Dining in Paris: The Best Sunday Spots

The Michelin three-star Le Cinq inside the Four Seasons George V hotel, a brisk walk from the Champs-Elysées, is open seven days a week. Chef Christian Le Squer’s onion soup is a molecular work of art— hollowed-out whole onions are filled with bouillon—and sea bass is bathed in buttermilk and caviar. The givré laitier presents a strong argument for yeast as a dominant flavor in dessert. Don’t miss the after-dinner cart filled with small sweets that include caramels from the much-loved Jacques Genin chocolate and pastry shop in the Marais. 31 Ave. Georges V; 33-1/49-52-71-54; restaurant-lecinq.com.

To start the day with brunch, reserve a table at this casual offshoot of Verjus, the hard-to-book restaurant owned by Americans Braden Perkins and Laura Adrian, near the Palais-Royal. Dishes like the buckwheat waffle topped with foie gras combine breakfast traditions from France and the U.S. 34 Rue de Richelieu; 33-1/42-60-59-66; ellsworthparis.com.

The clubby bistro (think dark wood walls and red-and-white-checkered curtains) near the Square du Temple is open for lunch and dinner. The roast chicken comes with a heap of frites; other favorites are the beef and the pâté de fois gras. Reservations are required and notoriously difficult to get, so the best bet is to go through a hotel concierge. 32 Rue du Vertbois; 33-1/48-87-77-48; chez-l-ami-louis.zenchef.com.

Though Frenchie is closed on weekends, Sunday dinner at the no-reservations wine bar from chef-owner Gregory Marchand is filled with food-industry types who go for homemade tortellini with sheep’s-milk ricotta and peas and Paris’s most international wine list. 6 Rue de Nil; 33-1/40-39-96-19; frenchie-restaurant.com.

In the St.-Germain-des-Prés quarter, the bar from the team behind the popular Fish La Boissonnerie bistro serves wines by the glass and tapas that change daily, including terrines, charcuterie, and grilled fish. The restaurant is walk-in only, but request a stool facing the open kitchen to watch the chefs. 54 Rue de Seine; 33-1/43-54-34-50. 

In the Marais, these masters turn out crepes and galettes using only organic ingredients. For lunch, order the savory, classic complète crepe with ham, cheese, and a farmhouse egg or the smoked herring galette with cream and St.-Malo potatoes. Dessert includes crepes with bananas drizzled with chocolate. 109 Rue Vieille du Temple; 33-1/42-72-13-77; breizhcafe.com.

Start the morning with a kouign-amann at Blé Sucré (7 Rue Antoine Vollon; 33-1/43-40-77-73), a ten-minute walk from Opéra Bastille. The patisserie is helmed by Fabrice Le Bourdat, a former pastry chef at Le Bristol hotel’s Michelin three-star restaurant. In the evening, at Huîtrerie Régis (3 Rue de Montfaucon; 33-1/44-41-10-07; huitrerie-regis.com), in the Sixth Arrondissement, order a platter of raw oysters from southwestern France. Or book a table nearby at Semilla (54 Rue de Seine; 33-1/43-54-34-50; semillaparis.com) for a proper French dinner by chef Eric Trochon.