Good News: Two Hour Lunches Are Still Tres Parisian (2024)

Photo courtesy of Le Récamier

This is a restaurant that Parisians have long tried desperately to keep to themselves. It is nestled in a quiet, pedestrian only courtyard in the chicest part of Saint-Germain des Pres. When shopping at Le Bon Marche is the day's doings, a lunch at this traditional souffle restaurant is in order. It is owned and operated by a husband and wife whose life has been invested in the running of this institution. Beautiful salads and distinguished wines by the glass are served here, too. But their real draw is their souffles, both savory and sweet. Choose from, for example, a foie gras and fig souffle served with port sauce or lobster souffle. The courtyard setting here makes it one of the prettiest terraces in the summer and ever so discreet in the cooler months. For dessert? A souffle, of course!

Recommended for Lunch because: Though souffles are traditionally French, there aren't a lot of restaurants who serve them in Paris. But this is one of the best and chicest.

Paige's expert tip: This is perfect for when what you really feel like is dining at one of those best-kept Parisian addresses. Souffles are the stars here but generous salads and also steak cutlets are on the menu, as well as homemade dessert souffles like roasted pineapple or salted butter caramel. For ladies who shop and ladies who lunch, there are fewer better places to perch.

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Photo courtesy of Uma Nota

Inspired by the Japanese quarter of Sao Paulo called Liberdade, this restaurant concept has just taken flight here in Paris. It is the brain chlld of a brother and sister team, both French, who tasted their way through the street food botecos of Brazil, as well as the gastronomic restaurants, and wanted nothing more than to share the food - and the cachaca based co*cktails - with the folks back home. Back home was at that time Hong Kong, so the testing ground for this success story was first there, and now, it's here in Paris.

Recommended for Lunch because: Brazilian seems to be one of the newer food trends in town but this puts even a spin on that, with its Japanese-Brazilian fusion cuisine.

Paige's expert tip: For lunch their menu is oriented towards the office workers in the neighborhood, meaning individual menu choices and non-alcoholic drinks. But you really ought to come back in the evening, too, for their specialty Brazilian inspired co*cktails and delicious small plates, for sharing, that are Brazilian-Japanese fusion and is such happy-food you will feel like doing the samba before you know what's hit you.

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Photo courtesy of Terrass' Restaurant and Bar

This is one of the few rooftop restaurants in Montmartre. And perhaps the only one that has a view of the Eiffel Tower. It's open for lunch on weekdays. You have just to enter the lobby, walk past the cheeky t-shirt display that says you are in a No-Go Zone now, and take the lift up to the top floor. Here you are greeted by an open kitchen that looks directly out onto the glass wall view of the Iron Lady. The bar is just off to the left. In warmer weather, the outdoor patio diining has to be one of the most agreeable in town. High above any noise or traffic pollution, this is an outdoor terrace rivaled by few others. And the cosy little corner with cushions and couches gives you a nice area in which to relax before or after your meal.

Recommended for Lunch because: This is one of the prettiest and most discreet dining in the oft-tourist filled area - albeit full of charm - that is Montmarre.

Paige's expert tip: Try to book a table for when the weather is nice. The indoor dining area is gorgeous and has the views, but the outdoor patio is the real selling point. The prepared dishes by the chef and his team are a winning formula, too.

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Photo courtesy of Shaka Poke

It's arrived and with a big wave of Allooohhhaaa! The poke bowl craze has hit Parisian shores, if only on the banks of the Seine. This past year has seen rice bowl shops open up and many are good, but this one is super strategic for its location (just a stone's throw from the Louvre) and for its variety of toppings. First you start with white, brown or black rice. Next you top that off with an array of toppings of your choosing, each healthier than the last. So, if you have a taste for fish for this meal, choose salmon or ahi tuna. More into fowl now? Add a generous helping of cooked and diced chicken breast. All of this can get topped off with edamame, pineapple, avocado, green onion, nuts and seeds, etc. There are about 40 toppings to choose from. All freshly replaced throughout the day.

