Paris
Overview
Map
Food
From experience
- Frenchie && FTG (Frenchie To Go) (3/3)
- One of my favorite spots (The Frenchie in general) in the city. Just go, you’ll have a lovely time.
- I’ve never been able to get a reservation at the restaurant itself, but the wine bar has equally good food and is walk-in only (so you’ve got a fighting chance)
- If you are feeling more on the casual end — Frenchie to go has fantastic sandwiches for a grab and go.
- Les Cocottes (3/3)
- One of the Christian Constant restaurants, more on the casual side with grade A food. Everything was delicious and the bar was quite vibrant — great spot to meet people and have a lovely conversation.
- Recommend the squid risotto, poached egg, caesar salad (comes with tons of chicken so could be filling), waffle
- Le Pont de Yunnan 滋味云南 (3/3)
- My Chinese go-to in Paris — it’s always hard to find good Yunnan food and this spot just scratched the itch.
- My favorite part — delivers to most addresses in the city ;)
- Muqam 木卡姆新疆餐厅 (3/3)
- Xinjiang cuisine / Uyghur cuisine; another cuisine that’s hard to come across. Very casual and more on the hole-in-a-wall end, so you know the food kicks ass.
- Recommend 大盘鸡
- La Comptoir de la Gastronomie (3/3)
- A must-visit for me and one of my favorite restaurants in Paris. It’s all about that fois gras!
- Recommend pan seared fois gras and the ravioli; the duck breast is quite a big portion.
- Make a reservation to be safe — but it’s not impossible to do walk-in and the turnover is pretty fast.
- Le Cinq (2/3)
- 5-star service and experience. Michelin 3 star restaurant so $$$. Located in the Four Seasons hotel.
- Don’t get me wrong, if you are looking for something special and memorable, this is the place. I’m deducting a point because the tasting menu had too many desserts in my opinion (not crazy about chocolate and sweets). A la carte might be a better option.
- L’Escargot Montorgueil (2/3)
- Very historic restaurant with classy decor. As the name indicates, this restaurant has amazing escargot.
- I wasn’t too crazy about my veal chop; Ryan and Simon seem to be indifferent about the chicken. We did see a huge steak for two that looks like heaven and cardiac arrest mixed into one — maybe for next time.
- L’Atelier Etoile de Joël Robuchon (2/3)
- Michelin 1 star, decent food and wine selection. The butter and seafood dishes are quite memorable.
- It’s an underground restaurant so feels more like a dinner spot. We went during lunch, and the lighting almost put me to sleep,
- La Maison de la Truffe (1/3)
- This is probably not a fair score as I didn’t actually try the restaurant. We just grabbed some ice cream out front that’s quite good. Try the truffle.
- Le Relais de l’Entrecôte (1/3)
- Would I go there again? Unlikely.
- Should you go at least once? Probably.
- This place is like a fast food restaurant for French steak — they only have one item on the menu so all you need to answer is how you like your steak. Like any other fast food / diner vibe places, the service/atmosphere is not a forte, but to be fair the sauce on the steak is pretty good.
My to-try list
- Verjus came highly recommended through MJ. tasting menu, delicious and consistent.
- Ellsworth sister restaurant to Verjus but casual — great for brunch with a more vegetable forward menu. try the fried chicken.
- Septime crazy popular — need reservation a month out
- Clamato sister restaurant to Septime, highly recommended online but MJ was’t a huge fan. Seafood forward.
- Bistro Paul Bert Classic spot, bistro vibe, highly recommended. Slightly further out on 11th.
- Le Clown Bar Clown themed, casual
- Pink Mamma chic new restaurant, fantastic decor and great food — Italian. They don’t take reservation so go when it opens.
- Le Violon d’Ingres Christian Constant restaurant, more on the fine dining end of the house
- Constant Cafe Christian Constant restaurant as well, brasserie vibe
- Angelina tea and hot chocolate!
- Le Servan bistro, 11th art. classic french with an international/asian twist; good spot for lunch
- Shang Palace 香宫 inside Shang-rila, Michelin 1 star, Cantonese
- Lao Tseu Chinese restaurant
- Maison Dong Chinese
- Saveurs de Chengdu 巴黎老成都川菜馆 Chinese, Sichuan, Chengdu cuisine
- Chungking Express 重庆森林 Chinese, Sichuan, Chungking food
- Miznon Israeli, casual, grab and go pita sandwiches; lamb and cauliflower came recommended
- Aux Deux Amis late night bite, classic french bistro, always lively and packed
- Tour d’Argent ducks ducks ducks. must try the pressed duck. Michelin. unbelievable wine collection.
- Passage 53 Michelin. Fine dining but not stuffy.
