff doesn’t really care.
prices are high. the quality of the ingredients is high, but the complete package is a bit bland.
very few places in Paris rush you, here they do.
Avoid, a high end tourist trap.
Cuisine: Delicious pavé de boeuf, succulent venison.
Wine: good quality but they never served what was advertised. 2012 Colliuire becomes 2013… a Luberon 2010 in fact is a Luberon 2012. “Mais le gout est pareil Monsieur, est c’est le meme prix!”
The young waiter, with a real attitude problem, treated us like dumb tourists…