Best restaurants in Paris: 26 brilliant places to eat in 2026

If you’re in Saint-Ambroise, Recoin is an essential stop. This attractive joint – designed by Florent Ciccoli with light wood, white walls and a blue-tiled floor like a swimming pool – will welcome you whether it’s your first coffee of the morning or last calvados of the night. Finnish chef Marlo Snellman cooks up a fresh and straightforward bistro menu – think pork loin and grilled aubergine, followed by absinthe baba – best enjoyed with Recoin’s highly drinkable wines.

Address: 60 rue Saint-Sabin, 75011 Paris (Saint-Ambroise, 11th arrondissement)

Closest transport: Saint-Sébastien – Froissart Metro Station is a 5-minute walk

Expect to pay: Around €24 lunch menu, €40-70 per person at dinner à la carte

Septime hasn’t aged a bit since it opened in 2011. This is fine dining in a London pub-type setting; think weathered wood tables, blackened steel and dim lighting. Another thing that hasn’t changed? Bertrand Grébaut’s Michelin-starred cuisine, which remains fresh, innovative and delicious (and features a seven-course menu that knows how to build up to a crescendo). It changes every three weeks, but previous highlights include little gem with a micro-thin slice of bacon, pearly scallops paired with bone marrow, and an incredible grilled sweetbread and harissa dish served with a couscous broth. To fully appreciate these dishes, the expertly curated wine pairings are practically a must. Trust us.

Time Out tip: This is one of the hottest tables in the city, so if you can’t get one, head to its bar, Septime La Cave, instead for wine and nibbles. 

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Address: 80 rue de Charonne, 75011 Paris

Closest transport: Ledru-Rollin Metro Station is a 3-minute walk

Expect to pay: Around €130 for the tasting menu, €190-220 with wine pairings

Since Pierre Moussié took over management in 2023, he’s been able to cut costs without cutting quality at French bistro Chez Jeannette. Surrounded by the neighborhood’s creatives exchanging ideas and construction workers on a break, hungry workers of all walks come for the egg mayonnaise and celery remoulade, the languid pork cheek on polenta and the little choux pastries with lemon verbena cream. It’s cheap, it’s cheerful – but it delivers every time. 

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Address: 47 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, 75010, Paris (10th arrondisement)

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 8am-2am; Sunday from 9am-2am

Expect to pay: Around €4.50 for starters, €9 for mains, and €3 for desserts

Behind the trappings of a very 2020 wine bar – natural wines, scraped-back stone walls, a beanie-and-moustache-wearing host – Lissit (short for Alexis Lissitzky, the sharp-tongued owner-sommelier) hides a brilliant bar-restaurant with an old-school soul. Here, polished French classics roll out one after another, straight from a Delannoy-era Maigret. Who’s behind it? Claire Grumellon, cooking solo in the tiny kitchen, turning out rare Ardèche caillettes, superb pâtés en croûte and photogenic pithiviers.

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Address: 48 rue de la Folie-Méricourt, 75011 Paris (Oberkampf, 11th arrondissement)

Closest transport: Oberkampf Metro Station is a 2-minute walk

Expect to pay: Around €35-60 per person à la carte, with dishes from approximately €12

One of our most beloved eateries in Paris is the long-standing Mokonuts – which has appeared on our best restaurants list time and time again for a decade. It’s an unassuming spot hiding a truly brilliant menu by Franco-Lebanese chef Omar Koreitem, and historically, it served both breakfast and lunch (and a range of rather fabulous desserts). Since it sadly abandoned its early mornings (and therefore its breakfast menu, the best spot for brunch, if you’re after that specifically, is its sister restaurant, the Japanese canteen Mokochaya, a few minutes away. Tuck into Japanese curries, cured eggs and make sure to save room for pastries – it’s what these guys do best.   

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Address: 5 rue Saint-Bernard, 75011 Paris (Sainte-Marguerite, 11th arrondissement)

Closest transport: Faidherbe-Chaligny Metro Station is a 3-minute walk

Expect to pay: Starters €8-16, mains €24-32, desserts from €11, or around €40-55 per person at lunch

A big advocate of retro gastronomy, restauranteur Édouard Vermynck has transformed the site of the old Gaspard de la Nuit into something from a hundred years ago. Adorned with vintage framed photos, antique mirrors and a hand-painted sign on the storefront, Bistrot des Tournelles’ menu keeps the theme with timeless, household French dishes. Artisanal andouillette with a bushel of excellent matchstick fries, roast chicken with fluffy mashed potatoes, cordon-bleu with fries... nostalgia has never tasted so good.

