For the most of us, starred restaurants are not places that we often go to. For those of you who may be tempted to delight yourselves with the culinary wonders that gave these restaurants the stars they are so proud of – if you don’t know much, or nothing, concerning the starred culinary scene, it is quite difficult to decide on somewhere to go.
So here is our advice to choose your starred restaurant in Paris.
Table of Contents
On which criterias to pick a starred restaurant?
1) The Price
This is probably the most important step for everyone: making sure that the restaurant we are searching for won’t leave us penniless in the end.
Starred gastronomy remains a satisfactory and interesting experience no matter the price, so you don’t have to break the bank!
After all, if it wasn’t the case, we would really wonder where these stars come from.
So, do not hesitate to strongly consider the price in your choice.
2) The Cuisine Type
Of course, the price should not be the only aspect to consider.
Indeed, if seafood isn’t your thing and you choose a seafood-specialized restaurant because it suits your budget, then there is a high probability that you won’t have a really good time.
Therefore, the cuisine type is an important factor to consider.
Do not forget that the opinion of the people who may accompany you matters too, especially if you want to satisfy them!
3) The Setting
While some don’t really think this is important and prefer focusing on the food, the setting is a significant criterion for those who want visual pleasure along with gustatory delight.
A warm and welcoming interior accompanied with a stunning view quickly puts you in a good mood.
So, do not hesitate to search for pictures of restaurants that catch your attention.
4) The number of stars
If your budget is not a problem and you prefer to satisfy your taste buds as much as possible with the best cuisine of Paris (the world’s best!), the number of stars is a measure to take into account. It will help to give you a good idea of the quality and the originality of the dishes, the service and the setting in general. Be careful! Keep in mind that the more stars a restaurant has, the more you’ll have to be patient to eat there, since reservations are in high demand.
5) The Reviews
Surely, the number of stars is already a very good indicator of the quality of a restaurant since they are given by specialists in a completely objective fashion, but customers’ reviews are also important to check out. We recommend that you look at Google reviews or TripAdvisor reviews.
Extra tip: it is recommended to read negative reviews to be aware of a restaurant’s weak points. If the same reason comes up multiple times, it is probably good to know. Keep in mind that customer reviews are also very subjective and some will be more critical and demanding than others. In the end, there is only one way to know if we will really like it – and that is to try it.
If despite this advice you are still hesitant in your choice, here’s a short list of recommendations. This list includes restaurants from one to three stars in order to satisfy everyone’s budget and taste.
Our Recommended Selection
1-star restaurants
Mavrommatis
To start off this list, it would be perfect to start with restaurants satisfying our most important criteria: the price. On this topic, the Mavrommatis suits all budgets well.
Located in the 5th arrondissement, 5 minutes away from the Jardin des Plantes, this restaurant serves little wonders of Greek cuisine at a very respectable price.
Let yourself be tempted by the different meats or fishes carefully chosen in order to discover the very best wonders of the Greek gastronomy.
Opening hours:
Lunch : Friday to Saturday from 12pm to 2:15pm
Dinner: Tuesday to Saturday from 7pm to 10:30
Keep in mind that the restaurant is closed on Thursday lunch.
Price range: €25 – €115
Address: 42 rue Daubenton, 75005 Paris, France
Booking: +33 1 43 31 17 17
- TripAdvisor’s Rating: 4.5/5
- LaFourchette’s Rating: 9.7/10
- Michelin’s Rating: 5/5
Website (in French): Mavrommatis
Ken Kawasaki
The next star of this list is located in the heart of the 18th arrondissement. So, yes, there are plenty of Japanese restaurants in Paris, but how many of them are starred? Very few, so the experience is worth it.
Discover a harmonious mix of French and Japanese cuisine, which will make your taste buds tingle, and this for a very reasonable price (discovery menu at €45 per person).
Good to know: the restaurant’s menu changes every month. Every visit, you’ll be able to rediscover the restaurant, if you can resist going back before the menu changes!
Opening hours:
Tuesday – Saturday
12:30pm – 1:30pm
7:30pm – 9:30pm
Price range: €45 – €70
Address: 15 rue Caulaincourt, 75018 Paris
Booking: 09 70 95 98 32
- TripAdvisor’s Rating: 5/5
- Google’s Rating: 4.7/5
- Facebook’s Rating: 4.8/5
Website: Ken Kawasaki
La Grande Cascade
La Grande Cascade is first and foremost about a breathtaking setting. If you want to have lunch or dinner in the best visual conditions, then the beauty of this restaurant will seduce you.
