14 Must-Try Restaurants in Paris, France

La Terrasse, the most refined rooftop bar in Paris, attracts a well-heeled crowd who want the view without a fuss. White umbrellas provide shade over the spacious tables on this romantic rooftop garden with rose-lined alcoves and iconic views of the Eiffel Tower, an altogether peaceful place to enjoy a champagne cocktail and watch the sun set. As dusk inches into evening, consider dining at the bar’s prix fixe restaurant—the small menu of seasonal dishes is perfect for a hot summer evening. (If the price of a cocktail here is beyond your travel budget, reserve a spot at Le Quarante Trois cocktail bar, a more affordable rooftop garden option atop the Holiday Inn Paris–Notre Dame.)

Wine barrels set out front provide extra table space at this busy corner wine bar a block away from the fashionista hunting grounds of the Rue St. Honoré. Locals and young office workers arrive at lunch and dinner for the cheap, no-frills fare just like their grand-mère used to make. Le Rubis, more shabby than chic, is the place to head if you’ve been wanting to try snails, veal kidney, or a memorable charcuterie plate with a pleasant glass of wine. Service is brisk.

The cafés that line the streets of Paris make an easy option for a quick lunch. But not all cafés are created equal, and you don’t want to end up at one that heats up frozen meals and drowns salads in industrial vinaigrette. Follow the crowd of locals to a café you can count on: Café Varenne. Every afternoon, the red leather booths fill up with gallery owners, stay-at-home parents, politicians from the nearby government offices, and shoppers from Le Bon Marché. Favorite dishes here include a tomato tartare with crayfish on a bed of green beans, and grand-mère’s roast chicken; at dessert, the lemon meringue tart is hard to resist.

Visitors often dismiss Les Ombres, assuming the tourist-heavy crowd means bad food, but they’re wrong. The cheeses here come from Marie-Anne Cantin, one of Paris’s best fromager-affineurs, and the scampi dish is delightfully memorable. The crowds come for two very good reasons: for the good food and for the spectacular setting on the roof of the Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac museum, right in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower (ombre means shadow). If weather permits, tables are set outside, but because the ceiling is glass, guests are treated to an exclusive view of the Iron Lady in rain or shine. After sunset, the view turns into a sparkling light show on the hour.

Dinner cruises on the Seine have been on the Parisian visitor’s bucket list since they were first introduced. Some of the modern boats lack charm, and the expensive food they serve is often less than stellar, two developments that threaten to give the tradition a bad name. Le Calife, a 1939 wooden barge full of nautical brass, is a glamorous exception. The boat cruises the river twice a day on two-hour itineraries and serves a light and creative menu with inspired vegetarian options for each course. A glass-enclosed dining deck provides a clear view of the city, regardless of the weather.

Le Pantruche—the name is an old slang term for Paris—uses its excellent food to lure Parisians out of their flats and across the Seine. The ambience here is bright yet cozy and nostalgic, with brown leather banquettes, wood trim, and mirrors hung on the walls. Chef Franck Baranger has modernized French classics, using the best ingredients available. The produce is so fresh, in fact, that the menu is written on a blackboard and updated daily. Past favorite dishes include clams in green sauce, duck breast with Swiss chard, and a deconstructed lemon meringue tart. It is a tiny restaurant so reservations are recommended.

Forget food trucks and crepe stands. When Parisians want a quick, easy meal, they head to the local boulangerie and order a jambon-beurre—"un mixte, s’il vous plaît!” The best sandwiches are the simplest: a thick slice of country ham nestled between butter-spread halves of a freshly baked baguette. Ensconced in an old chevaline (horse butcher shop) replete with 1950s decor, Chez Aline is a fast-food deli with a reputation for the best jambon-beurre in the city. Chef Delphine Zampetti offers a selection of other sandwiches, salads, and desserts to curb your hunger.

