The 11 Best Restaurants in Paris (2026)

Updated October 2026 · 11 picks

The best restaurants in Paris in 2026 are Arpège for a once-in-a-lifetime vegetable tasting menu, Septime for modern French cooking in the 11th, Frenchie in the 2nd and Le Chateaubriand for a no-choice menu. For less money, Clamato, Mokonuts and Breizh Café are superb, and Bouillon Chartier feeds you in a Belle Époque dining hall for very little.

Paris eats late and books ahead. The sought-after tables (Septime, Frenchie, Arpège) open reservations online weeks in advance and fill within hours, so set a reminder. Lunch is the classic money-saver: many kitchens serve a shorter set menu at midday for far less than dinner. Service is included in the bill by law; rounding up or leaving a few euros for good service is appreciated but not expected.

1. Arpège — Invalides (7th)

Alain Passard's three-star temple to vegetables, grown on his own farms.

$$$$ Splurge

Arpège is Alain Passard's restaurant near the Musée Rodin, and its official site bills it as a three-Michelin-star restaurant. Passard famously put vegetables at the center of the menu, many of them grown on his own kitchen gardens outside Paris, and the cooking is precise, seasonal and surprisingly light.

This is a special-occasion meal with a price to match, and the menu changes with what the gardens produce. Lunch is the slightly gentler way in. It suits food lovers who want one meal in Paris they will talk about for years.

Good to know: Book well ahead and tell them about dietary needs when you reserve; the kitchen works around vegetables anyway.

84 Rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris

Google Maps Website

2. Septime — Charonne (11th)

The modern Paris restaurant everyone tries to book: seasonal, relaxed and very good.

$$$ Upmarket

Bertrand Grébaut's Septime set the template for the new wave of Paris dining: a tasting menu built on produce from small farms, served in a relaxed, wood-and-concrete room on rue de Charonne with no stiffness at all.

The menu changes constantly, and the wine list leans to natural and low-intervention bottles. Expect to pay for the tasting menu, though it is good value for the quality. It suits anyone who wants to see how Paris cooks now.

Good to know: Reservations open online weeks ahead and go fast; if you miss out, its seafood sibling Clamato next door takes walk-ins.

80 Rue de Charonne, 75011 Paris

Google Maps Website

3. Frenchie — Sentier (2nd)

Grégory Marchand's tiny, polished restaurant on the rue du Nil.

$$$ Upmarket

Frenchie is chef Grégory Marchand's restaurant on the narrow rue du Nil, a few steps from Montorgueil. It serves a dinner tasting menu that mixes French technique with the influences Marchand picked up cooking abroad, in a small brick-walled room.

Its website lists dinner service every night of the week, which makes it a rare top table you can book on a Sunday or Monday. The street also has its own wine bar and other spots run by the same team if you can't get in.

Good to know: Book online as soon as your dates are set; tables are limited.

5 Rue du Nil, 75002 Paris

Google Maps Website

4. Le Chateaubriand — Oberkampf (11th)

Iñaki Aizpitarte's no-choice menu that helped launch the bistronomy movement.

$$$ Upmarket

Le Chateaubriand on avenue Parmentier is chef Iñaki Aizpitarte's restaurant, and it became famous for a single, no-choice dinner menu of inventive, sometimes provocative dishes served in an old-fashioned bistro room.

It is loud, informal and busy, with a strong natural wine list. Come for the menu and the energy rather than plush comfort. It suits adventurous eaters who like being surprised.

Good to know: Book ahead for the first seating; latecomers sometimes get in at the bar for the second.

129 Avenue Parmentier, 75011 Paris

Google Maps Website

5. Clamato — Charonne (11th)

Septime's seafood bar, with oysters, raw fish and small plates.

$$ Mid-range

Clamato is the seafood sibling of Septime, next door on rue de Charonne. It serves oysters, crudo, cured and grilled fish and a few vegetable plates, designed for sharing, in a bright, casual room with a bar.

It brings the Septime team's sourcing and cooking to a lower price point and a looser format. Order a few plates per person and finish with whatever dessert is on. It suits groups and anyone who couldn't get a Septime table.

Good to know: Arrive near opening for the best chance at a walk-in seat.

80 Rue de Charonne, 75011 Paris

Google Maps Website

6. Mokonuts — Faidherbe (11th)

A small, warm dinner spot from Moko Hirayama and Omar Koreitem, famous for its cookies.

$$ Mid-range

Mokonuts started as a tiny café on rue Saint-Bernard and became one of the most loved small restaurants in Paris, with cooking that draws on the owners' Japanese and Lebanese roots alongside French produce. Moko Hirayama's cookies and cakes have their own following.

The team now runs three places on the same patch: Mokonuts at 5 rue Saint-Bernard for dinner, Mokochaya at no. 11 for lunch, and the café Locomal on rue de Charonne for breakfast and lunch. Pick the format that suits your day.

Good to know: Mokonuts takes reservations and walk-ins for dinner; Mokochaya's lunch is by reservation only.

5 Rue Saint-Bernard, 75011 Paris

Google Maps Website

7. Breizh Café — Le Marais (3rd)

The best buckwheat galettes and crêpes in the city.

$$ Mid-range

Breizh Café brings Breton crêperie cooking to the Marais with an eye for ingredients: buckwheat galettes with good ham, eggs and cheese, sweet crêpes with salted-butter caramel, and a long list of Breton ciders. The house also has a Japanese streak, with some Japanese ingredients on the menu.

