I have to start today’s newsletter with a confession. Before leaving for Paris I shared with you that I was going to attempt to make a Paris restaurant vlog as a way to embrace more formats of content in my newsletters. Please believe me when I say I wanted to and I had every intention to but when I got to Paris and pulled out my phone to record, I couldn’t do it. It takes a special type of person to whip out their phone and talk to it…in a restaurant. I am envious of those people but I am now accepting the fact that I am not one of them.
I find dining at a restaurant far more enjoyable when you are present. Some of my favorite conversations in Paris were through broken English with servers in restaurants. Or with other diners sitting next to us! The whole point of dining out is for the experience and shoving my face in front of my phone would mean I miss the small details.
Something that happened a lot in pairs, but hardly ever happens in the US, is being able to see into the kitchen from your table. The entire kitchen! Whenever this happens your dinner then turns into dinner and a show. From our table, to the server, into the kitchen, sizzle, swoosh, plating, out the kitchen door, and on to our table. It’s a fine dance and it is wildly fascinating to me.
In the absence of a Vlog, I have lots of restaurant details and photos for you. Next to each restaurant you will find the best time to go, if you need a reservation, how accommodating they were with allergies, and what dishes we enjoyed most.
The Google map has been updated and you will find all of these saved there as well.
A few notes on allergies before we dive in – make reservations in advance and include your allergies. A handful of places emailed back to clarify things and everywhere we did this Marco had something to eat. Not necessarily three courses, but he always had something to eat. If you forget to mention your allergies on the reservation, mention it the second you sit down so the server can confirm with the chef that they can accommodate them before you start to order.
Be open to trying whatever the chef wants to make you. Sometimes you will get a “special” dish off the menu and you should consider yourself lucky. Most importantly be nothing but kind and gracious. This is a general rule for life but people are more willing to help you when you are nice.
Let’s jump in!
We did two tasting menus on this trip and while pricey they were some of the best dining experiences we have ever had. Both of these restaurants received a Michelin star last month too.
Restaurant AT
Website: Here
Reservation: Needed
Best time to go: Dinner
Accommodating for allergies: Extremely
We had 14 courses that were actually 21 plates total. Each one was better than the next and Marco was able to have his own special plate for every course. Make sure to include your allergies with your reservation. We added on the wine pairing and they were some of the best natural wines we have ever had. There are about six tables in the whole restaurant making the experience very intimate. Everything about our meal was spectacular.
Sushi Shunei
Website: Here
Reservation: Needed
Best time to go: Dinner
Accommodating for allergies: Not really but it’s sushi. Meaning there were limited ingredients but Marco for sure ate wheat in the soy sauce. (It was worth it)
Speaking of intimate…Sushi Shunei is an 8 person omakase sushi restaurant. They have two seatings a night, 7 pm and 9 pm. As you can see, the restaurant is stunning. Every detail is thought-out and the whole experience is perfect. Except for the hand towels in the bathroom which were thin and disintegrated in my hand while I was drying them. That being said, that is my only complaint and I loved our meal. Add the sake pairing, it’s worth it!
These were the two restaurants we went back and ate at a second time on this trip. We will be back to both of them again in the future.
Huitrerie Regis
Website: Here
Reservation: Don’t need one but you can make one.
Best time to go: Lunch is easier for walk-ins.
Accommodating for allergies: Nothing but oysters.
We ate a LOT of oysters all over the city and these were the best hands down. Get the La Cabane for 49€ and you can try three amazing oysters and the best prawns ever. The restaurant is the size of a thumb, you will be sitting directly next to the guests next to you, but it has fabulous energy and you will love it.
Papy Aux Fourneaux
Website: Here
Reservation: Don’t need one but you can make one.
Best time to go: Dinner
Accommodating for allergies: Very. They have a sheet that they bring to the table that indicates which dishes have all the major allergens. The chef was also happy to make Marco a special salad as an appetizer and left dairy out of his main dish.
The concept of Papy Aux Fourneaux is to share a meal with friends. They bring dishes out family-style while you sit at long communal tables (but you don’t share with strangers). They have a small menu that changes every two weeks. The dishes are fabulous French comfort foods and if we lived in Paris this would be our weekly spot. The chef works with one sous chef in a tiny open kitchen and he brings everything out to you. We felt at home here and the food is killer.
Clown Bar
Website: Here
Reservation: Needed
Best time to go: Dinner
Accommodating for allergies: Yes. No special dishes but happy to leave ingredients out.
Very trendy right now but lives up to the hype. Every dish was stellar and I had my favorite glass of natural wine of the entire trip here. Big bonus points for the hidden silverware drawer at your table.
Yard
Website: Here
Reservation: Needed
Best time to go: Dinner
Accommodating for allergies: Very. The chef made Marco three courses of items from the menu with substitutions for his allergies.
I put Clow Bar and Yard in the same category of restaurants. Nice but not fancy. The biggest difference is that Yard feels more relaxed and hip. It was a cool spot for sure and it got busy as the night went on. Open kitchen concept, which you know I love. The wines were so so but the food was great. We shared a pappardelle dish with octopus and the octopus was cooked perfectly. I have been dreaming of this dish since!