Recommended for Lunch because: The young entrepreneurs behind this restaurant have taken the best of the Poke Bowl trend and infused Paris into it.

Paige's expert tip: Here the restaurant owners clearly wanted to bring back something of Hawaii with them, in addition to the poke bowl concept. Part surf shack, part chic Parisian bistro, this quick-eats restaurant is so close to the Louvre, all you have to do is cross the street. The fixings are fresh and offer diverse, plentiful choices. Whether you are health conscious or not, this offers a delicious option for lunch or light dinner. The eatery is light and airy and art filled.

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Photo courtesy of Graine

With a recent menu makeover by celebrity chef Yoni Saada, this couscous restaurant infuses traditional cuisine with innovative state-of-the-art presentation. Think salad bar but with couscous offerings. Couscous is, of course, the traditional grain dish of North Africa and paired with spicy sausages, stewed vegetables and other meat selections, it makes for a hearty, healthy and flavorful meal. Some of the sides include orange and orange blossom salad which tastes just as it sounds. It is fresh oranges sliced and doused with a generous splash of orange blossom water.

Recommended for Lunch because: When you are between meetings and need a quick place for lunch, to eat-in or to take-away, this offers a meal with North African accents.

Paige's expert tip: The mint-lemonade is made in-house here, as is all of their dishes, including the stewed vegetables and roasted meats. If you opt to dine in, take note of the charming communal dining table downstairs which seats up to a dozen people.

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Photo courtesy of Les Tablettes Jean-Louis Nomicos copyright

Hands down one of the most cheerful gastronomic restaurants in Paris, here Chef Nomicos highlights his Mediterranean origins. Nomicos took over this 16th arrondissem*nt landmark over seven years ago now, to the enduring delight of the difficult-too-please westside Parisians. A recent interior makeover has refreshed the space with air and light.The signature dish is Black Truffle Macaroni with Foie Gras. His menu is full of inspiration from his sunshine-filled Mediterranean roots, such as citrus caviar, lamb, fresh vegetables and foie gras. Of course all dishes are made with the finest French gourmet ingredients like ris de veau (veal sweet meats) a French delicacy. And the chef himself is friendly, generous and gregarious, characteristics you feel in his dishes, the ambiance of his restaurant and the good nature of his staff. Another rarity is that this gastronomic restaurant is open 7 days a week. Don't miss the Absinthe Granita dessert.

Recommended for Lunch because: With a recent interior decor refresh, this enduringly delicious gastronomic eatery is both a neighborhood favorite and a destination restaurant all rolled into one.

Paige's expert tip: Try his signature truffle macaroni. It's everything you imagine it will be. Les Tablettes is one of the warmest gastronomic tables in Paris, where fancy food is still edible. No matter how prettily it's presented on the plate, here it will always taste just as good as it looks. Pulled, stewed rack of lamb and stuffed zucchini flowers are two of the must-try house specialties.

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Photo courtesy of Grand Bistro de Breteuil

This Grand Bistro is what happens when two stars collide. On the one hand, you have the impressive pedigree of the Doerr family empire of grand Parisian restaurants and bistros, and now you have the all-new menu redone by the Purcel Brothers, legends in the French culinary world (formerly of the Maison Blanche). This neighborhood is one of stately old Haussmanian buildings where servants had proper quarters in the buildings. It is back behind Invalides and is ever so residential. In the warmer months, take advantage of the leafy, shaded terrace seating where you can sip your glass of wine and nipple on amuse buches as the courses come served by white-gloved waiters. This is classic bistro fare, with a Purcel flare, so expect organic grass-fed beef steaks flame-grilled to perfection, french fries made from new potatoes from Noirmoutier, pulled duck breast served with roast peaches, rosemary-infused rack of lamb.

Recommended for Lunch because: Innovation is nice, but classic dining can be equally as nice. Here you have the best of both worlds, in an extremely genteel Parisian setting.

Paige's expert tip: Innovation is nice, but classic dining can be equally as nice. Here you have the best of both worlds, an innovative bistronomic menu served in extremely genteel Parisian setting.

