The 10 Most Affordable Michelin Restaurants In Paris

Wine is truly front and center at Il Vino. Diners order by the glass from a list of 1,500 references and the chefs prepare dishes to pair perfectly with their choices. This innovative dining style guarantees a balanced, seasonal, and authentic experience every time. Enrico Bernardo – who at 27 became the youngest ever Best Sommelier in the World in 2004 having previously held the titles for Europe, Italy, and Lombardy – opened Il Vino back in 2007. Its success has led to a stylish bar in Saint-Germain-des-Prés and a second restaurant, Goust, by the Place Vendôme.

David Bottreau took over Les Fables de la Fontaine from his mentor Christian Constant in 2005. Since then, he has brought in the young and talented Julia Sedefdjian as head chef and had architect Luis Aleluia completely redesign the place, creating lightness out of wood, natural stone, and wrought iron. The seafood dishes on offer – like baked haddock with crisp egg yolk and leeks with algae vinaigrette – are rediscovered classics from the kitchens of Nice and elsewhere on the French Riviera. The weekday lunch menu at €25 is sensational and the Menu Carte Blanche at €70 is worth every penny.

Septime is the place to be (and be seen) on the Rue de Charonne. As such, getting a reservation, even for lunch, can be a challenge. But one well worth taking on as the food more than merits the buzz around the restaurant; it’s fresh, modern, and well-presented. Standout dishes include the raw venison with tarragon and Kalamata olives, whiting with endives and orange butter, and, for dessert, quince and verbena crumble. The three-course menu will set you back only €32 and, at €60, the full, six-course tasting menu is a steal at any time of day or night.

There’s a lot of history at Benoit. Opened 1912, it remains the only Parisian bistro to feature in the Michelin Guide. For 93 years, it was owned by the Petit family who then passed it on to the Alain Ducasse team in 2005. The atmosphere is always warm and welcoming and the décor of red velvet and brass benches, carved glass panels and marble columns, and the famous bar give off an air of reassuring permanence. The classics of French cuisine can all be found here, tastefully and thoughtfully updated, and the €39 lunch menu is a particularly reasonable offering.

The balance of tradition and modernity at La Table d’Eugène is assured by the strict observance of seasonality. The menu is updated every ten days and is inspired by the exceptional herbs, vegetables, and animals grown and raised by the restaurant’s network of small producers. Head chef Geoffroy Maillard and sous-chef François Vaudeschamps together create complex and complimentary dishes that attest to the Alain Chapel quote that ‘cooking is much more than recipes’. The five-course tasting menu is a treat at €89 but if you can stretch to the eight-course option at €120 then go for it.

La Table du 11, an intimately-proportioned restaurant with an open kitchen and cosy atmosphere, opened on Versaille’s Rue Saint-Honoré in February 2015. Within a year, its young head chef and owner, Jean-Baptiste Lavergne-Morazzani, had won his first Michelin star. With over a decade’s experience working under Gordon Ramsay at the Trianon Palace, Yannick Alléno at Le Meurice, and Philippe Bélissent at Cobéa, Lavergne-Morazzani was well-placed to launch his first independent venture at just 25. The restaurant makes the perfect end (or middle) to a day trip visiting the Palace of Versailles.

La Truffière welcomed its new head chef, Christophe Poard, in February 2016. Before his arrival at this Parisian institution, he had worked in the celebrated kitchens of the Casino de Deauville, the three-starred Schwarzwaldstube restaurant in Antwerp, the Carlsbad Plaza in the Czech Republic, and the Château d’Hassonville in Belgium. Since his arrival, he has made his mark on the menu, adding to its reputation as a premier destination for lovers of wine (it has the second largest number of references in the city), seafood, and cheese. The restaurant’s four-course signature menu can be tasted for just a shade under €100.

Itinéraires is a little way removed from the hustle and bustle of Boulevard Saint-Germain, located on a road that connects with the riverfront and offers amazing views of the rear of Notre-Dame. The restaurant is small and well-run, with particularly attentive wait staff and a modern, youthful feel. The food is typically French, which isn’t to say lacking in freshness or creativity. The surprise menu, which comes with wine pairings chosen by the on-hand sommelier, is a great way to sample Sylvain Sendra’s innovative style and the €65 set menu is exceptionally good value.

The duo behind Saturne, Sven Chartier and Ewen Le Moigne, value simplicity and quality above all else. The products they use are all artisanal and organic, their menu reflects the best of what’s on offer on any given day, and their kitchen and the dishes prepared therein are without unnecessary pomp or artifice. The restaurant is particularly popular with the business crowd given its weekend closure. The three-course menu at €45 is excellent and try the €75 tasting menu for lunch or dinner if you have a little more of a budget to splash out.

Garance, located not too far from Les Invalides on the left bank, is the project of head chef Guillaume Iskandar and sommelier and director Guillaume Muller, who formerly worked alongside Alain Passard at his three-star Parisian restaurant, l‘Arpège. Together they have created a dining experience that is all about cool design, clean flavors, and the delights of an intelligently stocked cellar. If you aren’t drinking, lunch menus start at as little as €39 and dinner begins at €70.