Where Paris’s Top Chefs Eat

By Sara Lieberman • Photos By: Joann Pai • April 2, 2019

Where Paris’s Top Chefs Eat

By Sara Lieberman • Photos By: Joann Pai • April 2, 2019

These spots are tried, tested and adored by some of the city’s top tastemakers on the hunt for everything from onion soup to Sichuan-style aubergines.

Paris is one of the world’s most storied food capitals. But its story is changing of late: A growing group of young, internationally-minded chefs are helping change the face (and flavors) of French cooking. Dining out in the City of Light now is as much about Asian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavors as it is about the five mother sauces.

Here, we asked five of these literal taste-makers to share some of their own favorite spots to eat out when not standing on the hotline cooking for the rest of us. Their picks suggest that even the new guard of French cuisine appreciates tradition.

Edward Delling-Williams

Chef and Co-owner, Le Grand Bain

British chef Edward Delling-Williams developed a love for “fast-paced long days and being part of a team of misfits” in Bristol, where he got his start in the kitchen of a family-run pub. Eventually, he moved to London to work at St. John and then Paris to fire things up at Au Passage in the 11th arrondissement. Today, with fellow Au Passage alum Edouard Lax, he runs Le Grand Bain (and the bakery Le Petit Grain), where he sends out small plates with big flavors adored by both vegetable-lovers and carnivores. While he’s lived in Paris for eight years, he admits to occasionally yearning for London’s Brick Lane Bagel and Wembley’s Indian restaurants.

Where he eats

“Le Baratin epitomizes the classic, old-school Parisian bistro. It’s deemed as something of a local secret, yet attracts food and wine fans from all over, including Parisian chefs and well-informed tourists. Raquel Carena draws from her native Argentina to create inspiring and unusual dishes featuring seasonal ingredients that inspire a daily-changing menu.”

“Deux Fois Plus de Piment has been a real chef spot for many years now. The French palate is not accustomed to spicy food and so many restaurants tone it down. Deux, however, doesn’t hold back. It’s Sichuan Chinese with a heat measuring system that ranges from one to five—five being incredibly hot and three being an excellent choice. A word of advice, start at two and take it from there! The aubergine dish is a definite highlight.”

Tatiana Levha

Chef and Co-Owner, Le Servan, Double Dragon, and Café Panache

As one half of Paris’s most-talked about culinary duo (sister Katia handles wine and front-of-house duties), chef Tatiana Levha—raised in France with roots in the Philippines—traded a degree in English literature for a career in cooking. She trained with heavyweights like Alain Passard, and imbues her dishes—at Le Servan, Double Dragon, and Café Panache—with Filipino and French tastes, including Fine de Claire oysters, a Parisian favorite, with lemon, cilantro and rice powder. What she appreciates most about Paris is its diverse selection of products. Living in the 11th makes it an easy commute to two of her restaurants, but she’ll leave the neighborhood on occasion—especially for coffee. “I drink espresso at Ten Belles—no sugar, no milk!” she says.

Where she eats

“I love a late snack like ceviche or oysters at Clamato. Then I order a ‘clamatarte,’ their delicious maple syrup and whipped cream tart. Last order at 11pm, though!”

“For lunch, I love the beef noodle soup and the coriander salad at Le Dauphin. Or a delicious chicken pot au feu sandwich at Chez Aline,” where the traditional stew is served inside a crisp baguette.

Simone Tondo

Chef, Racines

Over a decade in Paris has taught Sardinian chef Simone Tondo, of Michelin-starred Racines in the Passage des Panoramas, to appreciate simple things like French bread and pastry. “We don’t do it so well in Italy,” he says, explaining his regular run to Blé Sucre bakery for the brioche au framboise. (“If you like sugar, it’s amazing!”) Prior to Racines, where dishes include tagliatelle sauced up with capers and ragu, he’d opened the popular Roseval in the 20th Arrondissement with British chef Michael Greenwold, and, after that, Tondo.

Where he eats

“Le Bougainville is a bistro near Galerie Vivienne with classics like frites and steak au poivre. It’s very simple, but the space is amazing. I go for Saturday lunch.”

“I don’t like baguette sandwiches—they’re too hard! But they make great sandwiches at Chez Aline on soft round rolls. I get the Milanese with the gribiche sauce made from vinegar, parsley and eggs. They’re only open for lunch and it gets crowded, so you have to go early—midday or just after.”

Peter Orr

Chef, Robert

Originally from Adelaide, Peter Orr has been living abroad for 13 years and cooking in Paris for just over five. He now runs the kitchen at Robert in the 11th arrondissement—a stone’s throw from where he lives. Lunch and dinner service include the likes of cauliflower purée topped with scallops and roasted lamb leg with olives and anchovies. He cops to missing the “good food, good beer and good vibes” of Aussie gastropubs, but he does love Paris’s markets: “You can get the most amazing fresh produce or just sit back and watch it all happen—especially over oysters and wine at Le Baron Rouge near Marché d’Aligre,” he says. “It’s such a lovely way to spend a day off.”

Where he eats

“Le Grand Bol is a favorite, as well as Aux Mandarins de Belleville. Both are cheap, cheerful, and tasty—although, most of the places in Belleville are good! [Finding a restaurant with] all-day service is a must because I don’t eat at normal hours. I love the pickled green beans with minced pork at Le Grand Bol. And lots of rice! At Aux Mandarins, it’s all about the chicken wing skewers.”

Dan Yosha

Chef, Balagan

When chef and restaurateur Assaf Granit tapped Dan Yosha to head his team at Balagan, the young chef joked: “But I’m not a chef yet! I’m a very good dishwasher!” Granit had faith in this young Israeli-born talent, and now he’s cooking his Mediterranean and Middle Eastern-influenced dishes for legends. “It was a dream just eating in Paris, and now I’m feeding Eric Frechon and Alain Passard and all of the guys I’ve learned about. It’s a huge, huge honor,” says the chef. Living in Paris has its perks—foie gras chief among them. “It’s all about that fatty freshness!” he says.

Where he eats

“There are rumors about the French service, that it’s so strict and old-fashioned, but Aux Deux Amies is the old-fashioned that I love. The owner is serving you the wine and the food, and everyone is a friend. Half of the meal you are mingling and half you are sitting down. It’s incredible.”

“Le Tambour is the place where all the guys go after service. Everyone’s super tired, but it’s one of the only places open at 2am. It’s classic French food like escargots and onion soup, which I order all the time. It’s like with Italian cuisine—when you order the pomodoro pasta and know that if it’s good, everything else will be. If the onion soup is good, the rest will be, too.”

Details

Le Baratin: 3 Rue Jouye-Rouve; +33 43-49-39-70

Deux Fois Plus de Piment: 33 Rue Saint-Sébastien; +33 58-30-99-35

Clamato: 80 Rue de Charonne; +33 43-72-74-53

Le Dauphin: 131 Avenue Parmentier; +33 55-28-78-88

Chez Aline: 85 Rue de la Roquette; +33 43-71-90-75

Le Bougainville: 5 Rue de la Banque; +33 42-60-05-19

Le Baron Rouge: Rue Théophile Roussel; +33 43-43-14-32

Le Grand Bol: 7 Rue de la Présentation; +33 77-16-89-91

Aux Mandarins de Belleville: 12 Rue Jules Romains; +33 42-38-80-16

Aux Deux Amies: 45 Rue Oberkampf; +33 58-30-38-13

Le Tambour: 8 Rue de la Jussienne; +33 42-33-06-90

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Written By: Sara Lieberman

4.2.19

Locations: Paris

See more: Food & Drink

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