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Photo courtesy of Paige Donner

It's not so easy to find a truly unique restaurant in Paris, but this one fits that bill beautifully. Here you have a Japanese chef, trained in Italian cuisine, serving up his dishes in the heart of Paris, in an elegant restaurant just next to the Eglise Saint.-Roch. Chef Akira Sugiura, a graduate of Japan's most prestigious culinary school, serves up signature pasta dishes from the Italian tradition with Japanese and French influences. It's also not outside of the realm to be served your main dish of fish, fowl or meat with a pair of chopsticks here. The setting is exquisite, as this restaurant within a hotel sits up against a private courtyard walkway next to the historic Eglise St. Roch, known in Parisian circles as the church where all the celebrities go.

Recommended for Lunch because: One may have heard about Asian-fusion cuisine, but not so much Japanese-Italian fusion cuisine. This is a singular restaurant even for Parisian standards.

Paige's expert tip: The setting of this dining room matches the elegance of the cuisine here. France is famous for its two hour lunches, and this is one of those places where you can enjoy your expertly prepared Italian meal by a Japanese chef while you talk shop in a garden-like setting next to the courtyard of an ancient Parisian stone church.

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Photo courtesy of Paige Donner copyright 2018

Cocooned in a verdant green courtyard inside this 17th century private mansion in the heart of Saint-Germain des Pres, the only haute-cuisine American fare restaurant in Paris offers comfort food cooked to perfection. The restaurant, of course, is by famed designer Ralph Lauren and it could not shout chic any more distinguishedly than it already does. Ratchet that up a notch when the fashion week crowd descends upon it, which is twice a year.The steaks served here are flown in directly from the RRL Ranch in Ouray County southwest Colorado and there is only one other place in the world that serves them: Ralph's New York. It comes with spinach and french fries as sides plus three different sauces: pepper, bbq and horseradish. The burgers and the salads, the crabcakes and the burrata-zucchini, the Ralph's brownie are other must-haves. There is also a generous mocktails list along with wines.

Recommended for Lunch because: Melania wore Ralph Lauren powder-blue at the Inauguration, so it's just possible they might stop in for that Great-Steak-Meal when they're next in town.

Paige's expert tip: Recent celebrity spottings here...Bradley Cooper. Jean Dujardin. The ex-Mrs. Johnny Depp. And loads of fashion world faces you'd recognize from the front rows of the runway shows. But don't come here for the crowd, come here for the food. Steaks flown in from Colorado, the best French fries in town, caramel popcorn served with your coffee...these are just a couple highlights. For the cooler months, ask to be seated inside by the fireplace.

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Photo courtesy of Paige Donner copyright 2018

Where but in Paris could you find Italian-Asian fusion cuisine prepared masterfully by a Thai-Italian chef? Sounds exotic? It is and it isn't since most of the dishes Chef Davide Galloni whips up taste more like fanciful comfort food. The Chef and his restaurateur partner, Alex Kogan, are both graduates from the esteemed culinary school here in Paris, Le Cordon Bleu. They lucked out finding this location in central Marais a couple years ago which turns out to be more fortuitous than perhaps even they imagined since right next door to them the huge complex, Eataly, is set to open. Brunch has become popular, but lunch and dinner remain something of a favorite with the local crowd. That they are right in the heart of Marais shopping, just a few steps away in fact from the famed BHV department store, make this a delicous and easy choice for dining.

Recommended for Lunch because: Inventive cuisine that draws on the chef's European/Asian roots, refined at the famed Le Cordon Bleu culinary school ensures that delight arrives with each bite.

Paige's expert tip: The decor is relaxed yet elegant, like the food, best described as 'acessible gastronomy.' It's a standout even here in Paris that a Thai-Italian chef will be whipping up original dishes that draw from both his Asian and Italian heritage. Also, the restaurateur-Chef owner team are constantly traveling and tasting in other European capitals, keeping their inspirations fresh and original. Lunch, dinner or brunch, this is a sure bet. And their Marais location is a stunning bull's eye.

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