28 Best Restaurants in Paris, France

Tucked away in a quiet garden across from the Petit Palais, Ledoyen—open since 1779—is a study in Empire-style elegance (this is where Napoléon first met his eventual wife Joséphine). Star chef Yannick Alléno injects the three-star dining room with a frisson of modernity by putting fresh farmhouse ingredients front and center in his €415, 10-course tasting extravaganza (a seven-course menu is a slightly more reasonable €295). This may seem de trop, but in Alléno's hands dishes like smoked eel soufflé with watercress coulis and candied onion, tender mussels with tart green apple and caviar, or artichoke-and-Parmesan gratin are rendered as light as a feather. The desserts are tiny masterpieces.

This beautiful historic bistro highlights the extraordinary synergy that can happen when French technique meets Korean flavors. Classics like pigeon or beef come alive with pickled daikon radish, tamarind, or Korean spice blends. You'll still find dishes firmly anchored in the French repertoire, like trout with trout caviar and whipped anchovy butter with lovage, or a caramel and quince dacquoise for dessert. This is a restaurant Parisians in the know will cross town for, and that's saying a lot.

In one of the most anticipated announcements in the Parisian food world, the Plaza Athénée named talented young chef Jean Imbert, a protégé of his predecessor Alain Ducasse, as head of their new temple to gastronomy. A long marble table is the centerpiece of this opulently refurbished dining room (which seems to take Versailles as its model), and the menu is no less splendid, with options like Casparian imperial caviar, Bellevue lobster in a foie gras broth flecked with black truffle, and whole turbot masterfully boned table-side. Each dish goes the extra mile, and that goes for the desserts by pastry chefs Angelo Musa and Elisabeth Hot too. Even among the gilding, marble, Aubusson carpets, and towering chandeliers, a feeling of intimacy prevails, with splashes of candlelight for romance.

Shortly after earning a second Michelin star from the chic open kitchen at the Hôtel Prince des Galles, Stéphanie le Quellec left to strike out on her own. Now she's regained her two stars at this gleaming dining room on the elegant Avenue Matignon, the perfect setting for the refined, scintillating cuisine that earned the former Top Chef winner a loyal following among Paris gastronomes. Whether you're having lunch in the ground-floor brasserie, with its burnished bronze bar, or downstairs in the elegant 30-seat dining room with an open kitchen, Le Quellec doesn't skimp on luxury ingredients in signature dishes like Pompadour potato soufflé with Ossetra caviar, poached langoustine, and the famous foie gras tart, all masterfully paired with handpicked small-producer wines. Pastry chef Pierre Chirac's irresistible desserts round out a perfect meal.

With 100-plus locations worldwide, the largest branch of the Ladurée tea salon empire is worth the splurge, thanks to the sumptuous pastries, which steal the show. In addition to more than a dozen flavors of macarons, it has assorted cakes, ice cream, pastries, and beautifully boxed treats ideal for gift-giving. Reserve a table in the elegant wood-paneled rooms upstairs or the glassed-in storefront, or grab a bite in the secluded Art Nouveau bar in the back. Though pricey, the menu promises generous salads and flavorful plats du jour.

Christian Le Squer is among the most famous and most respected chefs in Paris, as proved by his turn here at one of the city's most deluxe dining rooms. You'll find all the luxury products you might expect—caviar, truffles, game in season—along with a masterful touch that often transforms homey Breton ingredients such as oysters or lamb into imaginative tours de force. A perfect example would be his famous Ile de Chausey lobster marinated in citrus and served in a heart of caramelized romaine with a featherlight beurre blanc mousseux. Desserts are ethereal, wines are top-notch, and service is unfailingly thoughtful.