Address: 6 rue des Tournelles, 75004 Paris (Le Marais, 4th arrondissement)

Closest transport: Chemin Vert Metro Station is a 3-minute walk

Expect to pay: Around €40-70 per person à la carte, with set menus from approximately €25

Just a stone’s throw from Rue de la Paix and Place Vendôme, Le Petit Vendôme dates all the way back to the 1950s, and it’s a Parisian blessing. During the day, you’ll see lines upon lines of people queueing up for its jambon-buerre, and other fabulous French sandwiches, freshly made with ham on the bone, pork cracklings and Saint-Nectaire cheese. If you want a sit down lunch, its classic bistro dishes are excellent too, from andouillette to duck confit. It’s a little chaotic in here, but we love it. 

Address: 8 rue des Capucines, 75002 Paris (Opéra, 2nd arrondissement)

Closest transport: Opéra Metro Station is a 3-minute walk

Expect to pay: Around €10-20 per person depending on fillings

This bistro may have officially opened in 2016 and not cost much, but it has an old soul. It sort of feels like the kind of place where figures from history have sat, and where your favourite author may have enjoyed some snails back in the 80s. Of course, Les Alorts serves its iconic sausage and mash, unbeatable at the top of the bistro pantheon, but everything else on the menu is finely crafted and perfectly executed. Take our word for it: this is the best bistro in Paris.

Address: 136 rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, 75010 Paris (Faubourg Poissonnière, 10th arrondissement)

Closest transport: Poissonnière Metro Station is a 3-minute walk

Expect to pay: Around €35-60 per person à la carte, with lunch menus from approximately €20

Trained at L’Astrance, Shinichi Sato has carved out a high-end restaurant within a pristine, all-white space designed by star architect Kengo Kuma. The refined, minimalist décor mirrors the chef’s cooking: precise, lively and proudly Michelin-starred, yet with a clear bistronomic influence in its direct, product-led approach and relaxed, fluid service. Worth noting too is Blanc’s remarkable cellar, boasting a collection of spirits rarer than unicorns in Belleville.

Address: 52 rue de Longchamp, 75016 Paris (Passy, 16th arrondissement)

Closest transport: Trocadéro Metro Station is a 6-minute walk

Expect to pay: Around €150 lunch tasting menu, €250-320 dinner tasting menus, with wine pairings from approximately €120+

The chefs at Le Dauphin experiment with creative tapas in a modern and clean-looking space, full of glass and Carrara marble. The restaurant was designed by legendary architect Rem Koolhaas, and its now the kind of place where fashionable people snack on small plates and snap Instagram pics, but in a good way (things can get lively come the evening). The dishes are focused on high-quality ingredients in their purest form, like mussels marinières and the trademark sea snails, served with a little jar of mayo.

Time Out tip: At lunchtime, Le Dauphin has a special set menu for €25, and it's great. 

Address: 131 avenue Parmentier, 75011 Paris (Oberkampf, 11th arrondissement)

Closest transport: Goncourt Metro Station is a 2-minute walk

Expect to pay: Around €40-70 per person à la carte, depending on dishes and wine

Grande Brasserie was brought back to life in 2022 by director Adrien Spanu – and elected the same year as Paris’s best restaurant at the Time Out Paris Food and Drink Awards. Spanu was on a mission to restore the heritage of this Parisian landmark, which shows in the decor: ‘20s mosaics, post-war frescoes, and starched tablecloths. This all makes for a cosy space to enjoy the timeless cuisine from chef Grégoire Simon. Make sure to try his world-class deviled eggs (at a high price).

Address: 4 rue d’Antin, 75002 Paris (Opéra, 2nd arrondissement)

Closest transport: Opéra Metro Station is a 2-minute walk

Expect to pay: Around €30-60 per person à la carte

Café du Coin is a charming, old-fashioned bistro, complete with brass-rimmed counter, formica tables, and belle époque cement tiles. And while it might have a name as common as they come for a French dive bar, you’d be foolish to dismiss it. Created by chef Florent Ciccoli (previously of Jones, Cheval d'Or, and Recoin), this neighborhood watering hole in the 11th arrondissement is buzzing from morning coffee to dinner time. Our recommendation? Their affordable lunch menu, featuring irresistible bistro plates like the Mont d'Or cheese cordon bleu. And for drinks, Café du Coin has got you covered with plenty of natural wines to choose from and small pizzettes to munch on. It’s our go-to spot.

Address: 9 rue Camille Desmoulins, 75011 Paris (Oberkampf, 11th arrondissement)

Closest transport: Voltaire Metro Station is a 4-minute walk

Expect to pay: Around €20-30 per person, with lunch menus from approximately €19

In this neat little canteen, the Tran Luu family offers popular Vietnamese cuisine enhanced by carefully sourced ingredients, from rice and premium sauces to French meat. At Mam from Hanoï you can enjoy some of the best phở in Paris: an intensely aromatic broth, not too fatty (just enough to be comforting), with tender slices of flank steak and short ribs floating in it. It might look big, but you’ll finish the bowl. We promise. 

