Paris restaurants - overwhelmed
 

We only have 3 nights in Paris this June and want to eat at 1 top notch restaurant. The other two we are happy to have more casual dining, but good food as well.

I'm overwhlmed when I try and sort through all the restaurants and reviews.

Any suggestions?

Pudlos - all you need.

In which arrondissement are you staying?

Here is a short list of excellent restaurants in Paris. All offer quality and value.

La Fontaine de Mars, 129 rue Saint-Dominique
Au Bascou, 38, Rue Reaumur
L'Affriolé, 17 rue Malar
Le Troquet, 21 rue Francois Bonvin
Au Bon Accueil, 14 rue de Monttesxuy
Fish, 69 rue de Seine

We faced a similar daunting task when we first visited Paris in 2004. For our own first "fine dining" experience (based on our hotel's recommendation), we choose <b>Ze Kitchen Gallerie</b>. It was very, very good.

On subsequent trips, we've enjoyed fine dining at <b>Les Bouquinistes</b> and <b>Le Pamphlet</b>. We also have eaten at <b>La Fontaine de Mars</b> and <b>Fish</b>, but wouldn't classify them as "fine dining" establishments. They are both very good -- but more informal -- neighborhood restaurants.

<b>Le Pamphlet</b>
38, rue Debelleyme
Tel: 01 42 72 39 24
Métro: Saint-Sébastien-Froissart

<b>Les Bouquinistes</b>
53 Quai des Grands Augustins
75006 Paris, France
Tel: 01 43 25 45 94
www.lesbouquinistes.com

<b>Ze Kitchen Gallerie</b>
4 Rue des Grands Augustins
75006 Paris, France
Tel: 01 44 32 00 32
www.zekitchengalerie.fr

Good reviews of these restaurants can be found in "Hungry for Paris: The Ultimate Guide to the City's 102 Best Restaurants", by Alexander Lobrano (visit Lobrano's blog here: http://alexanderlobrano.com/blog/).

Rumsydog named some of our favorites! Also add Le Reminet, Chez Fernand. Espadon Bleu, Le Christine ...all in the same area except for Le Pamphlet which is in le Marais

BOOKMARK

I definitely agree with Rumseydog and avalon. We also like Les Ombres, mostly for the view!

L'Arpege
84, rue de Varenne Paris 75007

...3 star Michelin

http://www.alain-passard.com/

Josephine “Chez Dumonet” (117 rue de Cherche-Midi). No Michelin stars but outstanding traditional bistro.

Parisians are never overwhelmed. We know there are more restaurants than one could ever visit and revel in it. Therefore we allow the tourists to stick to their little lists of places while we discover new places at random all the time.

bookmark

kerouac I envy the luxury of discovering new places at random all the time but when someone has only three nights you can probably understand the desire to make the most of their time and money rather than chance random selections. Any recent "random discoveries" you'd care to share? :-)

I like Les Ombres at Musee de Quai Branly for lunch. Good food, good service, not off the charts expensive and fab views of the very nearby Eiffel Tower. Ressies are a good idea even for lunch.
Ann Marie

Amwosu, it all depends on whether one gives inordinate importance to the meals on a holiday or not. While I am happy to eat well, it is not the purpose of my trip. I can eat well at home whenever I want to, but I can not necessarily see the wonders of the world.

"Parisians are never overwhelmed."

That's because they are the largest users of anti-anxiety drugs in Western Europe. :)

Last summer we dined at Le Timbre. Ok, the chef is British, but it was an excellent French meal at a cozy neighborhood restaurant.

Bookmarked

I appreciate kerouac's attempt to render some perspective to this paradigm. The question asked by eilee supposes that the reality that exists in many American cities, is true in Paris as well, that there is one "perfect" restauarant for you, and that if you miss discovering that one perfect spot, your trip will be wasted on the also-rans. Well, that may be true in Des Moines, or Nashville, or Albuquerque, but in Paris, this paradigm is just plain false. Scores of Parisean restaurants that are not on everyone's "top list" can still deliver an amazing culinary experience, unique to this wonderful city. Just pick out one decent restaurant and enjoy going there, just as you would if you were in any other major city in the world, knowing that while you are eating at this one place that is special right now because YOU ARE IN IT, you are leaving behind dozens of other comparably wonderful restaurants to be discovered on your next trip.

