Explore the culinary delights of Paris hotel restaurants. Discover where acclaimed chefs are crafting unforgettable dining experiences.
Once upon a time, hotel restaurants were usually stuffy, uninspired dining rooms that served basic comfort food as a convenience to their guests. ย Fast forward to today in Paris where some of the top and trendiest restaurants are inside of hotels. Award-winning and Michelin star chefs, many with already established names and restaurants, have been snapped up by four- and five-star hotels to work their star magic in creating the next culinary hotspot. Not only do they elevate the prestige of the hotel, but the restaurants have also become destinations for non-hotel guests and reservations are often hard to come by. Hereโs a list of five of our current favorites in Paris.
Escargots de Bourgogne at Les Parisiens (Photo courtesy of Pavillon Faubourg St Germain
LES PARISIENS PAVILLON FAUBOURG ST GERMAIN
Les Parisiens Dining Room (Photo courtesy of Pavillon Faubourg St Germain)
Opened in 2022, Pavillon Faubourg St Germain is part of the Chevalier Paris group of small, refined luxury hotels located in desirable neighborhoods of Paris, which include Pavillon de la Reine on the Place des Vosges, Pavillon des Lettres near the Elysees Palace (where president Macron resides), and Hotel du Petit Moulin in the northern Marais, with interiors designed by Christian LaCroix. The origins of Pavillon Faubourg St Germain are traced back to 1642 when it was a private palace. In the early 20th century, it became a hotel frequented by the legendary writer James Joyce. It has now been transformed into a luxurious, five-star hotel with 47 rooms designed by Didier Benderli, and it features an indoor swimming pool, steam room and sauna, and a Codage Spa.
Chef Thibault Sombardier at Les Parisiens (Photo courtesy of Pavillon Faubourg St Germain)
The hotel restaurant Les Parisiens, has become the watering hole for the chic, upscale Saint Germain crowd. Chef Thibault Sombardier, a finalist on Top Chef France in 2012, updates French classic dishes with a contemporary twist, such as frogsโ legs, Vol-au- Vente, escargots, foie gras in a crust, and for dessert, an airy souffle with apples and caramelized cider, and mille- feuille studded with pistachios. The inviting interior has generously spaced apart tables and soft, flattering lighting, along with Art Deco influenced curved banquettes in taupe suede, upholstered chairs in cinnamon-colored velvet, and carpeting embossed with planet-like circles. 5 rue au Prรฉ-aux-Clercs. Tel: +33-1-4296-6543. en.pavillon-faubourg-saint-germain.com
The hotel restaurantย Les Parisiens, has become the watering hole for the chic, upscale Saint Germain crowd.
Restaurant Le Baudelaire (Photo by Eric Cuvillier)
RESTAURANT LE BAUDELAIRE
LE BURGUNDY PARIS HOTEL
The five-star Le Burgundy Paris Hotel is perfectly situated between the Place Madeleine, known for its trendy gourmet boutiques, and rue Saint Honore, lined with the cityโs top fashion boutiques, including Dior, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, and Chanel.
Le Baudelaire Chefs (Photo by Emilie Franzo)
The hotelโs storied history begins in 1850 when the neighborhood was one of the most favored in Paris, with many of the guests coming from England. In 2010, the Le Burgundy de Paris was completely refurbished, and today reflects the modern, Parisian style of the 21st century.
Le Baudelaire is the intimate, one Michelin star (earned in 2011) restaurant at the hotel. The elegant dining room is decorated in shades of slate and curry, with accents of blonde wood and ebony on the furniture, and in warmer weather the restaurant offers dining in their sunlit, glass-enclosed terrace. Anthony Denon, the head chef, thoughtfully prepares a menu for the health-smart diner, with emphasis on plants, seeds, and vegetables.
We had dinner one evening and feasted on a mostly, guilt free menu of an appetizer of a rich, smoky, mushroom soup with red wine added to the broth, a main course of sea bass with honey-roasted parsnips and a chest- nut crumble, and caramelized pears with a touch of Chantilly cream. If you want to fully indulge, go for the 6-course tasting menu with paired wines. At lunchtime, the Vivant, is a special, three-course, 100% plant-based menu. 6-8 rue Duphot. Tel: +33-1-7119-4911. leburgundy.com
Apiradee Thirakomen Thiou (Photo by ยฎYann Deret)
THIOU
NORMAN HOTEL
Amid the glossy and opulent hotels near the Champs Elysees, the Nor- man Hotel is a standout in a subtle way. Launched in the end of 2023, the new hotel is named after Norman Ives, a visionary, 20th-century, American artist and graphic designer from the 1950s and 1960s. The inspired dรฉcor is mid-century modern at its best, and the hotel feels like a cool private club.
