The chicest restaurants in Paris

1. L'Arôme, chic restaurant in Paris 8th arrondissement

Just a stone's throw from the Champs-Élysées, in the streets of the prestigious 8th arrondissement, L'Arôme is establishing itself as one of the capital's most exciting gastronomic haunts. Behind this confidential address, Michelin-starred chef Thomas Boullault, an alumnus of some of the greatest houses (Georges V alongside Philippe Legendre, or the Royal Monceau with Christophe Pelé), expresses a singular vision of haute cuisine, a meeting between tradition and audacity. In the dining room of this chic Parisian restaurant, the décor is pure, with white walls and large mirrors, creating an elegant ambiance that is far from staid. The chef and his brigade bring this setting to life during service.

A child of the Sologne region, Thomas Boullault developed a love of produce at an early age. His cuisine, rooted in the solid foundations of the repertoire, celebrates and revisits the French terroir in his own way. As the chef likes to explain, generosity "isn't just a question of quantity. It's about taking good care of the customer, giving them a complete experience". This respect is reflected in the nobility of the product on the plate, which the chef never fails to present to guests himself during the meal.

The menu evolves with the seasons. In winter, game lovers can savor hare à la royale or doe back with Manakara berries - dishes so dear to the chef that he even founded the World Championship of Hare à la Royale, in his native Sologne. In spring, freshness returns with Romorantin asparagus and fresh morels. Signature dishes include "Surf and Turf", a starred version of the American classic featuring lobster and beef, and "Pigeon en deux cuissons", a two-cooked pigeon that demonstrates technical mastery and real personality.

L'Arôme
3 rue Saint-Philippe du Roule, 75008 Paris
larome-paris.com

2. David Toutain, Paris 7th arrondissement

Originally from Normandy, second-in-command to Alain Passard and Marc Veyrat, David Toutain first made a name for himself at the head of Agapé Substance before setting up his eponymous Paris restaurant on rue Surcouf in the 7th arrondissement in 2013. His eclectic, refined cuisine soon earned him two stars from the famous guide. Steeped in nature, this farmer's grandson already saw himself devoting his whole life to the profession of his forefathers, but it's on the plate that he now tries to transcribe the best it has to offer. Between accuracy and balance of flavors, he simply sublimates vegetables like cabbage or asparagus in season. A tribute to breeders and growers that has also earned him a well-deserved green star.

In a world tinged with both modernism and rusticity, the chef combines plant-based ingredients with gourmet delights, like this hare, potato and cocoa, and aims to be didactic, trying to re-teach customers how to eat by awakening their senses with spices, for example. The duck, Brussels sprout and curry is a real standout. To round things off, he can call on pastry chef Victoire Ollivier. A gastronomic restaurant in Paris of the highest quality.

Restaurant David Toutain
29 rue Surcouf, 75007 Paris
davidtoutain.com

3. L'Orangerie, the naturalness of Alan Taudon at the Four Seasons George V

L'Orangerie at the Four Seasons George V, the prestigious 5-star hotel in Paris, has long been crowned with a single star (more like two, with the green star), but in 2024 it took on a whole new dimension with its second macaron. A well-deserved reward for its chef Alan Taudon, who takes care to reconcile us with naturalness. An ode to plants, no meat, where land and sea interact. A responsible cuisine sublimated by impressive, creative techniques that do justice to taste.

On the plate, if the blue lobster roast is a benchmark, what can we say about the sea urchin chestnut and its balls of egg yolk? Here again, sauces and juices make all the difference, and serve as a common thread running through the menus (Découverte at €285 and Dégustation €350!), masterfully concluded by pastry chef Michael Bartocetti. His bread, butter, malted caramel and miso pay homage to the terroir, but his signature dessert of cocoa-crusted pear and black bergamot are well worth the detour. We've rarely eaten so consistently!

L'Orangerie
31 avenue George V, 75008 Paris
fourseasons.com/paris/dining/restaurants/l-orangerie/

4. Fouquet's Paris brasserie

Welcome to Fouquet's Paris, a five-star hotel too often summed up by its famous brasserie, when in fact it houses so much more. The 101 rooms open their windows onto the Place de l'Étoile, illuminated at dusk. As a counterpoint, the spa invites you to take a long, silent break: a few lengths in the heated 15-meter pool, a sauna or hammam, followed by a radiant facial ritual with Decorté treatments.

When it comes to gastronomy, because that's where it all begins, the Fouquet's brasserie is the place to go for lunch or dinner in the strictest French tradition. The view of the Arc de Triomphe accompanies first lunches on the terrace of this chic restaurant in Paris 8 on fine spring days, while the cosy lounges take over when the first breezes make themselves felt.

You'll love the refined French fare: onion soup, egg mayonnaise with mimosa and caviar, rigatoni with truffles and scallops in shells you'll never tire of.

