La Poule au Pot is a looker. It's wonderful to walk in and witness the vintage wallpaper, the globe lighting, and the silver-plated serving chariot wheeling between Pepto-Bismol colored tables. It is at once a little elegant and also a touch cheesy. One can almost picture the 80s pop stars who used to slouch into these red banquettes, the mirrored pillars reflecting their manliner and sprayed hair. Today's Poule au Pot, having been recently rebooted by star chef Jean-François Piège, reflects something different - a desire for traditional cuisine bourgeouise and also the willingness (by some) to pay for it.
Universally praised Franco-Chinois fare from Adeline Grattard, and all but impossible to book. The restaurant moved to a new location at 121, rue Saint Honoré, 75001 in June 2015 and converted their old space at 4, rue Sauval into a tea salon and to-go window selling delicious steamed buns (bao).
Address: 121, rue Saint Honoré, 75001
Hours: Open Wednesday-Saturday for lunch & dinner. Closed Sunday, Monday & Tuesday.
Telephone: +33 1 40 26 08 07
Website / Instagram
COVID-19 UPDATE:
Following the easing of lockdown, Yam’Tcha is currently offering meals to take away or to eat in at Lai’Tcha (7, rue du Jour), its second restaurant open Thursday-Saturday noon-6pm (until 10pm for takeaway) and Sunday noon-8pm. It is also offering a menu called Dîners d’Adeline Thursday-Saturday at 7:30pm or 9pm. Reserve online or via email (reservation@yamtcha.com). It has a few tables outside.
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.
While the focus of this cheap and cheerful Japanese franchise is ostensibly the authentic tonkatsu ramen, the real highlight is the gyoza with a thick, crisp, seared crust and a juicy pork filling. The parent restaurant won the Prix du Concours National of Gyoza in Japan in 2004, and the dumplings truly are winners. The dining room is busy and the lines can be long, but the steaming bowls of ramen come out fast and are worth the wait. The counter seating on the bottom floor makes this a nice option for dining alone.
— Catherine Down, September 2015
Practical information
Address: 49 rue Berger, 75001
Nearest transport: Les Halles (4), Louvre-Rivoli (1)
Hours: Closed Sunday & Monday; Open Tuesday-Saturday for lunch and dinner
Reservations: Book a day or two in advance
Telephone: 01 40 28 00 00
Average price for lunch: 40-59€
Average price for dinner: 40-59€
Style of cuisine: Meat
Facebook
Reviews of interest
John Talbott (2015) “We were greeted warmly, seated and overwhelmed by the list of offerings, all meat except for a coquillages starter and sole & chips main… Go? I heartily urge you to.”
Figaroscope (2015) “Un sérieux antre viandard qu’une cave d’envergure rend encore un peu plus saignante… Moelle en brioche: de l’idée. Bœuf Kronos (bœuf taillé façon carpaccio et mariné): gentiment draculesque. Hampe de bœuf: jolie pièce, cuisson idoine.”
L’Express (2015) “Bon, je ne me tape pas la tête sur le billot pour commander le boeuf entier, j’ai même du mal à y retourner, vu qu’au bout de 5 minutes, le morceau est désespérément froid. Faut bien avouer que la maison manque un peu d’imagination pour la garder au chaud.”
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 (Verjus, Juveniles,) Palais Royal quarter.
This second location of La Régalade has been full since chef Bruno Doucet opened the doors in spring of 2010. The formula (terrine + 3 classic courses for a prix fixe) has since been replicated at a third location in the 9th. Is it less special now that it’s a franchise? Some think so (see below), but it remains a good bet in central Paris, especially on Mondays.