At one time, Apiradee Thirakomen Thiou was the toast of the town, where celebs and VIPS would savor her eclectic, fusion menu, combining the inspiration of famed, French chef Paul Bocuse and her native Thai cuisine at her restaurant on the Left Bank. Unfortunately, she closed her restaurant, but luckily the Norman snapped her up, and she now happily feeds her favorite customers again,
Thiou still whips up her fan favorites such as an aromatic, red curry chicken or fish with seasonal vegetables, crispy, soft-shell crabs served with a salad of green mango and spicy Thai herbs, and her legendary, weeping tiger shrimp sautรฉ. Otherย yummy dishes include shrimp dumplings with coconut milk and lemongrass, roasted duck with sweet and sour tamarind sauce and honey parsnips and carrots, and for dessert, mini-spring rolls drizzled with chocolate. 9 rue Balzac. Tel:ย +33-1-42-99-8080. hotelnorman.com/en
Boubale Chef Assaf Granit (Photo by @Nfoxes)
BOUBALE
HOTEL LE GRAND MAZARIN
One of the most anticipated hotel openings last year was the Hotel Le Grand Mazarin. Smack dab in the gay neighborhood of Paris, Le Grand Mazarin is the only five-star hotel in the central Marais, and most of the gay clubs, bars, boutiques, and cafes in Paris are concentrated just steps from the hotel.
Boubale Bar (Photo by Vincent Leroux)
The dรฉcor of the rooms, designed by Martin Brudnizki, is a departure from the new, sleek, and subdued design in most Paris hotels, with more of an early, 20th-century boudoir style using decorative arts, vibrant color combinations, and tapestries on the headboards.
Boubale (Photo by Boubale)
The endearing Yiddish word for grandmother, Boubale, is the name of the hotel restaurant, which is fitting, because the Marais is where the former Jewish Pletzl was in the 1900s. Michelin-starred chef Assaf Granit, has brought his affection for Eastern European, Ashkenazi comfort food to the menu. Traditional dishes such as pickled herring, pastrami and egg salad, pierogis, goulash, potato latkes, strudel, and cheesecake have been updated and lightened for the modern foodie crowd. 17 rue de la Verrerie. Tel:+33-1-8364-0065. legrandmazarin.com
L’Assaggio Patio at Night (Photo by Maurine)
LโASSAGGIO RESTAURANT
LE CASTILLE HOTEL
L’Assaggio Dining Room (Photo by Ana Linares)
Italy comes to Paris at Le Castille Hotel Paris. Part of the Starhotels group of highend hotels based in Italy, Le Castille is their only property in Paris. The hotel is also a favorite of the fashion elite during fashion week, because of the sumptuously decorated rooms and suites, terrific staff and service, and a popular bar. Another plus is that itโs next door to the Chanel flagship boutique and across the street from the Hemingway Bar at the Le Ritz Paris.
The Italian touch is prevalent through the hotel where the service people speak Italian, English, and French, and Restaurant LโAssagio is a supreme, culinary expression of the Piedmont region of Italy.
Michelin-starred Chef Ugo Alciati has collaborated with Chef Sasha Arandjelovic to create a menu of traditional Piedmontese specialties. The must-order starter is the rich tagliolino pasta with 40 egg yolks, topped with slivers of black truffles, which is best to share. Follow it with the succulent, guinea fowl, with a Marsala sauce, on a flaky brioche. For dessert, look no further than the tiramisu, which is listed as โProbably the Best in Paris: on the menu. L’Assaggio is proud to be listed in the Michelin 2023 guide.
L’Assaggio Fish Entree (Photo by L’Assaggio)
Also available are five and six-course tasting menus at dinner, plus an a la carte menu, and thereโs a condensed menu at lunch, with a prix-fixe, three-course, business lunch option. 33-37 rue Cambon. Tel: +33-1-4458-4458. collezione.starhotels.com/en/our-hotels/castille-paris.