What do we love? The brasserie organizes theme dinners according to the festivities in progress. Book now for your family Thanksgiving meal with roast turkey, or your New Year's Eve dinner with exquisite dishes: salmon, lobster, capon..

Prices :
Admission, prices from 16 euros
Main course, from 24 euros
Dessert, from 14 euros

Brasserie Fouquet's
99 avenue des Champs-Elysées, 75008 Paris
01 40 69 60 50
brasserie-fouquet-s-paris

5. L'Oiseau Blanc, the work of David Bizet at The Peninsula Paris

As discreet as he is talented, David Bizet works in the shadows at L'Oiseau Blanc in the famous palace The Peninsula Paris. With its breathtaking view over the rooftops of Paris, the rooftop restaurant, which now boasts two Michelin stars, offers a unique setting and an exceptional culinary experience. In the evening, for €325, a six-course menu glorifies seasonal produce, worked with taste and care. The chef, influenced by Pierre Gagnaire and Michel Troisgros, sublimates sweetbreads, reinvents crab and ennobles poultry.

In autumn, red onion meets duck, for what the chef describes as "bourgeois gourmet cuisine"; always striving to bring comfort, a balance of flavors and indulgence. Thanks to his network of sourced producers, David Bizet impresses on the plate, so much so that some are predicting three stars for him in the near future. With the ultra-talented pastry chef Anne Coruble as his partner, who has won awards for her tobacco desserts and her creative combinations, L'Oiseau Blanc is just waiting to take off a little more. One of Paris's finest grand restaurants!

L'Oiseau Blanc
19 Avenue Kléber, 75016 Paris
french-rooftop-loiseau-blanc

6. Anona, Thibaut Spiwack's green kitchen

If Anona is so well known today, it's undoubtedly thanks to the participation of its chef Thibaut Spiwack in the TV show Top Chef. But that would be reductive. Its modern, refined, ethical and eco-responsible cuisine has earned it two stars: one red and one green. This is because his team favors plant-based ingredients, short distribution channels and seasonal fruit and vegetables. Waste reduction, controlled water consumption, etc. are also part of the restaurant's DNA. With an initial offer available at lunchtime (€49), the chef also likes to surprise with six exclusively vegetarian (€135) or mixed (€150) menus.

Every day, the inspiration changes, but what can we say about his Vosges deer, his crab, small spelt and plum jam or his scallops accompanied by sudachi, chestnut and parsnip. Not forgetting the inevitable broccoli crème brûlée. For dessert, new chef Pierre Boré is on the same wavelength, not hesitating to combine fruit with more unusual flavors, always in a plant-based spirit: Williams pear, mint and harissa, or 75% dark chocolate and tuber uncinatum black truffle. It wouldn't be responsible to miss this!

Anona
80 boulevard des Batignolles, 75017 Paris
anona.fr

7. L'Arpège, Paris's temple to plant-based gastronomy

Unmissable, L'Arpège stands out as one of Paris' most chic restaurants, and among the most inspiring. Just a stone's throw from Les Invalides, in Paris's 7th arrondissement, lies a poetic culinary universe orchestrated by one of the most visionary chefs of his generation: Alain Passard. Awarded 3 Michelin stars, plus a green star for his commitment to the environment, the chef was well ahead of his time in perceiving the infinite potential of vegetables.

The chef puts plants back at the center of the plate. A challenge he has taken up with flying colors, thanks to dishes composed from three biodynamic vegetable gardens in the west of France. Beet blossom with tarragon, old-fashioned mustard and roasted chestnuts from Bois Giroult, or Saint-Victor leeks and Jeanne d'Arc pears: each dish is an ode to the earth, sublimated by haute cuisine techniques often reserved for meats.

L'Arpège Restaurant
84 rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris
alain-passard.com

8. Le Clarence, gastronomic elegance

Set in a sumptuous 19th century mansion in the heart of Paris's Golden Triangle, Le Clarence well deserves its place in this ranking of the chicest restaurants in Paris. Awarded two Michelin stars since 2017 and ranked among The World's 50 Best Restaurants, this establishment offers a timeless interlude in a setting inspired by the finest residences.

Chef Andrea Capasso is at the helm of a vibrant, daring and deeply instinctive cuisine. Here, there's no set menu: dishes follow one another around exceptional, seasonal products, orchestrating surprising land-sea harmonies: lacquered veal sweetbreads, horseradish condiment and smoked sardines, or grilled red mullet, sea urchins from Brittany, pig's ear and cuttlefish ink. Each dish is accompanied by a myriad of small satellite creations, reinforcing the impression of a unique gustatory journey with each "sequence" of the meal. The experience is enhanced by French-style service of rare elegance. The Clarence cellar, rich in rare wines and prestigious vintages, is a veritable treasure trove.

Le Clarence
31 Avenue Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 75008 Paris
le-clarence.paris