The Beautiful Paris Restaurants Beloved By 5 Stylish Tastemakers
Paris is a feast for the eyes and the tastebuds, with an abundance of world-renowned restaurants and lesser-known foodie gems. Here, KATIE BERRINGTON asks five insiders to share where they love to eat in the City of Light
Sylvie Mus, stylist
“Brasserie l’Emil at Château Voltaire is my go-to neighborhood restaurant. The atmosphere is the best if you’re seated by the bar, where it’s most lively. My favorite dish is the salmon, and they also have great desserts. The décor is very beautiful, with stained glass and old wooden chairs. Another place I love is Pépite, a tiny restaurant in the 11th arrondissement that’s not well known. It has a small seasonal menu – my favorite thing to order is the taramasalata with bread – and is a great place for drinks.”
Isabelle Dubern-Mallevays, co-founder of The Invisible Collection
“I have a weakness for Caviar Kaspia, at Place de la Madeleine. At lunchtime, it’s perfect for a cool business meeting. The extreme friendliness of the staff, whether you are a regular or not, is wonderful. In the evening, it’s always elegant, with a fun atmosphere – the place to be during fashion weeks. (Caviar Kaspia has an outpost in London, too, an intimate place in a former chess club, with fabulous interior design by Oitoemponto.)
“I also love Jaïs – it’s one of my favorite addresses in Paris to take friends who are visiting from abroad, or for a family dinner. It’s a cool, lively restaurant with a great wine list, which includes some great biodynamic varieties.”
Anissa Kermiche, jewelry and ceramics designer
“Choosing just one restaurant in Paris is practically impossible, but the one that holds a special spot in my heart since I left for London 10 years ago is Chez Omar. Its location is the most convenient for culture vultures and compulsive shoppers, as it is in the best part of La Marais. This area also houses some of the most iconic museums, such as the Centre Pompidou and the Musée National Picasso-Paris – plus some of the city’s best vintage boutiques, too.
“The restaurant is located on rue de Bretagne, just next to the Marché des Enfants Rouges, which is the cutest, tiniest food market and boasts a diverse mix of gorgeous street food, à la Parisienne, ranging from top-quality oysters to Creole food – plus excellent cheese and wine shops. Chez Omar is a marvelous bistro that opened in the 1970s, serving Moroccan food alongside a traditional French menu du jour, featuring dishes such as steak frites. But I go exclusively for the mouthwatering Couscous Royal: couscous in a spicy vegetable broth with lamb shoulder, meatballs, spicy lamb sausage and chicken. North African food is sadly underrepresented in London, and I grew up eating couscous and learning about its different variations – from Algeria (where my famiIy comes from) and Morocco.
“The kitchen looks like it’s straight out of a Wes Anderson film, and the waiters have been there forever. Catch them on a good day and they will tell you more about the history of the place. We often exchange a few words in Arabic when I stop there solo for a last-minute couscous before I catch the train back to London.
“Couscous Royal takes half a day to prepare – whenever I have friends visiting me in Paris, I take great pride in bringing them to Chez Omar so they can discover a dish that is perfectly executed (my mom would be upset if she read this, but I am afraid it is even better than hers!).”
Chloé Harrouche, founder of Loulou Studio
“Le Voltaire does authentic French cuisine served in an elegant yet familial atmosphere. I come back for the sole meunière with its side of French fries. I also recommend Chez Georges, which has fine-tuned all the French classics on its extensive menu and has a tasteful décor that is reminiscent of a typically chic bistro setting. I can thoroughly recommend the pavés du Mail steak in a mustard cream sauce.
“Racines feels like a jewel hidden in the Passage des Panoramas, not very far from my office. It’s warm and cozy, serving Italian comfort food. It’s great for lunch meetings but also for an intimate date night, huddled over a small candlelit table, sharing ravioli and ragù. I also love Carboni’s, and Cibus on rue Molière (and, yes, I have a pasta fixation).
“Whenever I have a sushi craving, I go to Takara to get my fix. For udon noodles, I go to Kunitoraya. And if I want total Japanese immersion, I head to Ogata.
“I like to cultivate personal traditions, and when I want to celebrate good news, I go to Le Duc and feast on its fresh and decadent seafood offerings. For me, it remains the best restaurant in Paris, if not beyond.”
Lauren Rubinski, jewelry designer
“I can say without hesitation that Le Stresa restaurant is my absolute favorite in the city. I have been coming to this special place since I was 17, and I even rented it for my wedding dinner. I love to sit on the terrace, whatever the weather. I take a table for two with my husband and order the artichoke carpaccio, the truffle pizza and some delicious Alain Delon pasta. Then, for dessert, I’ll have a tiramisu (one of the best in the world). I have known the owners for a while and they always make me something special. This place has so much history. I love the idea of dining in a place where people know about good produce and the concept of making love through food. So this place will forever be my favorite restaurant in Paris.”