39 Best Restaurants in Paris, France

Don't expect to be mobbed by tourists at this bright café two minutes from the Champs de Mars. Locals love it for the sidewalk terrace and garden seating in the back—not to mention the good coffee, tea, and stellar brunch. Even if you don't snag a seat outside, the charming interior is a cheerful spot to tuck into a heaping plate of eggs Benedict, smoked salmon tartine, or avocado toast. There are also fresh fruit smoothies and home-baked pastries. Its all-day hours (seven days a week) makes it the perfect place for a well-priced lunch or teatime. Reservations are always a good idea, especially on weekends.

Pastry chef extraordinaire Cedric Grolet made his name at Le Meurice, the palace hotel just down the street, with his exquisite sculpted fruits—glorious trompe-l'oeil versions of the real thing made with various chocolates filled with creamy fruit or nut ganache. At this cafe near the Opéra, you can sample the master's sublime cookies and breakfast pastries along with other gourmet delights.

If you're serious about what's in your coffee cup, head straight to this streamlined café near the Place des Vosges, where you'll find only the best from roasters around Paris. A short but spot-on menu features avocado toast with a poached egg, cinnamon buns, and homemade cakes and cookies. The weekend brunch is very popular; arrive early or prepare to wait a little.

This was Paris's first coffee bar, founded by former Guatemalan ambassador to France turned coffee ambassador, Gloria Montenegro. With three spacious rooms, all coffee preparations under the sun, and a daily special brew chosen from among dozens of varieties of meticulously sourced beans from plantations around the globe, this is a Paris institution.

This world-renowned, cavernous spot with Art Deco murals practically defines the term brasserie. It's been popular since Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir were regulars, and today it attracts a mix of bourgeois families, tourists, and lone diners treating themselves to a dozen oysters. Recent additions to the classic brasserie menu are a tart of caramelized apple and pan-fried foie gras, beef fillet flambéed with cognac, and profiteroles made with Valrhona chocolate.

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.

A head-turning variety of luscious pastries, classic French breakfast sweets and breads, ice cream, chocolates, and homemade jams will tempt every sweet tooth at this charming bakery and tearoom. Tucked into the historic covered Passage Jouffroy, Le Valentin is a picturesque spot for breakfast, lunch, or teatime—or buy a box of irresistible French-Alsatian sweets to enjoy on the go.

This lively and popular brasserie is open from 8 am to 2 am every day, serving a copious morning breakfast, brunch on weekends, and an excellent full menu of everything from warm goat cheese salad to magret de canard from noon until 1 am. In keeping with the area's literary past and its name (Les Editeurs means "the publishers"), the book-lined space hosts monthly discussions with best-selling contemporary authors.

One of the city's best examples of the casual gourmet cafés popping up around Paris, Mokonuts is run by a talented husband-and-wife team who create delicious dishes and pastries that are as pleasing to the eye as they are to the palate. Prepare for crowds at breakfast and teatime, when you can choose from chunky multigrain cookies, sweet or savory muffins, tarts, and other sweet goodies. At lunch, locals elbow their way in for a variety of gourmet salads, sandwiches, and hot dishes. Accompany your meal with excellent coffee, a selection of teas, or a freshly made juice, like the refreshing orange-blossom lemonade. Dinner (€70) is served only by reservation for at least eight.

A five-minute walk from the Eiffel Tower, Terre de Café is a boon to coffee lovers. It also serves gluten-free pastries, healthy fruit smoothies, and gourmet brunch options.

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.

This cozy bar is always packed, and tables often spill out onto the sidewalk. Come for a hearty meal, a cup of coffee, or a glass of wine.

There's nothing quite like a good old-fashioned Paris brasserie ... except, perhaps, for a good old-fashioned Paris neobrasserie, a lively new genre that takes the best of the classic eatery—lively atmosphere, copious menu options, all-day hours, classic decor—and adds a 21st-century vibe, all at reasonable prices. At Dubillot, you'll find the French classics—oeufs mayonnaise, house-made country pâté, steak tartare, smoked trout, leg of lamb, crispy frites—along with well-priced wines by the bottle or glass. Everything is homemade, and the chef is dedicated to preserving France's gastronomic heritage by sourcing all meats and produce locally. This is tradition brought up to date at its finest—and it's a lot of fun to boot!

This casual-chic eatery within the Hotel Lutetia is the most relaxed of the hotel’s restaurants. The extensive menu has a respectable oyster and shellfish selection, plus classics like escargot, steak tartare, and roast chicken as well as fish and vegetarian options. The sun hits the corner terrace in the afternoon, making it a perfect spot to soak in a little sun while watching busy shoppers crisscross by. 

