So you finally arrive in Paris and cannot wait to try all the fabulous food and wine you have heard so much about. But did you make lunch and dinner reservations?

Many of the most sought-after dining venues in Paris require reservations for lunch and dinner, with reservations opening at various intervals in advance, so remembering and navigating the planning can take a fair bit of effort. Not only does it require jenga-like planning skills to negotiate which days of the week restaurants might be closed, but most of the popular restaurants also require credit card guarantees in case of late cancellations or no-shows. While these restaurants do not charge your card in advance, be serious about your reservations, as you may find yourself paying a hefty fee for canceling less than 24 hours in advance.

The first section of restaurant recommendations is for those with enough advance notice to make reservations before they are all snapped up at these top Parisian dining establishments. The second set of recommendations are great options that are generally walk-in only, so allow for more flexibility in terms of daily plans (or a backup option if you find yourself in Paris with no reservations).

For the purposes of this list, restaurants noted with € can run around €75 per person for food and beverages, €€ tend to be around €150 per person for food and beverage, and €€€ around €200+ per person.

Top Restaurants – Reservations Required

Septime

Address: 80 Rue de Charonne, 75011 Paris, France

Dining Style: Tasting Menu

Closed: Saturday – Sunday

Cost: €€

Reservations: Reservations open three weeks to the day at 10:00 am local Paris time via their website. As soon as reservations populate, do not waffle regarding reservation time. Even a five-second delay means someone else could snatch up that reservation, and you are out of luck. The lunch and dinner reservations sometimes go live a few minutes apart, so keep refreshing the page just in case.

Notes: If you can get reservations at this one Michelin-star restaurant, just go, no questions asked. The food is excellent, has great service, and is remarkably unpretentious even after all these years.

L’Ami Jean

Address: 27 Rue Malar, 75007 Paris, France

Dining Style: À la Carte

Closed: Sunday – Monday

Cost: €€

Reservations: Reservations are essential and can be made months in advance via their website.

Notes: Everything you would imagine from a French bistrot, whether it be loud calls from the kitchen, families and friends meeting for long meals, or locals enjoying glasses of wine out in front of the restaurant. Cramped and full of charm, with elevated takes on traditional French dining.

Maison (Sota)

Address: 3 Rue Saint-Hubert, 75011 Paris, France

Dining Style: Tasting Menu

Closed: Monday – Tuesday

Cost: €€€

Reservations: Reservations are required and open one month in advance via their website.

Notes: With so many things named Maison in Paris, it is best to throw Sota after to quickly get to their website or Google location. Weekday lunches are a more abbreviated tasting, while dinner and Sunday lunch is a multi-hour, fabulous dining experience. The menu is based on classic French ingredients from the highest level of producers, yet with an elevated, thoughtful flair. The wine list is phenomenal and eclectic, so enjoy perusing.

Parcelles

Address: 13 Rue Chapon, 75003 Paris, France

Dining Style: À la Carte

Closed: Saturday – Sunday

Cost: €€

Reservations: Reservations are essential and open via their website one month in advance for lunch and two weeks in advance for dinner.

Notes: Another must-visit in terms of upscale, top-notch French bistrots. They use quality ingredients on a seasonal rotation (as expected) and do everything very, very, very well—yet another fantastic wine list.

Auberge Nicolas Flamel

Address: 51 Rue de Montmorency, 75003 Paris, France

Dining Style: Tasting Menu/Prix Fixe

Closed: Sunday – Monday

Cost: €€

Reservations: Reservations can be made months in advance via their website.

Notes: Yes, that Nicolas Flamel, in case you were wondering (but no Philosopher’s Stone to be found). With a new chef at the helm, this restaurant, situated in one of the oldest buildings in Paris (dating back to 1407), is a definite must-visit just for its fabulous cuisine alone.

Bistrot Paul Bert

Address: 18 Rue Paul Bert, 75011 Paris, France

Dining Style: À la Carte

Closed: Sunday – Monday

Cost: €

Reservations: Reservations are a must and open three weeks in advance, by phone only. Best to work with a hotel concierge to secure.

Notes: A very enjoyable, bustling French bistrot with locals and tourists alike. Menu discreetly rotates based on seasonality (not so much as farm to table, but certainly more than many standard bistrots). If you cannot secure a reservation, they now have a hip wine bar next door called La Cave Paul Bert that rotates out local chefs and their own menus (but do not expect those offerings to mimic the bistrot).

Great Restaurants – Without Reservations

Le Petit Vendôme – while the bistrot itself does require reservations for peak dining times, they have a window service area where you can walk up and order their fabulous sandwiches (the most well-known of which is the standard jambon beurre).

Breizh Café – a wonderful sit-down creperie with multiple outlets across the city.

Huitrerie Régis – if in the mood for fresh seafood and oysters, head to Saint Germain des Prés for this institution.

Clamato – for those who did not wake up at 4:00 am to secure reservations at Septime, the seafood-based sister restaurant Clamato is walk-in only.

Bouillon Pigalle – this well-known spot does not accept reservations, so anyone and everyone who wants to dine must line up outside—classic, well-priced French fare.

Café du Coin – a great, no-frills French bistrot to people watch while enjoying good food and company.

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