Best Restaurants in Paris (and What to Do Between Meals): A 2026 Guide

Paris has more "best of" lists than it has bakeries. This one is built for a specific kind of traveler: someone who plans the day around where they'll eat and fits a few well-chosen museums and walks in between.

The short answer: for lunch, eat at a counter in the Marché des Enfants Rouges at Les Enfants du Marché, or have a long Italian lunch at Loulou by the Louvre. For dinner, go classic at Chez Janou near Place des Vosges or Bistrot Paul Bert in the 11th. For pastry and chocolate, Cédric Grolet Opéra, Carette at Trocadéro and Chapon on Rue du Bac. If you only have time for one museum, make it the Musée d'Orsay, then walk to Chapon.

Where should I eat in the Marais?

Short answer: at a market counter for lunch and a bistro for dinner.

Les Enfants du Marché. A food counter inside the covered market on Rue de Bretagne. If you love eating at a counter with the market going on around you, this is your lunch.

Chez Janou. A French bistro on Rue Roger Verlomme, close to Place des Vosges. For a relaxed dinner after a day of walking the Marais.

Merci. A concept store on Boulevard Beaumarchais. Not a restaurant, but if you plan a little shopping into every city and want it to be somewhere with taste, it fits the same afternoon.

Which Paris pastry shops are worth the trip?

Short answer: pick based on what you want: a showpiece, a hot chocolate with a view, or something to carry home.

Cédric Grolet Opéra. The pastry shop on Avenue de l'Opéra. Victoria Mattos, a Paris curator, went for the cookie and says it's expensive, so go if pastry is the point of your trip, not a side quest.

Carette, Trocadéro. A café and pastry shop on Place du Trocadéro. Victoria came for the hot chocolate she had heard so much about and says it beat her expectations. It's also a great way to see the Eiffel Tower: from across the river, sitting down, with something warm.

Chapon, Rue du Bac. A chocolate shop a short walk from Orsay. If your idea of a souvenir is something you eat on the train home, stop here.

Where should I have lunch near the Louvre?

Short answer: Loulou, if you want to sit for a while. It's an Italian restaurant at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, in the Louvre's Rue de Rivoli wing, made for a long lunch between museums.

Daroco, Rue Vivienne. Another Italian restaurant, in the 2nd near Galerie Vivienne. Good if you're walking the covered passages and want dinner close by.

What are the best restaurants on the Left Bank?

Short answer: Italian in Saint-Germain and a classic French room near Le Bon Marché.

Marcello, Rue Mabillon. An Italian restaurant in Saint-Germain, for a lively dinner after a day on the Left Bank.

Petit Lutetia, Rue de Sèvres. A French restaurant in the 6th, close to Le Bon Marché. If you want a Paris dinner that feels like Paris, this is the one to book.

Jardin du Luxembourg. Not a restaurant, but the best place to sit between lunch and dinner in the 6th, on one of the park's chairs in the sun.

Where can I get steak frites in Paris?

Short answer: Relais de l'Entrecôte on Rue Marbeuf, near the Champs-Élysées. If you want one meal where you don't have to choose anything, this is it. For a more classic bistro version, go a little east to Bistrot Paul Bert in the 11th, a French bistro for the traveler willing to leave the center for dinner.

Is the Musée d'Orsay worth it if I only have time for one museum?

Short answer: if you love Impressionism and want a museum you can see well in a few hours, yes. Pair it with Chapon, a walk away in the same arrondissement. Musée Rodin is the add-on for people who'd rather spend an hour in a garden full of sculpture.

What should I do in Montmartre?

Short answer: go for the walk, not just the view. Treat the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur as the start of a Montmartre walk, not the whole plan. Victoria used it exactly that way, as a reason to wander the neighborhood afterward and find a bakery on the way down.

Where should I go to see the Eiffel Tower?

Short answer: from somewhere else. If you want the Eiffel Tower in your photos rather than under your feet, climb the Arc de Triomphe at sunset, or sit at Carette on Place du Trocadéro. For a slower afternoon away from the big monuments, the Jardin des Plantes in the 5th is a botanical garden worth the detour.

FAQ

What food is Paris known for? Pastry, chocolate, bistro classics like steak frites, and long lunches. This guide covers all four, from Cédric Grolet to Relais de l'Entrecôte.

Do I need reservations for restaurants in Paris? For sit-down dinners at bistros and restaurants like Chez Janou, Petit Lutetia or Loulou, plan ahead. Pastry shops and market counters are walk-in.

Which neighborhood in Paris is best for food? If you love markets and bistros, the Marais. If you love chocolate shops and classic dining rooms, the Left Bank around Saint-Germain and the 7th.

Is Cédric Grolet worth it? If pastry is the reason you're in Paris, yes. It's expensive, so treat it as an experience, not a quick snack.

Cover photo: anonymous, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (source).