Racines
Website: Here
Reservation: Yes
Best time to go: Lunch or dinner
Accommodating for allergies: Kinda
We had a reservation for lunch and went in blind on the menu since it is not online. Marco could only eat a langoustine appetizer that the chef left the butter out of and some coppa. I on the other hand had a wonderful handmade pasta dish. We both recommend this place but more so for the atmosphere. It’s romantic, relaxing, and sexy.
Les Enfants Du Marché
Website: Here
Reservation: Can’t make one
Best time to go: Lunch
Accommodating for allergies: No
This restaurant is a little tricky to find. It is in a market with rows of stands and the restaurant is just a counter with stools. There is a section with tables that our friends ate at but I have no clue where it is. The food here is excellent, no doubt about that, but this was one of two places that flat out said no to making any accommodations for allergies. Which by the way is totally fine. Walk up and snag a spot for lunch if you can. The wine is great too.
ISTR
Website: Here
Reservation: You can make one but we walked in fine for dinner.
Best time to go: Open for lunch and dinner
Accommodating for allergies: Very
We stumbled in here kind of randomly and were pleasantly surprised. Fun feel, good food, and really awesome staff. There isn’t anything magical that I remember about the experience but we were very satisfied all around.
Le Duc
Website: Here
Reservation: Yes but you could walk in for lunch
Best time to go: Lunch or dinner
Accommodating for allergies: Yes
Le Duc is an old school fancy seafood restaurant. We shared a few small plates for lunch and this boring looking cured salmon (below) was the best cured salmon we have ever had. We loved the experience here and relaxed over a bottle of white wine. The best part is the dessert cart that comes around at the end of your meal. Petition to bring back dessert carts!!
Le Layon
Website: Here
Reservation: You can make one, but Marco walked in.
Best time to go: Dinner
Accommodating for allergies: Very, made accommodations on the entire 5-course tasting menu.
Halfway through our trip I was so exhausted that I sent Marco out for dinner and went to bed early. He enjoyed a 5-course tasting menu and thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Marco absolutely loves duck and this duck breast delivered. The staff was friendly, the natural wine was good, and the digestif was a homemade lychee-infused rum. A nice charming place to eat.
Clamato
Website: Here
This going to be controversial. Septime is the hottest restaurant in Paris right now. We tried making a reservation three weeks out, no luck. We added ourselves to the waitlist many nights, no luck. So instead of eating at Septime we walked next door to their sister restaurant, Clamato, which by default is also very popular at the moment. Everything is seafood and the restaurant has a really cool vibe.
Both of us were unimpressed. Don’t get me wrong, our meal was good BUT it didn’t live up to its hype. I would go to any of the restaurants in the two categories above instead of Clamato any day.
Café De Flore
Website: Here
Café De Flore is an old famous spot that everyone goes to for the photo. We went for the photo and the food wasn’t great. Snap a picture of the outside and grab lunch elsewhere.
Chez Julo
Website: Here
This was a random spot we walked into for lunch that was around the corner from our Airbnb. Nothing bad to say about it. It was packed at night and looked like a fun place.
Bistrot des Vosges
Website: Here
After my disappointing French onion soup at Café De Flore, I needed another one to make up for it. Marco Googled “where to get french onion soup in Paris” and this place came up. My French onion soup was delicious and everything else was fine too. Go just for the soup.
WellBowl
Website: Here
After we landed in Paris we had about five hours to kill with our bags. We grabbed poke bowls from this place becuase it was around the corner from our Airbnb and it was surprisingly good. I wouldn’t go out of my way for it but if you are starving and need food ASAP, it will do.
Broken Biscuits
Website: Here
Our favorite coffee spot of the trip. Good coffee, good pastries, and a good place to enjoy the morning.
Hexagon Café
Website: Here
Light roast coffee that is a smidge too acidic for me but this place was right below our second Airbnb and we loved it.
Câlin Matin
*Details on my map
We found this place at the end of our trip and were bummed. Great coffee and very cute.
Bistro Le Select
*Details on my map
The place where the server took three days to warm up to us Americans and pointed out that I spoke a little French. It has a special place in my heart!
Stam - We only grabbed coffee here but the food smelled amazing! It’s a Middle Eastern fast casual spot. We will try it next time.
Mamie Bidoche - The sister restaurant to Papy Aux Fourneaux! We were so sad we didn’t make it here on our trip.
Freddy’s - We only had drinks and cheese here but their tapas is supposed to be great. We saw some duck breast being cooked in the kitchen and our mouths were watering.
Fratelli Castellano - Pizza spot outside our first Airbnb that was always packed. There was even a review for the pizza on the Airbnb posting. I am very mad I didn’t get any.
That’s it on Paris and travel in general…until we take our next trip. I hope this was as much fun for you guys as it was for me. Back to our regularly scheduled content next week. Talk to you then!
Xx M
This is amazing and so helpful! Can’t wait to go to Paris.