Lunch In Paris
Loulou
- Italian-Mediterranean restaurant inside the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, occupying one of the most sought-after terraces in central Paris.
- Designed by Joseph Dirand, the interiors balance Parisian elegance with a lighter Riviera sensibility.
- The menu centres on seasonal Italian cooking, raw dishes, grilled fish and house-made pasta.
Great for:
Fashion lunches, Dates, Post-museum afternoons.
Order: Pizza Blanche, Aubergine Parmigiana, Vodka Pasta, Mille-Feuille to finish.
Reservations open exactly seven days ahead. Book on the morning they release or take what remains.
Café de l’Homme
- Modern French restaurant located within the Palais de Chaillot directly opposite the Eiffel Tower.
- Few dining rooms in Paris benefit from such a direct architectural alignment with one of the city’s defining landmarks.
- The kitchen focuses on contemporary French cuisine built around seasonal ingredients and regional producers.
- Large windows and expansive terraces ensure the setting remains a central part of the experience throughout the year.
Great for:
A first lunch in Paris with someone who has never seen it. A last lunch with someone who has seen all of it.
Order: Truffle-infused pasta, Sea bass fillet, Simmental beef fillet, Crystal sugar puffs to finish.
Choose the Eiffel or Diamond lunch experience for a guaranteed terrace position; à la carte terrace seating depends on availability and weather.
Gigi
- Italian restaurant above the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées inspired by the glamour and generosity of the Italian Riviera.
- The dining room and rooftop terrace feel deliberately transportive, filled with lemon trees, striped fabrics and references to la dolce vita.
- The menu is built around large-format Italian classics, designed for sharing rather than formal multi-course dining.
Great for:
Anniversaries, Group lunches, visitors looking for a dose of Italy in central Paris.
Order: Linguine alle vongole, Veal Milanese, Truffle pizza, Tarte au citron.
For midsummer sunset, book the last lunch slot at two-thirty and let it stretch. The corner table closest to the Seine is the one photographed for every magazine spread. Ask for it by name when booking.
Dumbo Pigalle
- Burger counter in South Pigalle specialising in smash burgers inspired by classic American diners.
- The menu remains intentionally short, allowing the kitchen to focus almost entirely on burgers, fries and a handful of sides.
- Beef patties are pressed thin on the grill to maximise caramelisation, creating the style that built the restaurant’s reputation.
Great for:
A quick bite, Casual Dinner, Walk-Ins.
Order: Classic cheeseburger, Double-fried fries. The vegetarian Earth Burger is genuinely better than it has any right to be.
The Marais counter is the only location where the burger arrives hot. Show up at eleven forty-five. The kitchen opens at noon and the queue is already forming.
Walk-ins only
Perruche
- Provençal restaurant occupying the rooftop of Printemps de l’Homme.
- Southern French cooking shapes the menu, from seafood and olive oil to citrus-led Riviera dishes.
- The terrace opens across the Paris skyline, remaining one of the city’s most established addresses for long, sun-filled lunches.
Great for:
Shopping days, Mediterranean cooking in central Paris.
Order: Pissaladière tart, Bluefin tuna tart, Chargrilled octopus, Tarte tropézienne.
Take the dedicated Perruche lift inside Printemps rather than navigating the department store floors. It saves considerable time, particularly at weekends.
Bambini
- Italian trattoria within Palais de Tokyo, one of Paris’s leading contemporary art institutions.
- The menu centres on antipasti, pasta and larger dishes designed for sharing.
- Large tables and an open dining room make the restaurant particularly well suited to groups and celebrations.
- The terrace overlooks the Seine and sits directly beside one of the city’s busiest cultural venues.
Great for:
Group lunches, birthdays that started as brunches, the Eiffel Tower view without Café de l'Homme's bill.
Order: Lemon linguine, tuna tartare, beef arancini, eggplant parmigiana. Spritz throughout.
Sister restaurant to Gigi and Perruche. If Bambini is full, a Paris Society host can usually place you at one of the others the same day. Useful during Fashion Week, when all three are under siege.
Di Vino
- A corner Italian on Place de Mexico with a wraparound terrace catching the Eiffel Tower straight down Avenue d’Eylau. The locals’ answer to the queues across the river.
- Lunch from noon to two-thirty, dinner to ten-thirty. Closed Sunday. A room that knows its regulars and prefers them.
Great for:
A quiet two-hour lunch within walking distance of Avenue Montaigne, without the Avenue Montaigne crowd.
Order: Risotto with black truffle and porcini, vitello tonnato, tiramisù Di Vino.
The terrace does not take reservations. Arrive at noon sharp for one of the three corner tables that catch the Tower square-on. Happy hour at the bar runs five until seven-thirty.
Carboni’s
- A Marais corner room with bare walls, buttery leather banquettes, tilted mirrors and candlelight after dark. Designed to be louder at night than at lunch, and it is.
- Italian fatta a mano: pasta rolled fresh every morning, dry-aged veal Milanese, artichokes with bottarga. No pizza. No compromises.
Great for:
A late lunch that drifts into cocktails downstairs without leaving the building.
Order: Cacio e pepe, artichokes with bottarga, veal Milanese, hazelnut tiramisù.
Reservations tighten weeks in advance. Bar seats at the front take walk-ins at noon. Downstairs, order the passionfruit Call Me By Your Name. It is the reason most people stay later than planned.
L’Avenue
- Jacques Garcia velvet inside, the Fashion Week scene outside. A classic French brasserie operating as couture’s canteen, and entirely at ease with that arrangement.
- The terrace is the show. The dining room is the alibi. Fashion editors at the front, fashion families inside.
Great for:
Fashion lunch, People-watching meal.
Order: Tuna tartare, burrata, matchstick frites, a glass of cold white. The order that has not changed in years and remains correct.
Avoid Fashion Week unless you are in it. The earliest sitting at noon is the only one with a fighting chance at a terrace table without a name already on it.
Book by phone: +33 1 40 70 14 91
Clamato
- Seafood-focused restaurant from the team behind Septime, located in the heart of the 11th arrondissement.
- The menu changes frequently according to market arrivals, with a strong emphasis on sustainably sourced fish, shellfish and seasonal produce.
- The room is compact, informal and centred around the day’s ingredients rather than a fixed repertoire of signature dishes.
Great for:
Seafood lovers, ingredient-driven meal.
Order: Whatever appears on the daily blackboard, particularly raw seafood, shellfish and larger fish dishes when available.
Arrive early. Clamato operates without reservations and the first tables of the day are usually the easiest to secure.
Walk-ins only
