Best Paris Restaurants – My Top Picks

If you love good food, Paris is definitely a wonderful place to visit! However with so many restaurants to choose from, deciding where to eat can sometimes feel overwhelming. I have been fortunate to visit Paris many times, so over the years I have gathered a curated list of cafés, bistros and restaurants that have truly stood out for me – my best Paris restaurants. All of them are places I look forward to visiting and love to return to regularly and I am excited to share them with you.

Updated October 2025

Please note that none of these reviews has been requested nor incentivised. My husband and I paid for our own meals and drinks.

Want to know more about things to see and do in Paris and get insider tips for your visit? Check out my latest article here.

Eating in Paris on a Budget

Eating out in Paris can be expensive, so you may find my descriptions of ‘moderate’ or ‘expensive’ in my selection of best Paris restaurants lean towards the higher end of pricing. To keep costs down, or justify a splurge later in the day, I highly recommend buying breakfast and/or lunch at a local boulangerie, where prices are very reasonable and the food is generally excellent. You may also find smaller cafés have more reasonable options.

It’s the law in Paris for all restaurants to display a current menu outside the restaurant, so you can see the prices before you go in. Most restaurants offer a “Formule” or set menu with two or three courses at a fairly moderate price.

Tipping in Restaurants in France

Tipping is optional, although you may sometimes see a service charge or a space for the tip on the bill. We personally tip about fifteen percent here, if the service warrants it. In some restaurants, we have had our tip refused as there is a sense of pride around providing an all-inclusive service. You can always ask if there is “servis compris”(service included) on the “addition” (bill/cheque) for more guidance around tipping location to location.

Best Paris Restaurants for Breakfast

Les Deux Magots

I really enjoy visiting here, not least of all for its literary history. Simone de Beauvoir, Picasso, Jean Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemingway – even Julia Child – were frequent visitors to Les Deux Magots and the cafe has been used as a location in many books, movies and television series. Les Deux Magots is also famous for its hot chocolate, which some say is the best in Paris and I have to agree. Be warned, it’s like melted chocolate in a cup, a serious indulgence.

The first time we visited, we just enjoyed an aperitif, but over the years Les Deux Magot has become one of my favourite places for breakfast in Paris. I choose “Le Complet” which includes a hot drink (this can be the aforementioned hot chocolate if you wish, but I enjoy their café au lait), a pastry (usually a croissant) and tartine (French bread served with butter and jam). At 22 Euro it is not a frugal breakfast, but the quality is excellent and the restaurant is famous. There are lots of other options should you wish something a bit more substantial, but this is definitely one of my favourite Parisian breakfasts. There is no dress code, but I would recommend smart casual.

The Café de la Paix in The Intercontinental Hotel Le Grand

This beautiful historic restaurant (pictured above) offers a fabulous buffet that seems to stretch on for miles. From eggs and bacon to smoked salmon and cold cuts to congee, there really is something for everyone. Service is attentive and efficient in this former haunt of Sarah Bernhardt, Ernest Hemingway and Marcel Proust, and the pastries are amazing. If you enjoy a late breakfast, you may not need any lunch! They will also prepare eggs and omelettes to order through the window to the kitchen.

Recently we also enjoyed a delicious dinner here – see the Dinner section for more! At breakfast the dress code is very relaxed, later in the day I would recommend smart casual (see the dinner section).

Best Paris Restaurants for Lunch and Afternoon Tea

Bistro Marbeauf

Located In Rue Marbeauf 75008, this traditional French bistro offers delicious comfort food in a convivial atmosphere. The staff were very friendly and the service was great. Both my Caesar salad with chicken and my husband’s burger were excellent. The dress code is casual and prices were moderate.

L’ Entrecote de Paris, Champs-Elysées

One of the favourite Paris restaurants of my husband since he dined there during his university days, L’Entrecote serves a delicious set menu of salad followed by steak with a special sauce and all the fries you can eat. Although the price of the set menu has increased over the years, it still represents really good value for money at about €29 per person at the time of writing. They also offer an a la carte menu but I have never had anything but the set menu or “formule”. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed with no dress code.

Le Verièrre in The Intercontinental Le Grand

This elegant restaurant is located in a glass-roofed, conservatory-like green space in the heart of The Intercontinental Le Grand. There are palm trees everywhere. We have visited several times and can recommend the Club Sandwich, Burger, Croque Madame and especially the Lobster Salad! This is a great place to linger over lunch, afternoon tea or cocktails.

The Restaurant in The Musée d’Orsay

Offering a variety of lunch options from delicious salads to more substantial meals, the restaurant in the Musée d’Orsay (pictured above) is a popular choice with museum goers. I was so impressed by the friendly service and excellent food and as you can see above, the surroundings are just gorgeous. Look at that ceiling!

My husband and I had a chicken Caesar salad which was fresh, crunchy and very delicious. I cannot remember what our son and his partner enjoyed but I remember they were pleased with it.

Reservations are not available so there is a queuing system in place. Despite the fact the queue was quite long when we joined it, it seemed to move very quickly when we were there. The restaurant opens at 11.45am most days, so it might be worth planning an early lunch. They also offer an afternoon tea service, except on Thursday when they close at 2.30pm and re-open for dinner from 7pm to 9pm (at time of writing, please check before visiting). There does not appear to be a dress code. Prices were moderate, with main dishes around €22 to €30 each.