Address: 35 rue du Faubourg Montmartre, 75009 Paris (Faubourg Montmartre, 9th arrondissement)

Closest transport: Grands Boulevards Metro Station is a 2-minute walk

Expect to pay: Around €20-35 per person, with mains from approximately €12

A name that sounds a little intimidating for a place that’s ultimately all about softness, opened by the Franco-Brazilian duo Ninon Lecomte and Lucas Baur de Campos. Super-friendly service, a cosy setting, and dishes that lean meaty but remain full of finesse – like that cloud-like purée crowned with a bone marrow, served alongside a côte de bœuf perfectly cooked over flame. Not forgetting Brutos’s legendary Sunday roast chicken – a must if you’re lucky enough to be staying till Monday. 

Address: 5 rue du Général Renault, 75011 Paris (Belleville, 11th arrondissement)

Closest transport: Parmentier Metro Station is a 3-minute walk

Expect to pay: Around €45-70 per person à la carte, with Sunday roast menus from approximately €35

Schoolfriends Marie-Anna Delgado (in the kitchen) and Olivia Brunet (on decor and service) have set up this lovely canteen where seemingly all of Belleville are regulars. This is a proper small-plates-and-natural-wine kinda spot, and it’s super lively come early evening. They’ve got a magic lunch deal with plates that’ll transport you to a road trip through the Landes on your way back from Catalonia. Add in wild tapas nights and Sunday bingo, and you’ll leave singing Paloma’s praises.

Address: 93 rue Julien Lacroix, 75020 Paris (Belleville, 20th arrondissement)

Closest transport: Pyrénées Metro Station is a 4-minute walk

Expect to pay: Around €15-35 per person, with small plates typically €5-14

Far more fishy than fashionable, this spot – with its schooner-cabin décor designed by Parisian interior designer and decorator Slavik (who is a bit of a legend round these parts) – hasn’t strayed an inch from the course set in 1967. At Le Duc, you’ll find seafood-driven cuisine, supplied seasonally and by small boats, serving up the restaurant’s legendary dishes like the ‘Château de Feuilles’ lobster with ginger and lemongrass, or a sublime sole meunière. No doubt about it: Le Duc still packs a punch.

Address: 243 boulevard Raspail, 75014 Paris (Montparnasse, 14th arrondissement)

Closest transport: Vavin Metro Station is a 2-minute walk

Expect to pay: Around €80-120 per person à la carte, with mains from approximately €40

The Levha sisters, Katia and Tatiana, have been lighting up their corner spot on Rue Saint-Maur since 2014. The setting is drop-dead gorgeous: ceiling mouldings, a vintage fresco, and a bouquet of flowers on the massive brass bar. The cuisine, which hops freely between France and Asia, is boldly innovative and very now: check out the grilled sweetbreads boosted by phrik phao (spicy Thai sauce). Oh, and the carefully selected wines are great too, heavy on Burgundy reds and whites.

Address: 32 rue Saint-Maur, 75011 Paris (Oberkampf, 11th arrondissement)

Closest transport: Saint-Maur Metro Station is a 2-minute walk

Expect to pay: Around €25-30 for lunch menus, €50-80 per person at dinner à la carte

Giovanni Passerini has got to be the best Italian chefs in Paris. Hell, we reckon he’s one of the top chefs in the city full-stop. His modern trattoria is a beaut with a terrazzo floor, white walls, and sleek light fixtures. Passerini’s menu is a perfect balance of classic Italian comfort food (think duck ragu tagliatelle and ricotta-spinach ravioli with sage butter) and insanely good gourmet dishes, like the two-course pigeon, which might just have you dreaming about it for weeks after you’ve paid the (admittedly steep) bill.

Address: 65 rue Traversière, 75012 Paris (Gare de Lyon, 12th arrondissement)

Closest transport: Ledru-Rollin Metro Station is a 4-minute walk

Expect to pay: Around €35-50 for lunch menus, €50-80 per person at dinner à la carte

This postage stamp-sized Chinese joint sets taste buds on fire with its spicy Sichuan broths. Miam Miam Cool’s menu is concise: wheat or rice vermicelli noodle soups loaded with meat, or homemade dumplings with silky fillings. You can adjust the spiciness level from zero to three, and there's no need for false pride – even level one is a scorcher.

Address: 6 rue Mandar, 75002 Paris (Montorgueil, 2nd arrondissement)

Closest transport: Sentier Metro Station is a 3-minute walk

Expect to pay: Around €15-25 per person depending on sandwiches and toppings