– Meg Zimbeck, 2010
Practical information
Address: 9 rue Villedo, 75001
Nearest transport: Pyramides (7,14)
Hours: Closed Sunday; Open Monday-Saturday for lunch only
Reservations: Reservations Not Accepted
Telephone: 01 40 20 45 20
Average price for lunch: 10-19€
Style of cuisine: Vietnamese
Website Facebook
Reviews of interest
L’Express (2014) “Une cuisine pour urbains connectés -la population du quartier- en mal de dépaysement. Traduction: les it-asiat’ à la mode US… mais sans les calories! Vegan rolls, banh mi burger, mais aussi quelques spécialités locales comme les chao tom, des brochettes de gambas marinées à la canne à sucre ou des salades croquantes et colorées.”
Les Tasters (2014) “Les plats dégagent une impression de légèreté et une certaine subtilité. Confirmée au long de l’après repas. Quelques aromates simples, de la coriandre fraîche et de bons produits produisent des accords délicats.”
Photo courtesy of Nest’s Facebook page
Practical information
Address: 45 rue de Richelieu, 75001
Nearest transport: Pyramides (7, 14)
Hours: Closed Sunday; Open Monday-Saturday for lunch & dinner
Reservations: Book a few days in advance
Telephone: 01 42 96 26 60
Average price for lunch: 20-39€
Average price for dinner: 20-39€
Style of Cuisine: Japanese
Website Facebook
Reviews of interest
Patricia Wells (2011) “I walked into Izakaya Issé on the rue de Richelieu, hoping for a quick, flavorful, inexpensive and light lunch. And that’s just what I got, in the name of domburi, the Japanese bowl of rice covered with a diverse assortment of fish, shellfish, meat or poultry.”
Le Figaro (2011) “… Aubergines mijotées, joues de bœuf au miso, couteaux sautés à l’ail, brochettes de porc avec légumes frits, fritures de pommes de terre et oignons… C’est plaisant, sans prise de chou, agréable à picorer, charmant pour tout dire.”
John Talbott (2009) “… a place all the critics have been falling all over themselves about…Occasionally the big boys, when they haven’t been outside Paris for a while, fall in love with a chimera.”
Table à Découvert (2009) “… je me régale tous les samedis, presque à en devenir monomaniaque…”
We’ve visited and reviewed more than 400 Paris restaurants, but this isn’t one of them. Scroll below to see what others have said about this place, or jump to see our favorite restaurants in Paris.
The market at Les Halles is long gone, but its legacy is still in evidence at Chez Denise, an old-school meat joint that’s open late. Expect to find steak, bone marrow, frisée salad on these red & white checked tablecloths. Come hungry, and don’t expect to be fussed over.
– Meg Zimbeck, 2010
Practical information
Address: 31 rue de Petits-Champs, 75001
Nearest transport: Pyramides (7, 14)
Hours: Closed Tuesday; Open Wednesday-Monday for lunch and dinner
Reservations: Reservations not accepted
Telephone: 01 42 86 03 83
Average price for lunch: 10-19€
Average price for dinner: 10-19€
Style of cuisine: Japanese
Facebook
Reviews of interest
L’Express (2011) “…nouvelle cantine de Little Japan qui place très haut la barre du ramen parisien…nouilles fraîches maison, bouillon de porc à la recette tenue secrète, miso de qualité, viande de porc fondante…”
Practical information
Address: 5 rue Villedo, 75001
Nearest transport: Pyramides (7, 14)
Hours: Closed Monday; Open Tuesday-Saturday for lunch and dinner; Open Sunday for lunch only
Reservations: Book a few days in advance
Telephone: 01 47 03 07 74
Average price for lunch: 20-39€
Average price for dinner: 60-100€
Style of cuisine: Japanese
Website
Reviews of interest
Simon Says (2010) “… udon d’enfer et toute une joyeuse ribambelle de petites assiettes façon tapas japonissimes, tempura impec (regardez les éraflures légèrissimes).”
L’Express (2010) “… des udons justement al dente, accompagnés de tempuras de légumes et de crevettes d’une parfaite blondeur croustillante, à tremper dans un bol de bouillon fumant gorgé de parfums. Un sublime en-cas à 19 euros.”