Café Pierre Hermé Pont d’Alma

My husband and I shared a giant pistachio macaron and enjoyed a rose iced tea at this riverside café. We sat outside overlooking the Seine. The only downside was the pigeons, but everything was so delicious it was worth it! There are many branches of this chain of cafés throughout the city.

Best Paris Restaurants For Dinner

Brasserie Fouquet’s

This iconic restaurant has been part of the local scene on the Champs-Elysées since 1899 and is one of our family’s favourite restaurants. It is perfect for special occasions, most recently our son’s birthday this year (2025). There’s a relaxed yet elegant atmosphere, friendly service, and absolutely delicious food. That said, they a wonderful club sandwich most lunchtimes or you can just pop in for one of their famous mille-feuille pastries and a cup of coffee mid-afternoon. It is important to make a reservation if you want to be sure of a getting a table though. Business casual dress is acceptable but we always dress up. This is definitely a splurge at about €125 – €150 per person if you have a moderately priced bottle of wine and three courses.

Drouant

Located at 16 Rue de Gaillon, 75002, this elegant yet unpretentious restaurant is such a treat. The Colette salad starter with King Crab is scrumptious and the serving generous enough my husband and I shared it on our second visit. I was nervous about asking to share but the waiter was more than happy – in fact the kitchen actually sent out two individual plates of salad to make it easy for us to share equitably! The main courses at Drouant are excellent too; I had a wonderful steak on our first visit and enjoyed fish on the second. The sommelier is friendly and knowledgeable and there are good wines at lots of different price points on the list. Dress code is slightly elevated, more of a business casual but smart casual is perfectly acceptable. Two courses for two with a moderately priced bottle of wine are in the region of €300.

La Lorraine

Another family favourite, my husband first came here in the 1980’s with his family. La Lorraine specialise in seafood, and I personally think they serve the best Sole Meunière anywhere. There is also a good selection of poultry and meat if you prefer. If you like leeks and want a starter, the Roasted Leeks Mimosa are excellent. There is often a soufflé on offer for dessert or try their Îsles Flottantes, soft meringues floating in a crême anglaise custard, a favourite of my late father-in-law. The Crêpes Suzette are also delicious, but be sure to ask they be prepared table-side. On our last visit in October the couple next to us had them prepared table-side but ours were simply delivered to the table from the kitchen which was disappointing.

This is what I would consider an expensive restaurant, with our bill in October 2025 coming in at about €311 for two, but the quality is excellent. This included a bottle of wine and a Kir Royale to start. The Sole Meunière is one of their best and most expensive dishes at around 60 Euro but there are other less costly options and you can just have one course if you prefer. Again, I feel it is worth the splurge, especially if you love seafood. You can find La Lorraine at 2 Place des Ternes in the 8th arrondissement.

Monsieur Maillot

Located at 99 Boulevard Gouvion-Sainte-Cyr in Porte Maillot near Le Palais de Congress, Monsieur Maillot is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My husband and I dined here in October 2025 and thoroughly enjoyed the food and atmosphere. We both had Pavé de Salmon avec Sauce Vierge, pan-fried salmon with a light sauce of tomatoes, olive oil and basil. The salmon was delicious, perfectly cooked á point (the fish was opaque and flaked easily with a folk). I ordered a side of autumn vegetables and my husband chose the salad, which meant we could share. There was a good choice of well-priced wine offerings too. We chose a Sancerre to go along with the fish and it was perfect. The restaurant was buzzing, but not too noisy, and there was a really convivial atmosphere. The service was excellent too. There did not appear to be a dress code but I recommend smart casual. Prices were moderate to high. With wine the bill was about €180 for two.

Bakus

We celebrated a family birthday at Bakus at 2 Rue des Capucines in the first arrondissement in January 2025. It was a wonderful evening. We shared an assiette de fromage (cheese plate) with homemade chutney and some hummus and crusty bread to start, followed by individual main courses which were all very enjoyable. I can personally recommend their homemade pasta. My husband and son shared their speciality pork loin dish and highly recommend it, and our son’s partner Hannah praised the roasted chicken she ordered. The staff handled our table’s dietary requirements – a dairy and nut allergy – sensitively and efficiently. There did not appear to be a dress code but people were wearing smart casual clothing, although we had dressed up for the occasion. Prices are moderate to high, depending on what you choose to eat.

The Café de la Paix in The Intercontinental Hotel Le Grand

This is a beautiful restaurant with a long history (see the breakfast section above) and it is a lovely setting for a special dinner. The last time we ate there, a harpist was performing and a ballerina danced between the tables. It was amazing. The food is excellent as well. I recommend the Canadian Lobster Salad, which my husband and I shared to start. For the main course I enjoyed beautifully cooked veal (veal crating is banned in France) with autumn vegetables and my husband had the Tournedos de Boeuf. Dress code in the evenings is smart casual but many people were dressed up. This is a bit of a splurge in terms of cost, with wine our dinner was about €260.

Have you eaten at any of these restaurants? Leave a comment and share your favourite Paris dining spot!

Disclaimer: This post contains my honest opinions and the advice I give to friends. None of our experiences were gifted and we paid all our own expenses. Information is correct to the best of my knowledge at the time of writing and I accept no responsibility for, nor can I be held liable for, your experience at any of these venues. Most of the restaurants mentioned will need to be booked in advance. To avoid disappointment, be sure to visit restaurant websites for opening times, their full terms and conditions, and to check prices, availability and payment terms.