I’ve been flooded with requests for tips on where to eat in Paris (I’ve been living full time in Paris since January 2023), so here’s my list of my current favorite restaurants and cafes in Paris right now. I’ll try to update this list regularly because I try new restaurants every week!

Remember that in August, about one third of places in Paris are closed for 2-4 weeks so call before you go anywhere that month.

Best Ambiance Restaurants

To be clear, these are the “see and be seen” restaurants that you go to mostly for the ambiance and people, not for the food. Great for date nights if you want to dress up. The food is good but won’t blow your mind. For all of these places, you must have a reservation.

Go to Mun (Japanese) or Langosteria (Italian seafood in Cheval Blanc hotel) for iconic Eiffel Tower views in an upscale environment.

I also love La Plume Rive Droite (Japanese), Loulou (Italian by the Louvre), La Cour Jardin at Hotel Plaza Athenee, Rivie in the Hoxton Hotel, and Ralph’s for their gorgeous courtyards.

Hotel de Crillon is great for a fancy treat yo’self breakfast. You can also book a massage at the hotel after you eat. It’ll give you access to the spa that also includes a gym and swimming pool.

Booking an afternoon tea at Salon Proust at the Ritz Paris is also a quintessentially French experience.

Laperouse is a quirky French restaurant great for an unusual date night. It used to be a brothel and has private rooms you can book.

Pink Mamma (Italian) is probably one of the most Instagrammed restaurants in Paris.

I love Drouant for a traditional french brasserie fancy business lunch. I love their tableside preparation of beef tartare!

Best Foodie Restaurants

Bouche is very popular in the foodie community. It’s one of the restaurants where Parisian chefs eat. It has a hipster vibe. Book early as this is a very hard reservation to get Thursdays to Saturdays.

Early June has monthly rotating chefs from around the world. They don’t take reservations for groups smaller than four people, so plan to either get there just before or shortly after they open. If you come later than that you won’t be able to get a table. It’s literally packed every day.

Deux Restaurant is my favorite place to do brunch. It’s a fixed price multi-course menu that changes regularly but always includes these to die for pancakes with a hazelnut chocolate sauce. It’s very casual and great for families.

Creme Restaurant is my favorite place to grab lunch (though dinner is awesome as well!) when I’m exploring the Montmartre area. The owners are a young couple who will make you feel at home. The menu changes every day.

Cafe les Deux Gares is my favorite French cafe because of the to-die-for food and killer wine list. It’s casual and cozy and when the weather is nice it’s amazing to eat outside. I introduced this place to my dear French friend who grew up in Paris and he continues to go here regularly now.

L’insolite is my favorite place to grab a delicious meal when I haven’t made a reservation anywhere. Hopefully you’ll be seated by the open kitchen and fireplace. Make sure you order the artichokes cooked with anchovy butter!

Gramme is my favorite for a creative brunch. They have several locations in Paris. Prepare to wait in line on weekends.

Rouge Do is where I go when I want creative, more upscale Vietnamese food (you’ll love the charismatic Vietnamese owner and his entire family who cooks in the kitchen!) and Asian Soupe is where I go when I want the more traditional stuff.

There is a very low key insanely adorable mom and son Japanese chef team that cooks delicious home-style Japanese comfort food at Zakuro.

Lebanese food in Paris is delicious and so far my fave is at Kubri.

For sushi, Blueberry Maki for a more casual dinner and Sushi B, Charbon, or Sushi Shunei for more upscale sushi.

I don’t do fine dining often because I find it makes me uncomfortably full. I’ve been to several 3 Michelin places I wouldn’t recommend because I found the vibe uptight and the food unmemorable. So far, my favorite fine dining experience has been at Maison.

Best Coffee Shops

Buddy Buddy is my favorite place to order a matcha blended with oat milk and peanut butter. It’s so pretty inside you feel like you’ve stepped into a beauty retail store. It’s a Belgian brand originally and this outpost opened recently.

Clove Coffee Shop is one of my favorite places to grab coffee in Paris. The owners are always there and serve the best coffee in ceramics that they’ve handmade. It’s in Monmartre, which is a must visit neighborhood for any trip to Paris. It’s very close to the Wall of Love, a great tourist stop.