Don't be discouraged by the bog-standard beers on tap at this dark, European-style sports bar. The bottled beer selection is extensive, with brews from France and Belgium dominating the options, and a small collection of vintage beers is a unique addition to the menu.
Round up a group and head to Olio Pane Vino for handmade pasta dishes and Francesco’s unmistakably Italian hospitality.
We haven’t visited recently, but you can scroll down to see photos and what others have written about Willi’s Wine Bar.
Natural wine, snacks to soak it up, rowdy crowds and dancing bartenders. One of the original natural wine hangouts in Paris. Bottles also available for purchase to go.
– Meg Zimbeck, 2011
A meat-centric spot from the Rostang sisters - daughters of Michelin-starred chef Michel and the sixth generation of restaurateurs in their family.
International ubiquity might make La Maison du Chocolat easy to overlook on a visit to Paris, but this shop, with its heavenly ganaches, remains a standard bearer.
This cheese shop has an tasting room upstairs for light meals based either on cheese, or the silky house-made tofu. Madame Hisada, a master of French cheeses, is Japanese.
Whether you go for a pastry and a custom-flavored chocolat chaud or a box of perfect bonbons and truffles, Jean-Paul Hévin is a must for any chocolate lover.
Don't let the multiple locations fool you into thinking that this is some kind of mediocre chain bakery: The breads at Kayser are excellent.
Make a pot of mint tea or strong black coffee and bite into these fragrant, sticky-sweet Algerian pastries.
Pastry chef Hugues Pouget gives classic and seasonal flavors dueling personalities – the innovative Hugo and more classic Victor – in this sleek boutique. Macarons, chocolates, and breakfast treats are on offer, too.
Practical information
Address: 228 rue de Rivoli, 75001
Nearest transport: Tuileries (1), Concorde (1, 8, 12)
Hours: Open Monday-Friday for breakfast, lunch and dinner; Open Saturday and Sunday for breakfast only
Reservations: Book a day or two in advance for breakfast; Book a week or two in advance for lunch & dinner
Telephone: 01 458 00 21 19
Average price for lunch: 60-100€
Average price for dinner: More than 100€
Style of cuisine: Haute cuisine
Website Facebook Book Online
Reviews of interest
Reviews from meals with Christophe Saintonge / Alain Ducasse as chef
L’Express (2014) “Une belle grosse asperge verte de Jérôme Galis à Piolenc en Provence, épluchée au scalpel, confite à basse température dans l’huile de pépin de raisin, puis grillée. Une pousse d’ail grillée. Une crème d’amandes de Sicile. Un jus d’asperge à l’estragon réveillé par une larme de vinaigre d’ail des ours. Et ces miettes de charbon : une cendre de Comté. Ou comment réécrire l’accord classique asperge/comté dans un nouveau dialogue entre le croquant doux-amer de l’asperge, le fondant délicat de l’aillet, le poudré étonnamment « umami » du comté, le duveteux gourmand de l’amande et le jus d’asperge tonique… Je me régale en silence.”
David Lebovitz (2013) “I’m gonna call it and say that the first course was the best thing I ate in 2013. Out came an iron pot with a lid, which was set down between us along with two long forks and little bowls of sorrel mayonnaise. When they lifted the lid, we were presented with a simple tumble of vegetables cooked over a concave demi-circle of coarse, gray salt. Each vegetable was au nature, but each one was the most marvelously flavored vegetable I ever tasted in the last ten years.”
Figaroscope (2013) “Voilà une table de hauteur jamais hautaine, où l’on s’accorde l’art de se ruiner heureux. Surtout le meilleur Ducasse depuis longtemps!”
Alexander Lobrano (2013) “Ultimately, this was a superb and very daring meal… simple and wholesome.”
Le Monde (2013) “Alors oui, les prix sont astronomiques, et je préfèrerais toujours une assiette bonne franquette dans un bistro où l’on peut parler fort et rigoler de bon cœur. Mais Ducasse et ses équipes savent créer des moments gastronomiques de haute volée, qui étonnent et détonnent, prouvant que l’on peut cuisiner grand sans rien dénaturer, et que le luxe réside souvent dans les goûts simples et une belle botte de navets.”
