Paris Dining Rooms Designed by French Architects
In Paris, the dining room can be as closely authored as the menu. These restaurants show French architects and interior designers working with marble, lacquer, textiles and historic fabric to shape how a meal unfolds.
Le Grand Café
Grand Palais, 8th Arrondissement
- A contemporary brasserie designed by Joseph Dirand within the restored Grand Palais.
- A forest of low table lamps brings intimacy to the monumental Beaux-Arts volume, while acoustics keep conversation comfortable.
- The room feels modern without competing with the building it inhabits, a rare exercise in architectural restraint.
Great for:
Design pilgrimages, elegant lunches.
What to order
Order: Tomato tart and salmon with sorrel.
Pro-Tip
Book lunch to see Dirand’s low lighting against the daylight of the glass nave.
FANTASTIQUE
Monsieur Bleu
Palais de Tokyo, 16th Arrondissement
- A Joseph Dirand interior pairing monumental columns with green marble, velvet and views towards the Eiffel Tower.
- The geometry is disciplined rather than decorative, using scale and material to hold a very large room together.
- Early evening reveals the architecture before the dining room becomes louder and more social.
Great for:
River views, polished dinners.
What to order
Order: Sea bass carpaccio and the house fish or veal.
Pro-Tip
Sit inside by the windows, where the view and Dirand interior meet.
Girafe
Cité de l’Architecture, 16th Arrondissement
- A 1930s-inflected seafood restaurant by Joseph Dirand inside the Palais de Chaillot.
- Cream stone, rounded banquettes and brass details echo the building’s interwar architecture without reproducing it literally.
- The Eiffel Tower view is striking, but the finely proportioned interior rewards attention in its own right.
Great for:
Seafood lunches, Eiffel views.
What to order
Order: Crudo followed by grilled whole fish.
Pro-Tip
Arrive before sunset, when the cream stone reads most clearly.
Loulou
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, 1st Arrondissement
- A Joseph Dirand-designed restaurant bringing pale stone, soft curves and Italian references to the Louvre’s western wing.
- Custom furniture and generous spacing create the ease of a private residence rather than a museum café.
- The Tuileries terrace is beautiful, yet the interior carries the clearest expression of the designer’s hand.
Great for:
Museum lunches, Tuileries walks.
What to order
Order: Vitello tonnato and truffle pizza.
Pro-Tip
Have lunch indoors, then move to the Tuileries for coffee.
Lapérouse
Quai des Grands Augustins, 6th Arrondissement
- A historic restaurant restored by Laura Gonzalez with Cordelia de Castellane and specialist French craftspeople.
- Private salons retain scratched mirrors, painted panels and layered textiles rather than being polished into anonymity.
- Moving through the corridors feels closer to entering a private hôtel particulier than a conventional restaurant.
Great for:
Romantic suppers, historic salons.
What to order
Order: Sole or lobster, with a classic soufflé to finish.
Pro-Tip
Match the private salon to your party size, as each room has its own history.
Beefbar Paris
Rue Marbeuf, 8th Arrondissement
- A Humbert & Poyet project set inside a restored 1898 Art Nouveau dining room.
- The designers balance botanical ceramics and original curves with cleaner contemporary furniture and lighting.
- The room is visually rich but organised, making the protected interior legible rather than museum-like.
Great for:
Ceramic interiors, celebratory dinners.
What to order
Order: A sharing cut with the mashed potato.
Pro-Tip
Arrive early enough to study the protected ceramic walls before service fills.
Kong
Rue du Pont Neuf, 1st Arrondissement
- A Philippe Starck dining room beneath a glass dome above the former Samaritaine offices.
- Lucite seating, graphic carpet and Japanese references capture the exuberance of early-2000s Paris design.
- The high-level river view and cinematic interior make it a useful study in a more theatrical French design language.
Great for:
Starck interiors, lively dinners.
What to order
Order: Tuna tataki and black cod.
Pro-Tip
Book the upper glass-roof room, as downstairs misses Starck’s defining gesture.
Mimosa
Hôtel de la Marine, 1st Arrondissement
- A Dorothée Delaye-designed Riviera restaurant inside the restored Hôtel de la Marine.
- Ochre plaster, striped fabrics and framed ceramics soften the formal eighteenth-century setting.
- The room carries holiday warmth even in winter, without slipping into a literal seaside theme.
Great for:
Courtyard lunches, heritage visits.
What to order
Order: Egg mimosa and grilled fish.
Pro-Tip
Choose the covered courtyard at lunch, when its colour palette is clearest.
Last updated: 10/11/2026