Petit Palais is a museum worth stopping by and it has an outdoor cafe that’ll give you quintessential Parisian vibes. Seats fill up during lunch so get there early.

Best Bakeries

Get to bakeries in Paris early on weekends because they will run out of their best items by noon.

Sain Boulangerie makes my favorite chocolate chip cookies not only in Paris but in the world! Their croissants are unusual because of the ancient grains they use, so they’re crunchier and a bit harder than other croissants. I actually love the texture.

Mamiche has two locations in Paris and makes my favorite croissant in Paris.

Boulangerie Utopie also makes incredible croissants and comes a close second for croissants for me. I also love their baguette sandwiches. It’s probably the bakery I find myself going to most often.

Cedric Grolet is a must visit for lunch if you have a sweet tooth! Ignore the bad reviews from haters who are jealous of his success. His desserts are by far the best I’ve had in Paris in terms of flavor, creativity, and presentation. Make a reservation several months in advance as it books out. You can also pre-order for pickup. There’s also a location in the gorgeous Meurice hotel.

Pierre Herme is another famous bakery with several locations in Paris. They also have delicious croissants, but not all locations have croissants. This one does. It has the famous raspberry croissant that’s gone viral on the internet.

Best Bars / Nightlife

The bar at Hotel Particulier is a great place to grab a drink for a date night. It’s cozy, hidden, and romantic. The hotel is a bit hard to find as you have to walk through a gate then down a path in a very suburban neighborhood.

Silencio Club is my top pick if you want a wild late night out. Make sure you dress up and get there before midnight or you’ll have trouble getting past the doorman.

The rooftop bar at Hotel National Des Arts et Metiers and poolside bar at Hotel Molitor are also very fun options.

Best Food Markets

D’Aligre is the best farmers market in Paris where all my foodie friends shop if they’re going to throw a dinner party. You can grab a bite there as well.

Check out La Grande Epicierie, the super luxurious grocery store at Bon Marche, if you’re in the area. You can eat there as well. They have a deli and a massive cheese, meat, and seafood section. The produce there is also gorgeous and includes rare varieties not easily found in other markets.

Marches des Enfants Rouges is another market that has food stands as well.

Julie

I just returned from the dreamiest South of France food research trip. I started in Provence then ended my trip on the Cote d’Azure.

Spending a few weeks at a time in different regions of the world to fully immerse myself in the local culture and cuisine has been a dream of mine since my twenties. I feel grateful I get to do that now as part of my dream job in creating global, nourishing menus for all of you!

I’ve been focusing a lot of my travel during the past few years on the Mediterranean because Mediterranean dishes, along with Americana, are among the most popular on our menus. Plus, as you know, we’re huge believers in the Mediterranean lifestyle and diet, which is why we collaborated with Stanford University to validate the benefits of a Mediterranean diet and why I’ve spent weeks living in Ikaria, Greece, and Sardinia, Italy, two of the world’s Blue Zones that are located in the Mediterranean.

I'd describe Pronvencal cuisine as extremely comforting, hearty, and stew-and casserole-based. There’s ample potato and bread to accompany meals as the main sources of carbohydrates, and the primary vegetables used most often are zucchini, tomato, and eggplant. There's, of course, heavy use of both lavender and herbs de provence seasoning, which includes thyme, oregano, summer savory, and rosemary.

One of the tastiest things I had in Avignon was a duck casserole that reminds me of Shephard’s pie. At the bottom of the casserole dish was a wine-braised duck and vegetable stew. It was topped with mashed potatoes. There was no need to add any butter to the dish because the rich flavor of the duck seeped into the veggies and potatoes. This was served for dinner at a tiny and adorable bed and breakfast in Avignon called Bastide de Bellegarde. Funny enough, the owner is actually from the UK and works alongside a local French chef.

As far as fine dining in the region, one of my favorites is Restaurant Dan B. It has a modern minimalist decor that differs from the French country style seen at most other restaurants. Plus, it sits on top of a hill with a breathtaking view. I loved how the staff all wore matching jumpers and immediately Slacked Stephen requesting that we do this for our team uniforms haha! The meal included a flavor combo that I loved: asparagus and leeks. My favorite course was a mouthwateringly juicy guinea fowl served alongside fresh garlic and preserved lemon. This dish definitely gave me inspo as we design this year’s Thanksgiving menu.