Reviews from meals with Yannick Alleno as chef
Gilles Pudlowski (2011) “Bref, voilà une maison au mieux de son style, à redécouvrir le midi pour ce menu fortiche qui exalte les saveurs du terroir parisien avec une confondante habileté.”
Simon Says (2010) “L’assiette de Yannick Alleno était dans ce genre de magie poétique…”
Alexander Lobrano (2009) “… five days after left the table at Le Meurice, I am still savoring that exquisite spring lunch.”
Food Snob (2009) “…Everything was cooked flawlessly, ingredients were excellent, presentation appealed, but I was just not overwhelmed by deliciousness.”
Practical information
Address: 15 rue des Petits-Champs, 75001
Nearest transport: Pyramides (7, 14), Bourse (3)
Hours: Closed Sunday; Open Monday-Friday for lunch and dinner; Open Saturday for dinner only
Reservations: Book a few days in advance
Telephone: 01 42 97 53 85
Average price for lunch: 20-39€
Average price for dinner: 40-59€
Style of cuisine: modern French
Website Facebook Book Online
Reviews of interest
Figaroscope (2008) “De très beaux volumes haussmanniens et un coin salon idéal pour conversations discrètes.”
Photo courtesy of Macéo’s Facebook Page
Practical information
Address: 20 rue du Louvre, 75001
Nearest transport: Louvre-Rivoli (1)
Hours: open every day
Reservations: Book a few weeks in advance
Telephone: 01 42 60 40 40
Average price for lunch: 60-100€
Average price for dinner: More than 100€
Style of cuisine: contemporary tasting menu
Website Facebook Book Online
Reviews of interest
Table à Découvert (2013) “Le vacherin au parfum de rose, de riz, de gingembre et de thé sencha. Si j’ai retrouvé avec plaisir tous les textures du vacherin (glacée, fondante, craquante), la délicatesse des notes était tellement poussée qu’elle m’a fait passer un peu à côté des parfums. Comme un parfum très, très léger qui se sent à peine sur la peau. Si je devais rester dans la métaphore du parfum, je dirais qu’il n’était pas assez capiteux à mon goût.”
Patricia Wells (2012) “Anne-Sophie Pic’s week-old La Dame de Pic near the Louvre is the sensation of the rentrée… She sports her feminine role, but does not flaunt it or play it cute. Ingredients are impeccable, preparations are complicated but not overdone, and the taste theme throughout is one of softness and smoothness with a required touch of crunch. I would never think of pairing warm oysters with cauliflower, but Anne-Sophie offers a regal, cloud-like presentation of warm Gillardeau oysters bathed in a frank and fragrant cream of cauliflower and jasmine, surprising as well as satisfying.”
L’Express (2012) “Le plus: Le service, rebondissant. Le moins: Le “classement” olfactif des différents menus (“vanille ambrée”, “iode et fleurs”…) pas très convaincant, et les languettes à renifler comme dans une boutique de parfums gadgets.”
Practical information
Address: 6 rue du Marché St.-Honoré, 75001
Nearest transport: Tuileries (1), Pyramides (7, 14)
Hours: Closed Sunday & Monday; Open Tuesday-Thursday from 11am-7pm & Friday-Saturday from 11am-10pm
Reservations: Walk-ins Welcome
Telephone: 01 42 61 93 87
Average price for lunch: 40-59€
Average price for dinner: 40-59€
Style of cuisine: Seafood, oysters & shellfish
Book Online
Reviews of interest
Le Figaro (2011) “Lorsque l’Écume Saint-Honoré, l’un des meilleurs poissonniers de la capitale, se dote d’un espace dégustation, cela donne ce bar à coquillages pour avaler six huîtres sur le pouce, de rares pouces-pieds ou un saumon fumé, le tout accompagné de cris de mouette en fond sonore. Rafraîchissant.”