One suggestion and my first trip is in a little over 3 weeks. "Let go". I think what happes with many "once in a life time" trips or "special" places is that we spend so much time trying to "plan" fabulous dinners or "avoiding" crowds that we miss the spontaneous moments that make travel wonderful.

If you've spent some time looking at places and have a few in mind, it's time to sit back and count the days.

Thanks everyone.We're staying in the 7th.

When you plan for fabulous meals, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

"When you plan for fabulous meals, you are setting yourself up for disappointment."

On the other hand, if you don't plan, you may end up settling for something that doesn't satisfy you. I spoke with several people on my last trip to Paris who had been extremely disappointed in the food they found. While I find this very difficult to identify with, I do believe their stories.

If you just look for the nearest place to whatever tourist site you are visiting when you get hungry, you risk finding nothing but mediocre touristy places. If you have the names of specific places, whether from this forum or a book like Zagat's or Time Out or Pudlo's, you can plan to have some nice meals at places that might be nearby but not obviously visible when you need them.

I know that there are places all over Paris, and it might sound silly to worry about this. But I was quite surprised at the conversations I had about this in November, and it does seem that some people have trouble locating and selecting restaurants they will enjoy.

I agree with Nikki -- it pays to be prepared if you care about food and want to try and ensure a good meal. That doesn't mean you have to plan every meal out and make reservations, but having some ideas of places in various locations really helps in getting a meal you will enjoy. Many times when we truly wing it and haven't a clue where to eat, we end up with not so great meals. And yes this is in tourist areas because when we travel we're tourists and generally spend lots of time in the tourist areas seeing the sites of the city.

Lots of really good restaurants in the 7th. There is a thread going on now which discusses them.

I enjoyed lunch at Le Cinq and La Grande Cascade my last trip. These might fit your definition of "top notch." For what it's worth, I planned for fabulous meals and was not disappointed--stayed a week and made reservations for about half my nights. That seems to work well for me. If I only had three days, I'd feel overwhelmed too. I live in San Francisco, which has a lot of great restaurants, and sometimes find myself overwhelmed by all the choices.

Well, the 7th on it's own is overwhelming for dining opportunities!

For a 3-night visit, for sure pick the most appealing restaurant you can find for one of those evenings.

Otherwise, "destination" dining usually isn't worth the trip, as there is always a place just as appealing much closer.

And, after being out and about all day, it's good to know a few places within steps of where you're staying (which you can easily determine with a walk around the block). You may not feel like freshening up/changing and heading out again. And, you're often through with "touring" before dinner time.

We almost always stay in the 7th and rely on locals we meet at bus stops, shops, etc., to keep us apprised of the places they continue to favor. Owners/chefs change...

Oh MissI, I needed a laugh like that---thank you.

Several years ago there was an article in Newsweek about that. The title? "Let them eat Prozac".

Here's what I find disappointing: Not having a suggestion or two in hand. Here's why: One ends up hungry and tired and just wants to eat. You choose a place that you haven't heard of and it's 85 Euro for one glass of wine, a bottle of fizzy water, two pieces of quiche and a bit of salad,(which were tasty), a small dessert, and two coffees. Between courses the waiter removes the crumbs by sweeping them onto your laps. ok, so you can see Notre Dame de Paris from the window.

I'm not big on pretentious dining but it's nice to have a little place in mind that will serve you a good meal far away from home.

Le Severo for the best steak you'll ever eat.
Jadis- wonderful and a little different.
http://www.bistrot-jadis.com/
http://www.viamichelin.com/ has addresses, phone numbers and opening hours.