Hide Kobayashi, known as "Koba," is one of several Japanese chefs in Paris who trained with some of the biggest names in French cuisine before opening their own restaurants. Not surprisingly, this great-value bistro near the Arc de Triomphe became instantly popular with locals as well as visiting Japanese and Americans who follow the food scene. Generosity is the key to the cooking here, which steers clear of haute-cuisine flourishes; both the monkfish fricassee with anchovy-rich tapenade and a classic veal kidney in mustard sauce, for instance, come with a heap of mashed potatoes. For dessert, try the stunning île flottante (floating island), made with oven-baked meringue. Wines by the glass start at €8—unheard-of in this area.

Perhaps the most traditional of all Paris luxury restaurants, this two-star grande dame basks in renewed freshness under chef Giuliano Sperandio, who brings a welcome contemporary spirit that translates to daring on the plate. Dishes such as scallops meunière (with butter and lemon) are matched with contemporary choices like a splendid spelt risotto with truffles and frogs' legs or panfried duck liver with caramelized fruits and vegetables. One of the 19th-century paneled salons has been turned into a winter garden, and contemporary paintings adorn the walls. The service is flawless, and the legendary wine list is full of classics.

If you want to venture to the frontier of contemporary cooking—and if money is no object—dinner here is a must. Chef Pierre Gagnaire's work is at once intellectual and poetic, often blending three or four unexpected tastes and textures in a single dish. Just taking in the menu requires concentration (ask the waiters for help), so complex are the multiline descriptions about each dish's six or seven ingredients. The Grand Dessert, a seven-dessert marathon, will leave you breathless, though it's not as overwhelming as it sounds. The uninspiring prix-fixe lunch (€98) and occasional ill-judged dishes linger as drawbacks, and prices keep shooting skyward, so Pierre Gagnaire is an experience best saved for the financial elite.

A Paris institution since 1925, this absolute stunner of a seafood brasserie was also one of the first restaurants to champion French-raised caviar, after the Bolshevik revolution cut the Russian supply. Fast forward to 2023, when star chef Yannick Alléno took the helm of the Art Deco dining room (one of the most spectacular historic interiors in Paris), infusing the menu with a new elegance in dishes like a caviar-flecked salmon-and-seaweed hand roll, langoustine carpaccio with caviar cream, or a perfectly prepared filet of sole, all washed down with sparkly Champagne or a crisp Bourgogne blanc. Desserts are equally luscious. Dining here is a quintessential Parisian experience, whether for a leisurely lunch or an elegant candlelit dinner.

The closest thing the pastry world has to a rock star, Pierre Hermé and his wildly imaginative flavor pairings (think raspberry, rose, and lychee; chestnut and black wheat; or jasmine and fraise des bois) are renewed every season and are never humdrum. At 86 Champs, Hermé has teamed up with fragrance and cosmetics giant L'Occitane for a colorful carousel ride of a café, with a half-moon pastry-and-chocolates counter and bar, where you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, or a quick bite. Indoor seating can be cramped; in warm weather try for a seat on the popular sidewalk terrace. Like many places on the Champs-Élysées, the dishes here are very pricey, and the service can be glacial and indifferent.

A favorite of Parisians for business lunches and after-work apéros, this traditional brasserie prides itself on using quality ingredients from top French producers (and the family farm) for its homemade fare, along with all the joys of an authentic Parisian brasserie: a daily blackboard menu, brisk service, a generous sidewalk terrace, and convenient all-day hours (open 6:30 am until midnight). Its location a short walk from the Champs-Élysées does mean higher prices, but not as high as the more touristy cafés on the avenue.

A charming and much less infamous version of its sumptuous mothership—the legendary 250-year-old Parisian restaurant Lapérouse—this light-drenched café, housed within the beautiful Hôtel de la Marine, has all the romance of a 19th-century luxury cruiseliner bound for exotic shores: plush banquettes in sorbet colors, glittering chandeliers, and touches from faraway places. It's equally wonderful for breakfast, lunch, dinner, teatime, or even a quick cocktail, indoors or on the colonnaded terrace facing Place de la Concorde or the mansion's elegant courtyard.