Practical information
Address: 46 rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, 75009
Nearest transport: Le Peletier (7)
Hours: Open every day for lunch and dinner
Reservations: Walk-Ins Welcome
Telephone: 01 45 23 10 21
Average price for lunch: 10-19€
Average price for dinner: 10-19€
Style of cuisine: Chinese
Website Facebook
Additional location
Address: 3 rue de Turbigo, 75001
Nearest transport: Étienne Marcel (4)
Hours: Open every day for lunch and dinner
Telephone: 01 40 13 08 04
Reviews of interest
Table à Découvert (2013) “Tout est mélangé et se déguste avec envie. Sauce un peu sucrée, mais surtout bien serrée, petits morceaux de porc confit délicieux, nouilles irrégulières dans la forme et si bonnes, coriandre, ciboule, céleri, carotte, concombre, le bonheur pour 9,50 €!”
Patricia Wells (2011) “The satisfying and amazingly long, alabaster handpulled noodles are prepared right in front of you…we headed straight for the heat, their spicy “crevettes touchant la ciel,” a giant bowl of soothing wheat noodles teamed up with squares of soft tofu, Chinese cabbage, shrimp in the shell, and plenty of Sichwan peppercorns…I was in seventh heaven!”
Alexander Lobrano (2008) “This little cubby hole of a place where a cheerful Chinese lady spins fresh noodles from long coiled wands of dough all day long is a charming spot that’s become a big hit with everyone…My lunch menu include a small salad, two grilled ravioli, and a generous spool of fresh noodles in delicious, flavorful bouillon garnished with fresh coriander, thin slices of beef, bean sprouts, tofu, chili paste and an errant vegetable or two…”
David Lebovitz (2008) “Not only is Les Pâtes Vivantes not expensive, but a bowl of their handmade noodles in soup, or stir-fried with beef, tofu, and chili pepper, is pretty satisfying…”
François Simon (2008) “Des “pates vivantes”, c’est à dire étirées à la main devant vous. C’est tout petit, donné (9,90€ le large bol au boeuf) et sincèrement dans les buées de cuisson…”
Practical information
Address: 9 rue d’Alger, 75001
Nearest transport: Tuileries (1)
Hours: Closed Sunday; Open Monday-Friday for lunch & dinner and Saturday for dinner only
Reservations: Book a day or two in advance
Telephone: 01 40 20 72 00
Average price for lunch: 20-39€
Average price for dinner: 40-59€
Style of cuisine: Modern French, Basque & southwestern
Website Book Online
Reviews of interest
Le Figaro(2012) “… une petite salle brut de déco aux tables serrées comme la mêlée. Une carte d’envies ventile un chic vrac de recettes à partager…”
Patricia Wells (2012) “Dutournier offers a tempting trio of three significant bites of each dish, focusing on all the finest ingredients of the region: baby squid, or chipirions; foie gras; local ham…Overall, I found the food could have come with a bit more punch, brighter flavors, more focus. But I’ll be back…”
Table à Découvert (2009) “…la lecture de la carte ne vous laisse pas le choix, vous avez envie de tout goûter.”
A favorite address for udon and rice bowls. Reservations are not accepted, so be prepared to queue unless you go early.
Practical information
Address: 58 rue Jean Jacques Rousseau, 75001
Nearest transport: Les Halles (4), Étienne Marcel (4)
Hours: Open every day for dinner only
Reservations: Walk-ins Welcome
Telephone: 09 54 37 13 65
Average price for dinner: 40-59€
Style of cuisine: Steak joint, classic French
Website Facebook
Reviews of interest
Table à Découvert (2013) “Les prix s’envolent vite aussi, comptez 10-15€ pour une entrée au minimum, quant aux viandes, elles s’affichent à partir de 25 ou 30€. Ceci me semble justifié compte-tenu de la qualité et du temps de maturation de la viande (explication en quelques mots: elle est déjà restée à maturer chez l’éleveur et elle reste encore un mois dans les frigos du resto= perte d’eau et de poids, stockage, immobilisation d’espace).”