It may not have the healthiest food in the Marais, and the coffee may not be third wave, but that doesn't keep chic locals from packing into it on a sunny (or even not-so-sunny) day. The people-watching from this choice spot—at the intersection of the à la mode shopping street Rue Charlot and the bustling Rue de Bretagne—is top-notch, and the café's 1950s film noir charm is irresistible.

Picasso, Chagall, Sartre, and de Beauvoir, attracted by the luxury of a heated café, worked and wrote here in the early 20th century. Today you'll find more tourists than intellectuals, and prices are hardly aimed at struggling artists, but the outdoor terrace is popular with Parisians and great for people-watching.

Overlooking the St-Sulpice church, this retro café recalls the Paris of yesteryear, before the proliferation of luxury boutiques and trendy eateries. It is a favorite spot for locals for a coffee, drink, or simple meal.

A true neighborhood haunt, this bustling little bistro near the Musée Picasso offers a convivial slice of Parisian life at a good value. Traditional French bistro fare is adapted to a modern audience. The best choices are the old tried-and-trues: hand-cut tartare de boeuf; rare entrecôte served with a side of golden-crisp frites and homemade béarnaise; and the classic Parmentier, with pheasant instead of the usual ground beef.

This Japanese-inspired mini-chain of coffeehouses is the place to be seen during Paris Fashion Week. There are four locations in Paris: one at 208 rue de Rivoli, one at 2 place André Malraux with a full restaurant menu, one at 30 rue du Vertbois that also serves as a roastery, and this one—the original and persistent favorite, thanks in large part to the views over the Palais Royal gardens.

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.

The plush chestnut-and-cream decor of this café is the work of one of Givenchy's nephews. Cocktails are classy, there's a good variety of beer on tap, and the food (brasserie fare such as steaks, fish, and frites) is tasty. In the evening, candlelight makes everyone look even more glamorous.

With a cheerfully bright and tiny, wood-beamed dining room—there's more space in the loft-like upstairs—this spot is devoted to the egg in all its forms. Whether you like yours baked with smoked salmon, whisked into an omelet with truffle shavings, or beaten into fluffy pancakes, there will be something for you on the blackboard menu. It's perfect for a late breakfast or light lunch on weekdays (it opens at 10 am and closes in the late afternoon), though rather mobbed for weekend brunch (10 am to 6 pm).

"Gastro-café" may be the best description of this pint-size coffee shop with an inventive menu of seasonal fare. You can enjoy your artisanal coffee, homemade lemonade, kombucha, or glass of organic wine with dishes inspired by Paris's cultural mix: pulled pork banh mi, a "dwitch" sandwich on brioche with caramelized bacon, fried egg, and miso topped with fresh herbs. Delicious homemade pastries are perfect for breakfast or a gourmet coffee break.

Proving that an organic, vegetarian, lactose- and sugar-free menu can, indeed, be delicious, Judy was founded with the conviction that our well-being is directly connected to what we eat and how we live. The cheerful, inviting space comes with a sunny sidewalk terrace where seats are coveted by locals. If they’re taken, grab some takeout at the attached shop on Rue de Fleurus and walk one short block to the Luxembourg Gardens for an outdoor picnic. 

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.

The terrace of this corner café, opened in 1902, is a favorite haunt of local gallery owners and Beaux-Arts students. Open every day from 8 am to 2 am, light fare is available throughout the day. If there's a line, walk a few paces up Rue Jacques Caillot to Le Bistrot Mazarin, which has good café options and a comfortable outdoor terrace.

A second home to foreign artists and political exiles in the 1920s and 1930s, La Rotonde has a less exotic but still faithful clientele today. It's a very pleasant place to have coffee or a meal on the sunny terrace. For a quieter, smoke-free atmosphere, head inside for a traditional French dining experience in the plush, red decor.

With so many of Paris's fabled brasseries co-opted by upscale chains, the 2013 opening by three-Michelin-star chef Eric Frechon of this modern take on the traditional brasserie in the St-Lazare train station was met with curiosity and joy. Though prices are commensurate with his status, Frechon doesn't skimp on the classics: steak tartare, escargot, and charcuterie all make memorable appearances. Bright and loftlike, Lazare riffs on familiar brasserie themes—think marble-top tables, globe lights, soaring ceilings, and mosaic floors. There's a dish du jour every weekday, like slow-cooked lamb with lemon confit and olives, or crispy grilled pork on a bed of turnip kraut, all well-prepared and comforting (just like grand-mère used to make).