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We've compiled the best of the best in Around the Louvre - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
A favorite with the French and expats alike, this neighborhood bistro blends great dining with an inspired wine list and a handy location a stone's throw from the Louvre. Exquisite French ingredients are given an inspired, often slightly lighter, makeover by chef Romain Roudeau, although hearty homemade terrines and foie gras as well as slow-cooked meat and game are frequently featured on the eclectic menu.
Since 1832, this restaurant has been a mainstay of the pedestrian rue Montorgueil, serving up all manner of French classics in a dining room replete with sumptuous imperial decor. Take a seat on a cozy red velvet banquette and feast on rich French onion soup or house-made duck confit. The eponymous snails are served not just with classic garlic butter but with four other flavors that change with the seasons; think Brie and walnut, curry, or even foie gras.
Set in the Galerie Vivienne, Paris's loveliest covered passage, this charmingly authentic 19th-century bistro feels both cozy and welcoming, and the food and drink are well above average. With all-day hours as well as a double terrace either inside Galerie Vivienne or on a picturesque street a few steps from the Palais Royal gardens, this is a satisfying spot for a quick coffee or glass of wine, a snack, or a full meal.
Don't let the chic, updated decor fool you: this tiny, reliable bistro hasn't sacrificed substance for style. The servers are friendly, the wine list is small but well curated, and the dining is first-rate, with a €48 three-course dinner menu (you can order à la carte, but it's less of a bargain) of original dishes marrying terroir-driven ingredients like Charolais beef or farm-raised chicken from the Landes with contemporary touches and pretty plating.
Jean-François Piège has breathed new life into A l'Epi d'Or, harking back to the 1920s, when Paris was filled with delightful classic bistros. The allure of the old-fashioned zinc bar, tiled floor, and dark wood tables invites you in; the mastery of authentic French cuisine begs you to stay. There are only a few à la carte options like croque monsieurs, steak frites, slow-cooked beef, and steak tartare. It's in the daily specials that the chef truly shines.
With its globe lamps, molded ceilings, and giant mirrors, this romantic neighborhood institution feels elegant yet not overpolished, attracting a wonderfully Parisian mix of elderly lone diners, business lunchers, tourists, couples, and the post-theater crowd, all of whom come for the enormous seafood platters, duck foie gras with Sauternes jelly, steak tartare, and roasted chicken rendered famous by Diane Keaton in Something's Gotta Give. Open every day, Le Grand Colbert is also a pleasant destination for a quick bite between 3 pm and 6 pm, when most everything else is closed and the restaurant offers a French-style teatime complete with a pastry.
With a reasonably priced set menu, this restaurant from the owners of Willi's Wine Bar is an ideal spot for a relaxed meal after visiting the Louvre. Natural light streams through the interior, and a broad, curved staircase leads to a spacious upstairs salon: the perfect place to enjoy the seasonally motivated menu.
