Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [174]
MAISON PRUNIER Map French €€€
01 44 17 35 85; www.prunier.com; 16 av Victor Hugo, 16e; starters €15-49, mains €29-69, menu €59 (lunch only); lunch Tue-Sat, dinner to 11pm Mon-Sat; Charles de Gaulle-Étoile
A venerable restaurant founded in 1925, Prunier is as famed for its Art Deco interior as for its own brand of caviar, fish and seafood dishes and dozens of vodkas. Definitely a place for celebrations and the experience of it all; a menu caviar will set you back €155.
LE CRISTAL ROOM Map French €€€
01 40 22 11 10; www.baccarat.com; 11 place des États-Unis, 16e; mains €25-43, menus €59 (lunch only) & €92; lunch & dinner to 10pm Mon-Sat; Iéna
Located on the first floor of the Galerie-Musée Baccarat, this stunner of a venue features interiors conceived by the over-employed Philippe Starck: mirrors, crystal and even a black chandelier. The menu by Thierry Burlot is excellent but expensive. Note that you will need to book well in advance.
LES OMBRES Map French €€€
01 47 53 68 00; www.lesombres-restaurant.com; 27 quai Branly, 7e; starters €21-23, mains €33-36; menus €38 (lunch only) & €95; lunch & dinner to 10.30pm Sun-Thu, to 11pm Fri & Sat; Pont de l’Alma or Alma-Marceau
Paris not only gained a new museum in the Musée du Quai Branly but also this glass-enclosed rooftop restaurant on the museum’s 5th floor. Named ‘The Shadows’ for the patterns cast by the Eiffel Tower’s webbed ironwork, the dramatic views are complemented by Arnaud Busquet’s elegant creations, such as pan-seared tuna with sesame seeds and onion rings, or lamb with zucchini ravioli and gingerbread.
CAFÉ DE L’HOMME Map International €€€
01 44 05 30 15; www.restaurant-cafedelhomme.com; 17 place du Trocadéro, 16e; starters €15-24, mains €18-35; lunch & dinner to 11.30pm daily; George V
You probably wouldn’t cross town for the food at the Café de L’Homme, the new restaurant sharing the same wing of the Palais de Chaillot as the Musée de l’Homme and the Musée de la Marine; it’s overpriced and designed for the beautiful people who are flocking here at the moment. But you would travel for the view; virtually any spot at any table is a front-row seat before the Eiffel Tower. This is why you came to Paris.
LA CANTINE RUSSE Map Russian €€€
01 47 20 56 12; 26 av de New York, 16e; starters €8.90-23, mains €15.50-24.90, menus €15 & €25; lunch & dinner to midnight Mon-Sat; Alma Marceau
Established for the overwhelmingly Russian students at the prestigious Conservatoire Rachmaninov in 1923, this ‘canteen’ is still going strong more than eight decades later. At communal tables you can savour herrings served with blinis, aubergine ‘caviar’, chicken Kiev, beef Stroganov, chachliks (marinated lamb kebabs) and, to complete the tableau, vatrouchka (cream cheese cake).
LE PETIT RÉTRO Map French €€
01 44 05 06 05; www.petitretro.fr; 5 rue Mesnil, 16e; starters €7-16, mains €15-22, menus €21.90 & €24.90 (lunch only), €29.50 & €34.50; lunch & dinner to 10.30pm Mon-Fri; Victor Hugo
From the gorgeous ‘Petit Rétro’ emblazoned on the zinc bar to the Art Nouveau folk tiles, this is a handsome space and one that serves up hearty dishes year-round. With dishes such as rognons de veau poêles (potted veal kidneys) and choucroute maison as house specials, it’s hearty, heart-warming stuff. They’ve expanded in recent years, making the seating less cramped.
LA CHAUMIÈRE EN CHINE Map Chinese €€
01 47 20 85 56; 26 av Pierre 1er de Serbie, 16e; starters €6.50-9, mains €8-18, menus lunch €12, dinner €17 & €22; lunch & dinner to 10.30pm Mon-Sat; Alma Marceau
Parisians in the know would warn you against eating in ethnic restaurants outside ethnic quartiers, but the Chinese embassy just down the road from this place makes it a notable exception to that rule. The largely Chinese clientele favour the crevettes au sel de cinq parfums (prawns in five spice salt), the canard aux champignons noirs (duck with black mushrooms) and the dim sum.
RESTAURANT