Another hotel in Avignon that I loved was La Divine Comedie Suites. The decor was quirky and artsy, including giant animals in their living rooms. The main downside of this hotel is they don’t serve meals there besides breakfast. It’s not a deal breaker as it’s located in Avignon’s old town where all the best restaurants are. Note that it’s pretty hairy driving to this hotel and parking at it as the roads are very narrow. If you aren’t comfortable driving in narrow streets then park outside of the town and walk to the hotel.

Another thing to note is that a lot of restaurants in Provence are closed on both Saturday and Sunday, so make sure you look up the schedules of the restaurants you’re most excited to eat at before you create your itinerary. I learned this the hard way. Restaurant Pollen is supposed to be the best place to eat in Avignon right now and it’s closed on Saturdays and Sundays, so I wasn’t able to eat there because I was only in the area during the weekend.

In the St. Tropez area, I highly recommend checking out a stunning wellness hotel called Hotel Lily of the Valley located on the opposite side of the peninsula. The hotel has a full gym, workout classes, personal training, and extremely healthy cuisine with plenty of dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan options. It also has one of the best spas I’ve ever been to in my life with all the most cutting edge facial treatments plus sauna and steam rooms. The hotel is a 30-minute drive from the party area of Ramatuelle and a 45 minute drive from the touristy port of St. Tropez, but I didn’t find that to be a hindrance. You can also book lunch or dinner at the hotel even if you aren’t staying there.

St. Tropez beachside lunches are a must! I highly recommend Nikki Beach St. Tropez (book a day bed by the pool if you can), Bagatelle St. Tropez, and Shellona if you’re in the mood to party. Club 55 and Loulou have calmer vibes. Be sure to make reservations or you won’t get a table. These are all great places to dress to impress with your favorite resortwear.

I popped into Cannes for a few days during the film festival and stayed at The Carlton Cannes. The hotel was recently modeled this year. It’s gorgeous and has a massive gym. The only downside is the hotel is so big they won’t bring you an iron and ironing board but only have a steamer in your room. This wasn’t strong enough to get the wrinkles out of my linen clothes and evening dresses, so I had to have the hotel iron my clothes for me, which ended up being pricey.

If you’re thinking of doing Cannes for the film festival for the first time, make sure you hit up your network of friends in the movie and tv industries in advance of your trip and ask them to get you onto lists for the private parties. The only fun stuff to do during the film festival at night is attend the private parties. There’s only one club that’s open to the general public, and it won’t be a great experience because it only includes people who couldn’t figure out how to get into the private parties. As a last resort, one of my friends was able to meet people on Tinder who took him to film festival events, so that’s an option as well if you’re single lol! Whether or not you stay at the Carlton or the Majestic hotels, these are hotels you’ll want to pop into during the film festival just for the people watching because they’ll be packed with celebs and models getting ready for the red carpet. It’s so fun seeing women dressed like absolute queens! If you don’t mind staying a little further out from the festival, then try Eden Roc.

Cuisine in La Cote d'Azure is light and impeccably cooked everywhere you go. No overcooked fish or rubbery octopus here. The meals are largely seafood-based and often accompanied with very garlicky sauces like aioli and pistou (French pesto). There is an abundance of garlic, tomato, peppers, and citrus in most of the meals. One of the best things I had was a decadent Nicoise salad. It inspired me to level up our own Nicoise.

Here are 3 new meals our team is recipe testing right now based on my South of France learnings (there will, as usual, be vegan versions of each!):

Provencal Cognac + Pancetta Braised Grass-fed Beef Shin Stew with Ratatouille Batons, Garlic Fava Cauliflower Mash, Firebird Tomatoes, Herbs de Provence Roasted Almonds

Bouillabaisse Wild Cod, Fava Bean, and Cardoon Soup w/ Preserved Bergamot Pistou and Paprika Almonds

Seared Wild Halibut w/ Espelette Pepper + Garlic Rouille Aioli, Fava Ful Medames Stew, Broccolini, Cauliflower, Hazelnuts, Citrus Lav§ender Infused Olive Oil

We can't wait to get these new meals live on the menu for you and hear what you think. If there are any favorite dishes you’ve tried in the South of France that you’d love to see on our menu, let us know and we’ll see if we can add it.