Taxi drivers know where they’re going when clients ask for the Rue des Plantes around lunch or dinner time. The destination? Le Severo, a simple bistro tucked in a quiet neighborhood in the 14th arrondissement, set with vintage chairs and chalk illustrations of cuts of meat on the walls. While some of the starters here are light and may even be vegetarian, Severo is all about the beef. And fries. The crispy-creamy frites are the perfect accompaniment for the expertly grilled steaks, a quintessentially Parisian meal that’s served here by waiters wearing red-and-white-striped butcher aprons.

Down a long corridor behind the door at No. 12, you’ll find a dining room set in a former lingerie factory, lit by corset-inspired fixtures and featuring the remarkable cuisine of the talented chef Vincent Crépel. After traveling the world and working under great chefs in San Sebastián, Switzerland, and Singapore, M. Crépel has returned to his native France. His menu at Porte 12 piques curiosity, listing just a few ingredients per dish—like leeks/hazelnut/eel or grand cru chocolate/beets—without revealing too much. The results are unexpected and unforgettable. The amiable sommelier matches your palate to the plate, finding perfect accord.

This sliver of a wine bar and tapas joint is ideal for drinking solo or with a pal (larger groups will have a hard time finding a seat). Settle in at the wood bar or at one of the stools alongside the stone walls, and choose from the well-curated list of French wines. Charcuterie is sliced right in front of you at the bar; there is also a daily menu (on the chalkboard) with affordable, nicely turned-out small plates like grilled dorado, zucchini beignets, and lamb kebabs.

If the coffee scene in Paris is as robust as it is today, it’s thanks in large part to Thomas Lehoux, one of the city’s star baristas and co-owner of Ten Belles, just off Canal St-Martin. He collaborated with two Englishwomen, Anna Trattles and Alice Quillet from Le Bal Café, to open this intimate espresso bar in the fall of 2012, and success was immediate. Lehoux and his team turn out some of the finest, if time-consuming, drip coffees in the city, while Trattles and Quillet serve up a small menu of comforting fare—soups, sandwiches, and salads—that rotates daily. The Anglo-inspired desserts—cakes, scones, peanut-butter brownies, and raspberry crumb bars—go down beautifully with a host of coffee drinks. Escape the crowds by heading to the mezzanine, where there are usually seats available, along with a view of the bar from above. But if the weather permits, grab one of the stools and take your coffee outside, or opt for a takeout cup and enjoy it alongside the canal.

For Michelin-starred chef Eric Frechon, opening a 110-seat restaurant in the heart of Paris‘s busiest train station (Gare St.-Lazare) was effectively a way to reconnect with his democratic, bistro past. The Bristol Hotel chef is an avowed proponent of no-fuss, simple food executed to perfection. He jumped at the chance to dedicate a space to his special brand of cooking when he was approached by the SNCF transport company to create a restaurant worthy of the station’s newly renovated image—a destination for transients and locals alike, open morning, noon, and night. Frechon stepped in to offer a wildly accessible, haute casual menu of French comfort classics in a gorgeous, lofty space that is equal parts café-bar and swish restaurant. In addition to the full menu, expect daily specials, a robust wine selection, and a standout dessert that will have you returning time and again: the Paris-Deauville, a sweet homage to Normandy, his birthplace, in the form of a caramelized, cold soufflé. The classic brasserie has experienced considerable decline in recent years, but with Lazare, Frechon revives the iconic lieu de vie with deft style.

Galettes—savory crepes made from buckwheat flour—and regular crepes are specialties of Brittany. Trains from that region arrive in Paris at the Gare Montparnasse, which explains why there are so many Breton restaurants in the quartier around the station. Ty Breiz serves some of the city’s best galettes, made from buckwheat ground to its specifications and topped with artisanal garnishes. In the fall, fresh chanterelle mushroom galettes are irresistible, and lemon sugar crepes hit the right note of refreshing sweetness in any season. The wood-trimmed dining room is full of memorabilia from the Brittany seaside.