When fashion writer Natasha Fraser Cavassoni first mentioned its opening, she told me it was the meeting place for all the models and designers, and Natasha being the trendiest person I know in Paris, I believed her. But it still took me a little while to go and check La Belle Epoque, a lovely bistrot with a 1900 decor of tiled walls. And it has become my lunch place when I am near the Palais Royal.
The Carte is small and does not change often but the lunch menu is new every day and a fantastic deal. I was there this week and had red pepper and tuna to start, and a piece of rumsteak with chips and béarnaise and coffee for 51€ for two.
Customers come from the nearby Louvre offices and Bibliothèque nationale, but they are also neighbors such as Marie Christine Perreau Saussine, who runs a few literary prizes and has lunch with Marie Louise de Clermont Tonnerre, from Chanel. It used to be a mediocre cabaret and is well located on rue des Petits Champs (next to Passage Choiseul where Kenzo had his first boutique in 1972) between Opera and Palais Royal.
I love their « couteaux au chorizo » a dish of shellfish from Biarritz which owner Frank Maillot makes a point of always serving (it reminds him of his childhood) and I appreciate their no-nonsense food like onglet de veau or the lovely Sunday brunch for a reasonable price.
Last time I went for dinner I ran into old friend Bernard Danillon, who is in charge of special events for Dior, and had just returned from a spectacular fashion show at Blenheim palace. The ambiance is young and relaxed and gets trendy at night.
For this summer, it is a cool place to eat at, with its open windows on the street and lovely service. (36 rue des Petits Champs, 2ème)
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2 Comments on “La Belle Epoque, a great lunch place”
Looks and sounds delicious, merci pour le tip off, I look forward to checking it out when next in Paname
It sounds like the sort of Frennch restaurant that I love!
I will for sure try it in October, when I will come back to Paris (shooting season….)
Thanks for the tip
Pedro