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The city of light, Paris, is one of the capitals that contains more architecture, which attracts different tourists from all over the world. All this due to so many centuries that little by little were cultivating many stories of revolutions, wars and love; but also of gastronomy.
In 1782 Antoine Beavilliers, a former officer of the Counts of Provence, opened a place with his same surname on Rue de Richelieu; he was the first to operate an inn in the city, and for 15 years he was the most famous owner. He also included elegant dining rooms, waiters, superior cuisine and a well-selected wine cellar.
Today, many restaurants are located in Paris, and the World Cities Culture Forum has created a kind of ranking to identify, on a global level, the cities with the greatest presence of this type of establishment.
The result has been very interesting, winning the 3rd place the city of Paris, with 44 thousand restaurant establishments; below the city of Seoul, which has 83,000, and Tokyo with 148,000. So, if you are thinking of spending a vacation in Paris, its French gastronomy is so wide that you will have no problems in the choice, since there are all kinds of restaurants for all tastes.
All of them are places that will surprise you, with innovative, original concepts, others very elegant, even in the heights; with Michelin star chefs. All of them with great creativity and inventiveness, to please different palates. In this article we will mention only some of them, as we have already seen that the list is quite extensive.
Restaurants with original concepts:
The Ciel Restaurant in Paris:
For lovers of heights, this restaurant Le Ciel de Paris is the most indicated; since, apart from its excellent gastronomy, it offers views of the city, which can be enjoyed both for lunch and dinner. It is located in the Maine Montparnasse Tower, on the 56th floor. It is the second tallest skyscraper in the city, after the Eiffel Tower; and it is located towards Maine Avenue, number 33.
When we visited the restaurant we observed a decoration in a soft and somewhat satin gray tone, a central bar in a curved and very elegant shape, in addition to the amber lighting surrounding the circular mirror lamps on the ceiling. Also the chairs in the same gray tone, according to the rest of the decoration.
The chef in charge of creating the menu for this memorable moment is Chef Christopher Marchais, who offers among his delicacies, for example, beef tenderloin heart, lobster salad, turbot fillet, caviar, among others. Also, and to close with a flourish, the Gran Cru chocolate; a true gastronomic spectacle.
The Restaurant-Café La Halle aux Grains:
In the Bourne du Commerce Museum in Paris, at 2 Rue de Vaimes (which reopened its doors in the 1st quarter of 2021) is this nice restaurant that also opened its doors to the public recently, right in the heart of the museum. It is run by the Bras family, father and son; both very prestigious chefs, with Aveyron stars and who were chosen by Francois Henri Pinault, the husband of the famous actress Salma Hayek.
The restaurant is located on the 3rd level of the museum, and has the great benefit of having an internal view of the famous frescoes depicting the exchange of goods between 5 continents. Towards the outside you can appreciate places like the church of Saint Eustache, the Nelson Mandela Garden, the Pompidou Center, among other views of Paris.
As for the menu, they have for lunch 3 sequences, and for the rest 5 and 7 sequences, with a schedule that goes from noon to midnight. You can also taste, between 15:00 and 18:00 hours, the most famous dessert: Les Bras, which consists of a liquid and warm chocolate cookie, with toasted oatmeal ice cream; or also taste the Toulouse eggplant cake.
Dinners range from 5 to 7 sequences, i.e. 4 types of salad, 1 variety of cheese and 2 types of sweets to choose from. It is important, in order to avoid waiting in line, to make a reservation through their website. Another important fact is that customers will have an independent access to the museum.
Art Deco style restaurants:
This type of art was a movement that was very popular between 1920 and 1939, with a great influence in architecture, graphic design, interior design, industry, visual arts, among others. This type of art includes geometric and avant-garde shapes that are mixed with vintage ornaments and accessories. For example:
Le Relais Plaza Restaurant:
This restaurant can be located at 25 Avenue de Montaigne. It is considered one of the remaining restaurants with this 1930’s Art Deco in the city of Paris. Here you can see original frescoes by Diane Chasseresse, as well as the chandelier by Lalique or the stained glass windows of the zodiac.
The restaurant also inaugurated an outdoor terrace, where you can enjoy a brasserie comfortably and with the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower. The chef is Jean Imbert, with the mention of chef of 2019. His menu is based on simplicity, taste and authenticity; such as brasserie with grilled or fried langoustines with mayonnaise, or also a la Thermidor.
They also offer the pâté de ma grand-mére 1951, the gratin of sea bream from 1962 or the turbot steamed with typical winter vegetables and a hollandaise sauce. There is also a special dish every day. On Thursdays, it is the brioche sausage, on Fridays, mussels from Mont-Saint-Michel, among others. There are also desserts such as an ile flottante, which is prepared on the spot.
The Girafe Restaurant:
Very close to the Eiffel Tower, and on Matignon Avenue, is located this restaurant, where you can enjoy not only its excellent marine gastronomy but also the view of the Iron Lady. In addition, the restaurant presents a Parisian-style setting, with some Art Deco codes and vintage decoration; as if paying a kind of tribute to 1930.
It is said to be one of the most romantic restaurants in the city. The menu is a combination of today’s cuisine and ancestral heritage; it includes ultra-fresh dishes such as ceviche and sashimi (evolving according to customers’ tastes); but seafood-based dishes are what characterize it. Other menus include blue lobster, XXL prawns, smoked salmon and blinis, Breton oysters, among others.
Restaurants with foreign influences:
ANAHI Restaurant:
At 49 Rue Volta is located this restaurant to taste Argentinean food, being the owner Riccardo Giraudi. It has a very intimate dining room, with candles, flowers and charming tables. They serve the famous Argentinean empanadas, made of beef that have been cut with a knife.
They also offer a smoked onion tart from the Cévennes or a veal salpicon with a vinaigrette sauce with anchovies, capers, black olives, red onion, hard-boiled egg and watercress. Mauro Colagreco is its 3-star chef, who is in charge of maintaining the excellence of these dishes based on imported meat, as a roast.
These dishes reflect both the origin of that country and the influence it has had from the Italians and Spaniards. Other favorite dishes are the American Black Angus, Kobe beef emperor in chimichurri sauce, creamy Bramata polenta, among others. As for desserts, they have chocolate cake and what they call “Malbec pear” with Sichuan pepper scented syrup and lemon and orange peel.
The TEKÉS Restaurant:
The Tekés Restaurant is located at 4 Bis Rue Saint-Sauveur, of the well-known chef Assaf Granit, who makes Mediterranean vegetable dishes according to the season and with a strong Israeli influence. The atmosphere is very pleasant, colorful and festive, which can be observed both in summer and winter, with a decoration in terracotta tones and large windows overlooking the street.
Decoration that praises nature, with materials in wood, marble, pieces that have been recycled by hand, blown glass, glass ceiling, in short… all an eco-responsible decoration. Its cuisine, starring vegetables that are prepared in all kinds of ways, includes cooking under the ground, with exquisite aromas of oregano, mint, among others.
They prepare creative dishes such as green balls, gnocchi served inside a pumpkin or a fattoush salad; or if you prefer a vegetable madfouna. Finishing with a pumpkin soufflé and thyme ice cream, a real spectacle! They also offer roasted zucchini with cinnamon labnhé, eggplant flambé, spinach fatayer, beet chachilk, tomato and black sesame cream and much more.