Just off glitzy Avenue Montaigne, Chez Savy's Art Deco cream-and-burgundy interior is blissfully intact, occupying its own circa-1930s microcosm. Fill up on rib-sticking specialties from the Aveyron region of central France—lentil salad with bacon, foie gras (prepared on the premises), perfectly charred lamb with featherlight shoestring frites, and pedigreed Charolais beef. Order a celebratory bottle of Mercurey with your meal, and feel smug that you've found this place.

Though there are more outstanding restaurants in terms of cuisine, this gorgeous dining room in the Baccarat museum certainly ranks among the most beautiful in Paris. Its towering mirrors, gilded moldings, and stunning crystal chandeliers are enhanced by attentive service. And, bien sur, you will sip your Champagne from the finest Baccarat cristal. Plan on reserving ahead for dinner; lunch requires no advance notice and is a reasonable €29 or €35.

One of the most admired chefs in Paris, Éric Fréchon recently celebrated 23 years at the helm of Le Bristol Hotel's revered restaurant, 13 of them with Michelin's top three-star award, which he's retained since 2009. Fréchon creates masterworks—say, farmer's pork cooked "from head to foot" with truffle-enhanced crushed potatoes and his famous truffle lasagna—that are both deeply satisfying yet unpretentious. In summer, dining out in the hotel's French garden is a rare delight. Prices are steep (€420 for the standard prix-fixe menu without wine), but this is commensurate with the three-star experience, especially with a chef as revered as Fréchon. 

Some Japanese expats say you won't find anything closer to authentic Japanese cooking in Paris than the kitchen in Kifuné. Sit at the bar to admire the sushi chef's lightning-quick skills, or opt for a more intimate table for tasting the sublime crab-and-shrimp salad starter or a deeply comforting miso soup with clams. To follow, you can't go wrong with the sashimi. Eating here will leave a dent in your wallet (though there is a €35 set menu at lunch), but for fans of Japanese cuisine, the meals are worth it. With only 20 seats, it often turns away would-be customers, so book in advance.

Run by Yoichi Kino, a 30-year master sushi chef whose family has specialized in smoked eel for generations, and Ryuma Takubo, who earned a Michelin star in Japan, Komatsubaki specializes in the exquisite vegetarian cuisine favored by Japanese monks. Choose from three sophisticated menus, including a stunning vegetarian version, all served on delicate dishes and accompanied by rare selection of white Burgundies, sakes, and teas. Watch the chefs at work in a tiny jewel-box setting, complete with an elegant authentic dining room that seats six on tatami mats. 

Eric Martins ran a popular bistro in the far reaches of the 15e arrondissement before opening this contemporary restaurant off the Champs-Élysées, and his background in haute cuisine makes this ambitious dining room an easy transition. The spot turns out seasonal dishes with a touch of finesse from the open kitchen. Foie gras confit with rosemary-poached quince and wild-rose jam, or scallops à la plancha (from the grill) with vanilla and spaghetti squash might be featured. There is no à la carte, and if the dinner menus seem steep at €135 (€205 with wine pairing), try the lunch menu for €79. Watch out for the pricey wines by the glass.

At the Maison Delano hotel's chic restaurant, three-star Michelin chef Dani García oversees a menu specializing in traditional ingredients and flavors from his native Andalusia. The spotlight is on seafood in starters like remoulade of king crab with crème fraiche potatoes and avocado "snow" or octopus carpaccio with lemon vinaigrette, followed by a melting Normandy beef or the chef's special paella for two, made with chicken, octopus, smoked eel, fish, or rabbit. A live DJ spins tunes until 11 pm (or later), or you can opt for the intimate dining room, complete with chinoiserie wallpaper and pristine linens. The inventive cocktail menu (also found in the gorgeous in-hotel bar) and mile-long list of the world's swankiest Champagnes deserves a special mention.