It is a quick, satisfying meal at a fair price and one of the easiest good lunches in the Marais. It suits families, budget travelers and anyone who wants a classic done properly.

Good to know: Order a bolée of cider with your galette, and save room for a caramel crêpe.

109 Rue Vieille du Temple, 75003 Paris

Google Maps Website

8. Le Relais de l'Entrecôte — Saint-Germain-des-Prés (6th)

One dish, done the same way for decades: steak frites with the secret sauce.

$$ Mid-range

Le Relais de l'Entrecôte serves just one thing: a set meal of green salad with walnuts, then sliced entrecôte steak in its famous green-butter sauce with thin fries, and a second helping brought to your table. The only choice you make is how you want the steak cooked, and dessert.

It does not take reservations, so there is often a queue on rue Saint-Benoît. It is efficient, good value and very Parisian. It suits first-timers and anyone who loves steak frites.

Good to know: Arrive right at opening to beat the line; there are other branches if this one is packed.

20 Rue Saint-Benoît, 75006 Paris

Google Maps Website

9. Bouillon Chartier — Grands Boulevards (9th)

Cheap French classics served in a vast Belle Époque dining hall.

$ Budget

Bouillon Chartier on rue du Faubourg Montmartre is a working-class canteen from the 1890s that never stopped: a huge mirrored and wood-paneled hall, waiters in black waistcoats who write your bill on the paper tablecloth, and a long menu of French classics at very low prices.

Order the simple things, such as œufs mayonnaise, leeks vinaigrette, sausage with lentils or confit de canard. The food is solid rather than refined, but the room and the price make it one of the best experiences in Paris. It suits families and budget travelers.

Good to know: There is no booking for small groups; go mid-afternoon or late evening to skip the longest queue.

7 Rue du Faubourg Montmartre, 75009 Paris

Google Maps Website

10. Le Train Bleu — Gare de Lyon (12th)

A gilded Belle Époque dining room inside the Gare de Lyon.

$$$ Upmarket

Le Train Bleu is the restaurant on the upper floor of the Gare de Lyon, with painted ceilings, gilt and chandeliers built for the 1900 World's Fair. It is one of the most spectacular dining rooms in the city.

The menu is classic French brasserie cooking, and the room is the real reason to go. A drink in the bar before a train is the low-cost way to see it. It suits special occasions and travelers leaving from Gare de Lyon.

Good to know: If you're catching a train, book a table and leave yourself plenty of time; the platforms are just downstairs.

Gare de Lyon, Place Louis-Armand, 75012 Paris

Google Maps Website

11. L'As du Fallafel — Le Marais (4th)

The famous falafel pita of the rue des Rosiers.

$ Budget

L'As du Fallafel is the best-known falafel shop in Paris, on the rue des Rosiers in the old Jewish quarter of the Marais. The pita comes stuffed with falafel, fried eggplant, cabbage, hummus and tahini, and it is a meal on its own.

There is a takeaway window and a sit-down dining room. It is kosher, listed by the Beth Din de Paris, so it closes for Shabbat on Friday evening and Saturday. It suits a fast, cheap lunch between Marais sights.

Good to know: The takeaway line moves quickly; ask for it spicy if you like heat.

34 Rue des Rosiers, 75004 Paris

Google Maps

Frequently asked questions

How far ahead should I book restaurants in Paris?

For the most sought-after tables, such as Septime, Frenchie or Arpège, book as soon as reservations open, which is often several weeks ahead. Neighborhood bistros usually need a few days' notice for dinner. Bouillon Chartier and Breizh Café are the easiest: arrive early and queue.

What time do Parisians eat dinner?

Most restaurants serve dinner from about 7:30pm, and the busiest time is 8:30–9pm. Kitchens in classic restaurants often close around 10:30–11pm, and many are shut on Sundays and Mondays, so check the days before you plan around a place.

Do you tip in Paris restaurants?

Service (15%) is included in every bill by law, so a tip is not required. Locals often round up or leave a few euros for good service at a sit-down meal.

Where can I eat well in Paris on a budget?

Bouillon Chartier and the other bouillons serve classic French dishes at low prices, Breizh Café does excellent buckwheat galettes, and the Marais has falafel at L'As du Fallafel. Set lunch menus at good bistros are another way to eat well for less; see our guide to the best bistros in Paris.

Is there a dress code at Paris restaurants?

Neighborhood restaurants and bistros are relaxed: smart-casual is fine. At the top tables such as Arpège, dress up a little; jackets are not usually compulsory, but sportswear will feel out of place.

1. Arpège — Invalides (7th)

2. Septime — Charonne (11th)

3. Frenchie — Sentier (2nd)

4. Le Chateaubriand — Oberkampf (11th)

5. Clamato — Charonne (11th)

6. Mokonuts — Faidherbe (11th)

7. Breizh Café — Le Marais (3rd)

8. Le Relais de l'Entrecôte — Saint-Germain-des-Prés (6th)

9. Bouillon Chartier — Grands Boulevards (9th)

10. Le Train Bleu — Gare de Lyon (12th)

11. L'As du Fallafel — Le Marais (4th)

Frequently asked questions

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