Where to eat in Paris (and where to skip)

In my opinion, most restaurants in the world would qualify as good not great (GNG), and very few restaurants would be worthy of an excellent qualification. I put in hours of research to try to find the great and excellent restaurants when I travel. Luckily, there are plenty of amazing restaurants in Paris. I always wish I had more days and more stomach space to continue exploring. While I was happy with most of my picks from my recent trips in 2024 and 2023, some were only “good” and some were clear misses. Of course you never know when a restaurant is having an off day or if you ordered the wrong things or if you were just too full or too tired to really appreciate it. Since I’ve only been to most of these places one time, I would not completely write off any of them if you hear good things from someone else. However, I will personally not be returning to the ones I say to skip!

Sardine toast at Le Servan, sole at Parcelles, desserts at Mokonuts

Bistros

• Le Servan (11th) — Excellent — this was my favorite meal in Paris on our 2024 visit. This bistro is lively and attractive and packed with a diverse crowd of eaters. The dishes have a surprising combination of ingredients, but they were all excellent. Don’t miss the sardine toast or Paris Breast dessert.
• Mokonuts (11th) — Great — I try to avoid restaurants with too many English-speaking tourists, and everyone in this restaurant was speaking English. I also didn’t love feeling rushed through our lunch. However, the food was truly great (verging on excellent), so I think I can overlook the English this time. Save room for desserts and order as many of them as you possibly can. They were a real highlight!
• Parcelles (3rd) — Great/Good — I had a great lunch here in 2023. When I went back for dinner in 2024, the food was still great but getting closer to a good qualification. Our sole and asparagus were perfectly prepared, but not super memorable. I also felt like it was starting to get a little too popular with tourists.
• Soces (19th) —Good — really fun bistro that I might move up to “great” if it wasn’t so far away in the 19th. I loved the dim lighting and packed tables and seafood centric menu. The food didn’t sparkle quite as much as Le Servan’s did, but I would gladly come back in the future.
• Bouche (11th) — Good — I really enjoyed my brunch here last year, and I almost came back for dinner this trip, but I thought it would be better to try somewhere new. It is perfect for brunch on a sunny day sitting next to the open windows. Don’t miss the cocktails and the sausage if it’s on the menu.
• L’ami Jean (7th) — Skip — I was very disappointed with this lunch. The restaurant was packed with tourists and the rissotto I ordered was not very well-balanced. Nothing special!

Lobster at Palais Royal, chicken skewers at Rigmarole, steak at David Toutain

Tasting Menus

• David Toutain (7th) — Excellent— I loved my dinner here so much. We were seated upstairs, which I was disappointed about at the time, but I have since read that the downstairs dining room can feel a bit stale, so maybe being upstairs was a good place to be! The menu was fun and fresh and full of bright vegetables. They also did a great job of creating vegan versions of everything for my guest.
• Palais Royal (1st) — Good/Skip — this restaurant fit what we were looking for this particular night (something close to our hotel that felt like a celebratory last night stop without being too heavy or weird or slow), but the food wasn’t special, and I wouldn’t go back or send someone else here given all the other great options in Paris. I’m surprised they’ve retained two stars!
• Shabour (2nd) — Good/Skip — I really wanted to like this restaurant, especially because it sounded like it was invented in a lab for me (my favorite cuisine, open kitchen, etc.). However, all of the dishes were a bit bland. I could be convinced to give it another try, given that the night I dined there was the night I landed from the United States, so it may have been the jet lag impacting my taste buds.
• Rigmarole (11th) — Skip — this was the biggest disappointment of the trip. My expectations were too high based on some old reviews that I read, but we found the food to be overcooked and under seasoned (with a few exceptions). I wish we’d saved stomach space and time (it was a long drive out!) for somewhere more tasty.

Sain Boulangerie entrance, crepe at Breizh, and pastries at Partisan

Snacks

• Sain Boulangerie (Marais) — Excellent—my favorite croissants in Paris! I haven’t done a deep dive into Paris bakeries yet, but I can’t imagine finding anything better.
• Patrick Roger (7 locations) — Great — delicious chocolates with fun shapes. A great place to buy gifts.
• Partisan Cafe (Marais) — Good — trendy coffee shop with tasty pastries. This time it was a little too packed, but it’s a great place to hang out during slower hours.
• Breizh Cafe (Marais) — Good — very touristy crêpe spot with a long line, but the delicious crêpes made it worth the wait.