A Champs-Élysées institution, Le Fouquet's brasserie has served steak tartare and lobster ravioli to the French royalty of stage and screen since 1899 (Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavour were regulars, and the César Awards dinner is still served here every year). The brasserie's two glassed-in terraces overlook Avenue George V and the Champs-Élysées and provide an excellent spot for watching the Parisian world go by. Settle into a black velvet chair for breakfast (€21, €33, €41) or lunch (€45). It's not cheap, but the reliably good menu, designed by superstar chef Pierre Gagnaire, is full of French classics.

When the opulence of the neighborhood begins to overwhelm, this refreshing island of unpretentious pleasures is a good place to restore both body and budget. In addition to the charm of its bright, cheerful interiors—complete with mirrors, fresh flowers, globe chandeliers, and a zinc bar—you'll find a sophisticated daily menu of market-fresh dishes and small plates. After sampling the excellent and well-priced wines by the glass and deliciously uncomplicated desserts, you'll understand why Parisian foodies keep this address to themselves.

Parisian to its core, the Hotel Plaza Athénée's Art Deco dining room—including a mural that's a registered historic landmark—is a cherished neighborhood stalwart. Masterful updates of French classics include dishes like warm salad of delicate greens, thinly sliced artichokes, and Parmesan, flecked with shaved black truffles, and house-made foie gras with slices of fresh figs and a rich dried-fruit chutney. Go on the last Wednesday of the month, when the dining room is transported back to the 1940s with live jazz and an audience primed for a rollicking good time.

The operatically beautiful LiLi, in the Peninsula Hotel, puts sophisticated Cantonese cuisine in its rightful place—the gastronomic center of the world. The menu features all the classics, raised to the status of haute cuisine: small plates of dim sum (seafood, vegetable, or pork dumplings) alongside more substantial fare like fried rice studded with market-fresh vegetables, succulent Sichuan shrimp, and barbecued suckling pig. The chef's signature crème de mangue laced with pomelo pearls is an ethereal ending to an exceptional meal. At €75, the prix-fixe lunch menu is a wonderful introduction to this timeless cuisine.

Inside the Grand Palais, Mini Palais is a stylish dining room, but the menu is the real draw. The burger de magret et foie gras, a flavorful mélange of tender duckling breast and duck foie gras drizzled with truffled jus on a buttery brioche bun, underscores what's best about this place: a thoroughly modern cuisine with an old-fashioned extravagance. For a summer meal or a cocktail, the majestically pillared terrace overlooking Pont d'Alexandre III must be the most beautiful in Paris.

This is a great opportunity to sample chef Yannick Alléno's cooking for a (slightly) less lofty price tag than at his three-star Pavillon Ledoyen on the same premises. Make no mistake, though guests are seated around a bar, this is as sophisticated an eatery as they come. Alléno's signature flourishes are everywhere, in dishes such as spring lamb with cardamom froth and curry and black lemon from Iran. On fine days it's a pleasure to dine on the terrace in the leafy park overlooking the Petit Palais.

Despite opening in the midst of a pandemic, in September 2021, this sumptuous contemporary dining room—tucked away in a stunner of a Belle Époque town house—achieved a Michelin star within five months. Chef Sébastien Sanjou's ingredients all have pedigrees (listed on the menu) for exceptional seasonal fare that's both refined and robust. This discrete black book address is all the rage among discriminating Paris gastronomes.

Culinary power couple Stéphanie Le Quellec and her husband David teamed up on this classy duplex restaurant set in a residential neighborhood close to the Arc de Triomphe that highlights the bounty of the sea. Le Quellec wisely lets the delicate flavors of the seafood speak for themselves, paired with refined complementary flavors. Start with briny oysters fresh from the Brittany coast, followed by scintillating tarama with celery oil, grilled octopus in a creamy harissa sauce, or the catch of the day served with sake-miso beurre blanc. For dessert, the warm deep-dish pecan cookie for two is worth the trip alone. Seafaring cocktails and excellent wines by the bottle and glass round out a memorable meal.