Simon Says (2012) “Le burger. Pour 23 euros, on est forcément en embuscade… Sous le capot, il y a du monde avec bun maison au sésame, ceccina, poitrine croustillante, pickles, vieux cheddar et sauce whisky. On le boulotte avec l’énergie locale que diffuse l’habile programmation musicale.”
Le Figaro (2012) “De la mâche, des arômes, un goût comme soudain retrouvé, une viande vamp et vampire, à vous faire oublier la béarnaise…”
L’Express (2012) “Dans l’assiette, c’est la perfection faite viande: servie épaisse, saisie à l’extérieur, saignante et chaude à coeur, des notes corsées, voire sauvages, du fondant et de la tenue en bouche…”
Alexander Lobrano (2012) “I just don’t get this completely misbegotten and off-kilter version of a New York City steakhouse cross-bred with some wispy English version of same and then lightly extruded through a French sensibility… I might have liked this place if the food had been better than average and the service half-decent…”
The man behind the curtain in this white-on-white, Kubrick-esque space in the new Mandarin Oriental is molecular master Thierry Marx.
Practical information
Address: 55 rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, 75009
Nearest transport: Poissonnière (7)
Hours: Open every day for lunch & dinner
Reservations: Reservations not accepted
Telephone: 01 73 70 51 52
Average price for lunch: 10-19€
Average price for dinner: 10-19€
Style of cuisine: American, hamburgers
Website Facebook
Additional Locations
Address: 32 rue Saint-Sauveur, 75002
Nearest transport: Sentier (3), Réaumur-Sébastopol (3, 4)
Hours: Open every day for lunch & dinner
Telephone: 09 67 22 40 06
Address: 40 Place du Marché Saint-Honoré, 75001
Nearest transport: Pyramides (7, 14)
Hours: Open every day for lunch & dinner
Telephone: 01 81 63 08 63
Reviews of interest
Reviews from the rue Saint-Sauveur location:
Le Figaro (2013) “Chaude comme bouillon, active à sortir du burger à la gauloise, juteux, vaillant, à la limite de la surcharge et du fourre-tout.”
Reviews from the rue du Faubourg Poissonnière location:
Table à Découvert (2013) “Un steak de bœuf charolais très généreux, du fromage à raclette, de la ciboulette, des oignons mitonnés, de la poitrine fumée extra grillée (qui croustille beaucoup, c’est ce qui est bon) et une sauce barbecue maison pas mal du tout… Mais au bout de quelques bouchées, je m’aperçois que la viande très moelleuse et la cuisson plus bleue que saignante (je l’ai demandée saignante) font que le bœuf fond en bouche dans un amalgame d’ingrédients qui le fait légèrement disparaître. C’est bon hein, tous les ingrédients sont là, identifiables et généreux, mais la viande manque un peu de mâche, alors que l’épaisseur est là, la quantité et la qualité doublement.”
Les Grands Ducs (2012) “Du pain spécialement préparé par le boulanger voisin, moelleux comme tout, de la viande hachée sur place juteuse comme on l’aime…Service survolté, drôle et bien organisé…”
Le Figaro (2012) “Big Fernand, c’est l’Amérique revisitée béret-baguette, la France profonde aux couleurs yankees…Tout est cuit devant vous, la viande et les frites sont très bonnes, le pain aussi.”