Besides its setting, La Grande Cascade offers a modern cuisine that won’t leave you indifferent.
Let yourself be tempted by its tasty sweetbreads, one of the house’s specialties, followed by a raspberry tart to bring to a close a unique experience, from a gustatory point of view as well as visually.
Good to know: the restaurant offers kids menus, vegetarian menus and gluten-free menus.
Opening hours:
All week
12:30pm – 1:30pm
7:30pm – 9:30pm
Price range: €89 – €192
Address: Carrefour de Longchamp, 75016 Paris
Booking: 01 45 27 33 51 or on michelin.fr (website in French)
- TripAdvisor’s Rating: 4.5/5
- LaFourchette’s Rating: 9.6/10
- Michelin’s Rating: 4.4/5
2-star restaurants
Maison Rostang
For the ones who think that the cuisine type as well as the beauty of the plate are the most important, the Maison Rostang is the place not to be missed.
Why this restaurant, you ask? Their dishes are fully-fledged works of art. The chef Nicolas Beaumann creates an unparalleled visual and gustatory pleasure. With an outstanding display, a charming color scheme and a surprising blend of flavors, this restaurant embodies the expertise of the French cuisine.
Good to know: the Fillet of John Dory in a Green Suit is one of the house’s specialties and a very good example of the unique care offered by the restaurant.
Opening hours:
Tuesday – Friday
12:15pm – 2:00pm
Monday – Saturday
7:30pm – 9:45pm
Price range: €90 – €285
Address: 20 rue Rennequin, 75017 Paris
Booking: 01 47 63 40 77 or by mail to [email protected]
- TripAdvisor’s Rating: 4.5/5
- LaFourchette’s Rating: 9.7/10
- Michelin’s Rating: 4.5/5
Website: Maison Rostang
Le Gabriel
If customer reviews play a big role for you, then Le Gabriel will be perfect. It is difficult to find any weak points to this gorgeous restaurant which flawlessly honors French cuisine.
Delight yourself with the original dishes made with delicacy and precision, such as the Pigeon de Racan or even the Homard Bleu. It will please your taste buds with the wonders of the French gastronomy.
The reviews speak for themselves, with a perfect score of 5/5 from some 600 reviews on TripAdvisor. It is quite difficult to resist the attraction with such a good grade.
Good to know: along with kids menus, organic food, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan, the restaurant offers a wine menu of high standard.
Opening hours:
Sunday – Friday
12:30pm – 2:00pm
All week
7:30pm – 9:30pm
Price range: €95 – €295
Address: 42 Avenue Gabriel, 75008 Paris
Booking : 01 58 36 60 50 or on michelin.fr (website in French)
- TripAdvisor’s Rating: 5/5
- LaFourchette’s Rating: 9.8/10
- Michelin’s Rating: 4.7/5
Le Grand Restaurant
It’s in the small street of Aguesseau, in the 8th arrondissement, that you will find this restaurant.
It has quite a contradictory name considering the very small room (25 covers), but Le Grand Restaurant compensates for its small size by the flawless quality of their dishes, and their 2 stars.
People interested by the setting of a restaurant will be pleased by the unusual canopy that goes along the entire room, symmetrical to the floor’s decoration.
French cuisine lovers won’t be disappointed by the matured caviar accompanied by its hazelnut-flavored butter chicken broth. And with the restaurant’s 2 stars your satisfaction is guaranteed.
Good to know: if you’re hesitating about what you should order, two menus are offered to you in which the chef will choose and cook for you the dishes that he’s so proud of.
Opening hours:
Monday – Friday
12:30pm – 1:30pm
7:30 – 9:30pm
Price range for the menu: €116 – €706
Price à la carte: starting from €75
Address: 7 Rue d’Aguesseau, 75008 Paris
Booking: 01 53 05 00 00 or by mail to [email protected]
- TripAdvisor’s Rating : 4.5/5
- LaFourchette’s Rating : 9.6/10
- Michelin’s Rating : 3.7/5
Website (in French): Le Grand Restaurant
3-star restaurants
Le Pré Catelan
Le Pré Catelan doesn’t need any introduction: 3-starred since 2007 and directed by the famous Frédéric Anton, who appeared as a juror from 2010 to 2013 on the French edition of MasterChef.
