Romantic Restaurants in Paris

Hello All,

My husband and I will be in Paris for our first anniversary in August and I was wondering if anyone knew of any good restaurants. Money is really no object. We just want really good food and a nice atmosphere. Thanks so much,

Gin

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There are 7 or 8 three star restaurants where dinner for two will run you about $1,000 USD. Usually need 3 months for an advanced reservation at these restaurants. Are you sure money is no object?

We%26#39;ve loved going to Le Coupe Chou in the Latin Quarter. Great ambience, classical French cuisine and with wine it will run between €80 and €120.

lecoupechou.com

There are 100%26#39;s of different options in between.

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Check out Les Ambassadeurs at Crillon (about 600 euros for us including champagne and wine), formal but not stuffy, looks like a palace) and (for a better value in a less formal setting, in my opinion) L%26#39;Atelier de Joel Robuchon (336 euros for us including champagne and wine).

tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187147-d699…

tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187147-d718…

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Congratulations.

If you%26#39;ve never been to Paris, a dinner cruise on the Seine might be an idea. The food can be very good, but relatively bad compared to what you get elsewhere in France. It%26#39;s also dirt cheap compared to the popular restaurants.

It seems that women are always swooning on these boats, getting all teary eyed, even when queueing up for the onboard WC%26#39;s while a lit up Paris floats by though the windows.

I%26#39;m still looking for a dinner cruise elsewhere in the world with a comparable effect. Hong Kong Harbor fell short. SF Bay fell short. Can Sydney Harbor do it?

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If money is really no object, Guy Savoy (Michel ***) is the current place to go, according to the collective wisdom on chowhound. It has a modern but warm feel to the décor and is located a street behind the Arc de Triomphe (which you could visit beforehand, taking the elevator – most of the way – to the top, for a very special view over Paris).

Le Cinque and the Hotel George V (which I’ve been to) and Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athénée (which I haven’t been to) have more opulent décor (if that’s more your idea of “romantic”).

Le Cinque was nice – but we thought it was overpriced. I guess I don’t really like hotel restaurants – they tend to be a bit, well, stuffy.

Taillevent is a favourite – even since it lost its third star. It has a gracious, “gentleman’s club” feel with wood panelling and superb service.

Be warned, though, the degustation menus at these places start at about €200 a head without wine (Taillevent). Guy Savoy has two degustation menus – one at €275 a head and another at about €350 (from memory).

Another caution – a lot of places close for August, so making inquiries sooner rather than later is advisable. Also, you generally need to make reservations weeks, if not months, out.

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We had dinner at Le Restaurant at L%26#39;Hotel on rue des Beaux-Arts the other night. It%26#39;s in a restored mansion near the Pont des Artes and very romantic indeed. The crowd runs heavily to younger couples. Younger to us is 20%26#39;s and 30%26#39;s. There are even secluded sofas in the cocktail lounge where couples can smooch- and they do. The food is very good, although it can be a little on the edge. We ordered from the menu because everything on it appealed to us and then there was a substitution. Instead of grilled prawns, we got carpaccio of prawns- that%26#39;s raw shrimp. The waiter said the prawns were marinated, so we were expecting something like a ceviche, but they weren%26#39;t, they were presented like a work of art with garnishes of edible flowers, caviar and gold leaf, and absolutely raw, to my wife%26#39;s horror. I thought it was a delicious dish. The other courses on the menu were not controversial; a mushroom ravioli with truffle emulsion, perfect and unsauced suckling pig with the freshest sweetest peas, and a heavenly strawberry creation resembling an eclair, but much more delicate. Plus, the occasional amuse-bouche, surprise from the kitchen, and petit-fours after dessert. For a one-star it%26#39;s reasonable. Two people can have dinner and a decent bottle of wine for under 200 euros, but you could easily spend much more, and to judge from the champagne that was flowing at over 100 euros a bottle, plenty of people were spending much more. If you are interested check the website - it%26#39;s liable to be closed for at least part of August.

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Try the beautiful Lasserre, which has a painted ceiling that can be opened to let in the night air at dinner time. The food is excellent, and the presentations are exceptional. There are several small private dining rooms, too.

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How could I forget? Laperouse. Check their website.

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Taillevent is my choice. We had absolutely the best meal of our lives there (and that%26#39;s saying a lot since we live in San Francisco) and it was just lunch! Next visit we will definitely splurge for dinner.

But even more than the exquisite food, the service is impeccable. Despite being the only Americans and the youngest by 20 years in the room, they treated us very graciously and with the upmost respect and care. As we were leaving from our over 3 hour lunch, a busboy stopped us so that the Maitre%26#39;D could say goodbye and ask how our experience was. His friendly double handed handshake was the icing on the foie gras!

Wonderful experience all around!

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I hope that you know %26quot;money is really no object%26quot; means that you could spend $1,500 for a very fine meal in Paris.

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Sydney Harbour is spectacular, but there is no city like Paris.

If money were no object I would definitely go for Le Grand Vefour, a sensational looking restaurant. Unfortunately my budget could only run to the nearby Le Grand Colbert for good food and wonderful atmosphere.