Photo courtesy of Big Fernand’s Facebook page
Practical information
Address: 39 rue de l’Arbre Sec, 75001
Nearest transport: Louvre-Rivoli (1)
Hours: Closed Sunday; Open Monday-Friday for lunch and dinner; Open Saturday for dinner only
Reservations: Book a week or two in advance
Telephone: 01 42 60 77 34
Average price for lunch: 20-39€
Average price for dinner: 40-59€
Style of cuisine: Classic French
Website
Reviews of interest
John Talbott (2012) “The ‘menu’ is a very reasonable 29 E for 3 courses, but a la carte we’re dealing with double that, and that’s before liquids. But I rather liked the ‘menu’…a perfectly cooked duck breast with a ton of vegetables…a chocolate mousse…All were much above average…”
Chroniques du Plaisir (2012) “La cuisine y est dans le droit fil de ce qui avait fait le succès de son jumeau : des produits de belle extraction, à peine transformés, soigneusement assaisonnés et aux cuissons toujours millimétrées. Mais il y a là un je ne sais quoi en plus qui fait claquer les doigts…”
Alexander Lobrano (2011) “this restaurant feels very out of place in the rue de l’Arbre Sec…more alarming than the decor or the crowd, however, was the menu. For starters, it was short and difficult, because not only was it rather unappealing, it was also very expensive…if I want to spend 70 Euros on a meal, I can think of a lot of much better places to do so than Racines 2.”
Figaroscope (2011) “Voilà des plats travaillant a minima, juste dans le souffle et l’élan…Attention, Racines 2 ne fait pas de la grande cuisine, juste une cuisine de produit, laissant passer celui-ci comme la muleta du torero. Certains risquent d’être déçus et je les entends d’ici : “Ah, ce n’est que ça ?!” Réponse: ce n’est que cela.”
Figaroscope (2011)”…un bon spécimen de bistrot urbain nouveau…repas bien découplé entre petits plats de spontanéité et vins nature…Vitello tonnato : tranché un peu trop charnu mais plaisant. Poitrine de cochon, cocos de Paimpol et jus de cresson : beau gras bien relancé par des cocos bien en verve…”
The Cluizel family starts from the bean to make their range of bonbons and bars.
Practical information
Address: 14 rue des Capucines, 75002
Nearest transport: Madeleine (8, 12, 14), Opéra (3, 7, 8)
Hours: Closed Sunday; Open Monday-Friday 9am-11.30pm; Open Saturday for dinner only
Reservations: Book a day or two in advance
Telephone: 01 42 61 66 71
Average price for lunch: 20-39€
Average price for dinner: 40-59€
Style of cuisine: French bistro
Website Facebook Book Online
Reviews of Interest
Les Grands Ducs (2014) “Après un départ un peu chahuté, des ambitions d’étoiles complexes et un changement de chef, voici Les Jalles revenues à ce que Magali sait faire de mieux : un bistrot chic et gourmand, balayant avec esprit le répertoire de la cuisine bourgeoise remise au goût du jour.”
Alexander Lobrano (2012) “… this artfully staged space intends to flatter anyone who walks through the door…the newly opened kitchen hasn’t found its rhythm yet, and neither has the service…After our main courses arrived, though, a ripple of private pleasure passed around our table, since the food here is actually quite good.”
John Talbott (2012) “… we were wowed… Go? After all the buzz, you gotta.”
Figaroscope (2012) “…les asperges ont cette concentration bien sentie avec copeaux de comté et jus de viande ; idem pour la crème de févettes ou encore le carpaccio de homard bleu, voire cette côtelette de lotte bien centrée sur ses saveurs. On sent un véritable travail….un de nos coups de cœur de ce printemps.”
Photo courtesy of Alexander Lobrano’s website
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.
Book many weeks in advance for a seat at this fantastic table d'hotes, run by a young American couple in their apartment near Palais Royal. Ten courses, including bubbly and wine pairings. OCTOBER 2011: Hidden Kitchen has closed, but you can find the pair at their new venture, Verjus.
On a lovely corner near the Place des Victoires, Les Fines Gueules serves quality product in simple-but-good preparations. One of the best hand cut steak tartares in the city. The wine list is overwhelmingly natural, and there’s a handful of tables outside for sipping on the sidewalk on warm summer nights. Warning: many readers have raised concerns about the service (see comments below).
– Meg Zimbeck, 2013