- Truffes Folies
- La Fontaine Gaillon
- Le Baratin the anthony bourdain spot in Paris, popular with Parisian chefs
- Merci very chic coffee shop / bakery that makes for a good hangout spot
Drinks
From experience
- Le Dokhan’s Bar (2/3)
- Known for their champagne collection. Tasting was super fun and each champagne was well explained. Important note — it is almost an American/tourist only bar.
- 2018 October: I spent an hour being forced to listen to this Houston woman talk non-stop about their political views and first-class flights and how Americans should only pay for American childrens (and not immigrant’s). The cherry on top — she did this over live jazz — not entertained. However, half an hour later, the couple sitting in front of me, carrying stylish Loeffler Randall feather bag, and I had a good time venting and bonding ovet this woman. All in all it was a successful night.
- Moonshine (3/3)
- Amazing speakeasy through the cooler of a pizzaria with world-class drinks and
friendly staff. I was in love with La Belle Arnaque, and the beautiful bartender Zoe. :) It can get relatively crowded so come early.
- 2018 October: Entrusted as a courier, I performed my duty well ;)
- Golden Promise (3/3)
- Looking for a quick stop after dinner and stumbled upon this super chic whisk(e)y place with 1000+ bottles that opened in 2018.
- This bar is decorated with a purpose and great style — perfect place for smaller groups or dates. It’s a place to impress.
- The tasting menu is on point — wide selection, very global — to be fair I didn’t like all the drinks on my flight, but that’s kind of the purpose of tastings :)
- They are very whiskey focused — neat or in a cocktail, perhaps not the best spot if your friends doesn’t drink whiskey/cocktails.
- Bar Kléber (3/3)
- Hotel bar is one of my vices, and Bar Kléber came to slay. The bar is located inside the Peninsula and decorated in Oriental style — even the bitters rack is inspired by Chinese teapot shelves!
- Decent selection of drinks/snacks. The olives in my drink came on a peacock feather, echoing the peacock paintings on the wall.
- During my 2018 November visit, the guy sitting next to me at the bar started harassing me and tried to touch my arm. The bartender, Florian, immediately came to my aid along with security staff; they handled the situation professionally and smoothly. To be honest, it’s my very first time being rescued by bar staff in these situations and it felt so heartwarming. The boys were so observant and protective :) Thank you all — especially to Florian. Tip him extra if you stop by!
- Experimental Cocktail Club (2/3)
- One of the popular cocktail spots in the city — I thought it was a little too loud and busy for my taste, but definitely a perfect spot with crafted drinks for smaller groups.
- 2018 October: I hung out with a Korean professor for the night who’s in town for conference, and an expert on food and cocktail bars around the world. I came out with my Google maps fully marked for to-dos :)
My to-try list
- Le Syndicat Craft cocktail as well, create cocktails using exclusively French ingredients.
- Little Red Door Craft cocktail, intimate setting. Must try ‘achievement’, ‘stimulation’ or ‘hedonism’.
- Candelaria Agave focused bar – very international.
- Bar Hemingway in Ritz, world famous, shrine to Hemingway
- Le Très Particulier hotel bar in Montmartre, chic, classy
- Bisou cocktails, no menu,
- Monsieur Antoine craft cocktail
- Danico cocktail
- Bluebird
- Fréquence vinyl themed
- Le Lavomatic Classic speakeasy behind a laundermat
- La Mezcaleriahidden behind hotel 1k’s peruvian restaurant; mexican and mezcal for the win
- Castor Club speakeasy vibe but usually busy
- La Commune same team that built Syndicat
- L’Entrée des Artistes Pigalle art, drinks, jazz, dance, opens late for dancing
- La Fine Mousse fine beer selection from across europe with live jazz
- Paname Brewing Company artisanal beer, water view
- Les Trois 8 great beer rotation on tap
Destinations
From experience
My to-try list
- Shopping
- Charvet Ties ties ties!
- Hermès Address: 17 Rue de Sèvres, 75006 Paris, France; Apparently this store has fantastic decor and architecture.
Art & Architecture
From experience
My to-try list
Lodging
From experience
- Le Dokhan’s, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Paris (3/3)
- Amazing elevator and champagne bar
- Le Metropolitan, A Tribute Collection (2/3)
- This boutique hotel is right by Trocadéro Plaza but off-set just enough for lighter foot traffics. The design is very modern but rooms are a bit too small by my standards.
- You can see the Eiffel Tower from the balcony if you are on a higher floor — but “just the tip” —- cc Ryan ;)
My to-try list
- Hôtel Plaza Athénée just one of the most beautiful hotels ever.
- The Peninsula Paris the Kléber bar is a good motivator, apparently during summer the rooftop bar opens with spectacular views
- Four Seasons Paris great food in the building and I like the courtyard in the middle — nice and secluded for open air