Where to eat rice pudding?
Few ingredients, a taste of childhood: rice pudding seemed destined for the past. Now it's back on the shelves of creameries and on the menus of Parisian bistros and gourmet restaurants. Here's a selection of versions that are well worth the detour.
Halfway between tradition and a contemporary approach, our chefs are working to strike the right balance: less sugar, lighter textures, controlled rice cooking and demanding sourcing. Less demonstrative than other desserts, rice pudding is seductive in its precision. A return to favor that says something about the times: a quest for simplicity, without sacrificing high standards.
Les Petits Parisiens, Paris 14th
A stone's throw from Porte d'Orléans, this rather chic neighborhood bistro, run by Arnaud Duhem, has seen its cuisine evolve under the guidance of Lucas Felzine, while retaining its original codes. People come here for its high-level, reasonably priced cuisine, as well as for the fine wines selected by Loïc Mougène, an experienced sommelier. The rice pudding is just like the house: generous. The texture is firm, well-bound and justly sweet. Served with caramelized nuts and a homemade salted butter caramel, it fully assumes its regressive register. The vanilla remains in the background, leaving all the room for the caramel, here perfectly controlled, without bitterness.
- Price: €11
- Where to buy 49 avenue Jean-Moulin, 75014 Paris
La Régalade, Paris 1st
An institution in the Les Halles district, formerly in the 14ᵉ arrondissement (on the same spot as Les Petits Parisiens), run by Yves Camdeborde, La Régalade hasn't aged a day. This pioneer of Parisian bistronomy, taken over in 2004 by Bruno Doucet , remains faithful to precise, fine, yet generous bistro cooking. The rice pudding is a must, impossible to remove from the menu. Cooked slowly in a casserole (that's important) with cream, it gives a creamy texture, without ever becoming mushy. The rice grains are still firm. The vanilla is well marked. This dessert may (or may not) be accompanied by salted butter caramel and nougatine. But the dessert can also stand on its own. A memorable version.
- Price: €9 to take away (or on site, included in a single menu at €59)
- Where? 106 rue Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris
Croûton, Lyon
A former café-counter transformed into a lively bistro, Crouton offers a short menu of local, seasonal cuisine, accompanied by a fine selection of natural wines. Here, rice pudding is an ephemeral dessert that comes back regularly! Depending on the inspiration of the moment, you can find it twisted with miso caramel, puffed kasha, roasted hazelnuts...
- Price: €7.50
- Where? 131 rue Sébastien Gryphe, 69007 Lyon
La Laiterie Marseillaise, Marseille
A stone's throw from the Old Port, this urban dairy makes yoghurts, cheeses and desserts from milk produced in the Var region (Ferme du Vallat Sableux). The rice pudding is based on a simple recipe: local whole milk, Camargue rice and unrefined sugar. Occasionally, more unusual versions appear, featuring black sesame or orange blossom. Served in a jar, this is an unpretentious, high-quality dessert at an affordable price.
- Price: €4.50 per 400 ml (including €0.50 deposit for the glass jar)
- Where? 86 rue Sainte, 13007 Marseille
Laiterie de la Chapelle, Paris 18th arrondissement
Established several years ago in the Marx Dormoy district, this artisanal dairy transforms milk from producers in the Val-d'Oise region into yoghurts, cheeses and a variety of desserts.
Rice pudding is made from Camargue rice, non-homogenized whole milk, organic sugar and Madagascar vanilla. Its milky base leaves more room for creaminess than for the rice, which is almost candied in the cream. Lightly sweetened, with vanilla in the background, it appeals to lovers of straightforward dairy flavors. The character of milk, often forgotten as it is absent from UHT milk, is fully present here. A sweet dessert with no glycemic overload.
- Price: €3.20 per 220g jar and €5.60 per 400g (+€0.50 deposit)
- Where? 72 rue Philippe de Girard, 75018 Paris
Germaine, Bayonne
With "Le Lait au Riz", chef Maxime Chentouf (Jeune Talent 2024 award) offers a highly personal interpretation of the dessert, between fermentation and aromatic precision. This young chef, originally from Brittany but now based in the Basque country, takes this classic to new territories without betraying its spirit.
The base is amazake, which brings a cereal-like sweetness, enriched by the work of fermentation. Sake kasu - a product of sake production - adds a discreet umami note, while yuzu adds structure through its acidity. A contemporary interpretation of rice pudding, more conceptual but technically coherent.
- Price: part of a unique 5-course menu at €58
- Where? 6 rue Orbe, 64100 Bayonne
Auprès d'Angèle, Aveyron
This inn in Marcillac-Vallon pays tribute to the Bras lineage through the figure of Angèle, Audrey's grandmother and mother of chef Michel Bras. More than just a family nod, the address champions simple, accessible hospitality.
Rice pudding appears regularly on the menu in a more plant-based version. Prepared with coconut milk, it is accompanied by a lime-mint jelly and a crispy citrus tuile. A fresh interpretation, where acidity and vegetal notes take precedence over the traditional milky roundness.
- Where? 1 route de Marcilhac, 12330 Marcillac-Vallon
Goût Bistrot - Julien Allano, Bonnieux
At this bistro run by three-toque chef Julien Allano, the cuisine is in keeping with a generous, easy-to-understand interpretation of the South. The rice pudding is a very direct expression of this.
Prepared with round Camargue rice, whole milk and whipping cream added at the end of cooking, it is light and creamy. The texture is particularly airy, enriched by almost 25% whipped cream added at the last minute. Served cold, it is accompanied by salted butter caramel and puffed rice grains for crunch. Tunisian orange blossom and Madagascan vanilla add the finishing touch. The garnish, sometimes served at the table, varies according to the season: strawberry coulis, caramel or grapefruit gel. An evolving, gourmet version of the dessert.
- Price: €12
- Where? 5 place Carnot, 84480 Bonnieux
L'Ami Jean, Paris 7e
It's impossible not to return to Stéphane Jégo's now emblematic rice pudding. Conceived more than twenty years ago as an alternative to the classic desserts on the menu, it's based on the logic of self-assured indulgence.
Aude rice, whole milk, rich cream and bourbon vanilla form the base. The dessert is built around a signature triptych: semi-salted butter caramel, nougatine and whipped cream. Lightly sweetened, it strikes a balance between sweetness and salty tension. The nougatine (hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios) adds crunch, while the caramel evokes the world of funfairs. Served in a bowl or Duralex glass, this is a dessert for sharing, like a childhood memory revisited.
- Price: €15
- Where? 27 rue Malar, 75007 Paris