The chef also received the Best Worker in France in 2000 and is decorated with the Légion d’Honneur.
In the heart of the Bois de Boulogne you will find this Second Empire-style lodge, welcoming you in an astonishing interior covered in white, including chandeliers and columns.
If the price is not a problem, the experience at Le Pré Catelan will be breathtaking.
Good to know: the desserts will be cooked by Christelle Brua, the first woman to have received the Best Restaurant Baker Of The World award. We recommend that you try the crispy Pomme Soufflée.
Opening hours:
Tuesday – Saturday
12:00pm – 1:45pm
7:30pm – 9:45pm
Price range: €140 – €290
Address: Route de Suresnes, 75016 Paris
Booking: 01 44 14 41 14 or on leprecatelan.com
- TripAdvisor’s Rating: 4.5/5
- Facebook’s Rating: 4.7/5
- Michelin’s Rating: 4.6/5
Website : Le Pré Catelan
Arpège
You don’t really fancy vegetables? The legendary Alain Passard will make you change your mind.
Formerly called L’Archestrate under Alain Senderens’ direction, the restaurant became L’Arpège when it was bought by Alain Passard in 1986.
The latter doesn’t need any introduction. In addition to being the youngest chef to get his second star at only 26 years old, it was with L’Arpège that he added 2 more stars to his track record in a matter of 2 years, and the third one in 1996.
The king of vegetables will make you travel through the French terroir with a harmony of quality vegetables prepared with one of the best expertises in France, and even in the world.
The perfect destination for vegetables-lovers, and an experience that will make even those who don’t like vegetables salivate.
Good to know: although the restaurant is majorly vegetarian, there is an exception: the Aiguillettes de Homard Bleu Nuit au “Côtes du Jura”. So, if your relationship with vegetables is really complicated, you will find something that suits your taste at L’Arpège.
Opening hours:
Monday – Friday
12:00pm – 2:00pm
7:30pm – 9:45pm
Price range: €175 – €390
Address: 84 Rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris
Booking: 01 47 05 09 06 or on alain-passard.com
- TripAdvisor’s Rating: 4/5
- LaFourchette’s Rating: 8.9/10
- Michelin’s Rating: 4.6
L’Ambroisie
This prestigious restaurant has been decorated by 3 stars for around 30 years now, and this will surely motivate the most eager for the best Parisian gastronomic experience to go there.
Let the humble Bernard Pacaud surprise you with a unmatched cuisine that reflects perfectly his decades of experience and expertise.
The decor-lovers will be pleased by the old-school feel of the restaurant, showing both unbeatable elegance and hospitality.
Good to know: Want to share? Try the double braised veal chop with juice and its macaroni turban with morel sauce, for 2 people.
Opening hours:
Tuesday – Saturday
12:15pm – 1:30pm
8:15pm – 10:00pm
Price range: €210 – €390
Address: 01 42 78 51 45
- TripAdvisor’s Rating: 4/5
- LaFourchette’s Rating: 9.4/10
- Michelin’s Rating: 4.5/5
Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée
This name alone should make you jump on the opportunity to dine. Alain Ducasse doesn’t need any introduction, with 3 restaurants that each have 3 stars on the Michelin Guide, including one in London. He was also named a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 2004.
It’s inside the Hôtel Athénée that Alain Ducasse operates his second restaurant to have received 3 stars.
With a white interior with details and surprising delicacy, upholstered couches and glass chandeliers, it has everything to make your experience a memorable one – a restaurant perfect for a romantic diner.
Let yourself be tempted by the Poulpe de Sanary-sur-Mer, and why not a nice french cheese selection to go with the wine?
Good to know: the restaurant specializes in 3 categories: fishes, vegetables or cereals. Thus, this restaurant is a good choice for pescado-vegetarians or vegetarians.
Opening hours:
Monday – Friday
7:30pm – 10:15pm
Thursday – Friday
12:30pm – 2:15pm
Price range: €210 – €395
Address: 25 avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris
Booking: 01 53 67 65 00 or by mail to [email protected]
- TripAdvisor’s Rating: 4.5/5
- LaFourchette’s Rating: 9.5/10
- Michelin’s Rating: 4.5/5
Website: https://www.alainducasse-plazaathenee.com/en
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