Parisian restaurants where you can share a convivial meal
In Paris, some restaurants are reviving the spirit of the family table: a beautiful dish in the center, guests around it, and the simple joy of sharing something generous. Here's a selection of addresses serving real dishes to share, far from the trendy small plates.
at a time when Parisian gastronomy is fragmenting into micro-portions and French-style tapas concepts, a few tables still cultivate the art of authentic sharing. Large cuts of meat, whole birds, steaming casseroles, slow-cooked dishes made to bring people together... Here, we think of conviviality, the pleasure of being several around the same service, in a warm, family spirit. Gault&Millau distinguishes these addresses by one or two toques, but they all share the same philosophy: the plate is not the unit, the table is.
Caïus
In this 1-toque restaurant, the two-stage pigeon perfectly illustrates the spirit of the dish to share. The first stage features stuffed cannelloni, sublimated by two rich, gourmet sauces, inviting a collective tasting. The second course features pigeon, accompanied by a melting Roscoff onion gratin and a fresh, well-balanced beet salad. A generous and refined composition, designed for conviviality and sharing.
- Where? 6 rue d'Armaillé, 75017 Paris
- Read the Gault&Millau review of Caïus
Café des Ministères
A Left Bank institution, Café des Ministères (2 toques) sublimates French tradition with its famous faux-filet to share, a racy piece served generously and designed for two. The cooking is meticulous, the juices deep, the garnishes exact: the kind of dish that imposes silence when it arrives, then triggers smiles when it's eaten.
- Where? 83, rue de l'Université, 75007 Paris
- Read the Gault&Millau review of Café des Ministères
Les Cocottes
Les Cocottes (1 toque) offers dishes designed for conviviality, served in the famous Staub cocottes. The spirit is one of chic simplicity, with large-scale preparations that celebrate bourgeois cuisine and are easy to share.
- Where? 135, rue Saint-Dominique, 75007 Paris
- Read the Gault&Millau review of Les Cocottes
GrandCœur
In the heart of the Marais, Mauro Colagreco's GrandCœur (1 toque) offers a cuisine that combines elegance and generosity. The pot-au-feu, splendid in its verticality, or the milk-fed veal chop à la Milanaise, a golden monument to sharing, embody a warm and refined gastronomy, made to gather around the table.
- Where? 41, rue du Temple, 75004 Paris
- Read the Gault&Millau review of GrandCœur
Le Café des Musées
A cult address for lovers of authentic bistros, Le Café des Musées (1 toque) excels in great traditional dishes, particularly its rib of beef to share. Matured, juicy meat, served with the seriousness and honesty of a true Parisian bistro.
- Where? 49, rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris
- Read the Gault&Millau review of Le Café des Musées
Elmer
At Elmer (2 toques), cooking by the fire inspires large dishes to share, designed to magnify the products. Suckling lamb, pork chop and barbecued monkfish tail are served generously, celebrating the spirit of the modern banquet, where gourmet pleasures are enjoyed collectively.
- Where? 30, rue Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth, 75003 Paris
- Read the Gault&Millau review of Elmer
114 Faubourg - Le Bristol Paris
At the heart of the famous Bristol, 114 Faubourg (2 toques) is a brasserie version of luxury, where sharing takes the form of magnificent yellow Landes poultry, roasted with precision, juicy and fragrant. Served whole, it transforms the meal into a moment of celebration, as chic as it is convivial.
- Where? 114, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris
- Read the Gault&Millau review of 114 Faubourg - Le Bristol Paris
La Poule au Pot
La Poule au Pot (2 toques) is an institution resurrected by Jean-François Piège, where the chef honors the emblematic dishes of French cuisine. Here, you can share a poule au pot for two, served according to the rules of the art, or a leg of suckling lamb, in a chic auberge atmosphere.
- Where? 9, rue Vauvilliers, 75001 Paris
- Read the Gault&Millau review of La Poule au Pot
La Rôtisserie d'Argent
On the quayside, La Tour d'Argent's sister establishment perpetuates the taste of great rotisseries. Challandais duck, mature rib of beef, shoulder of lamb... whole dishes served for several, with the timeless charm of an address (2 toques) where sharing is part of the ritual.
- Where? 19, quai de la Tournelle, 75005 Paris
- Read the Gault&Millau review of La Rôtisserie d'Argent
Benoit
Alain Ducasse's bistro (2 toques) cultivates tradition with a rare sense of conviviality. His shoulder of suckling lamb, served delicately roasted for several guests, embodies the spirit of heritage gastronomy, generous and comforting.
- Where? 20 rue Saint-Martin, 75004 Paris
- Read the Gault&Millau review of Benoit
Lapérouse
In the mythical setting of Lapérouse (2 toques), sharing comes in a luxury version with two great icons: sole meunière, a long, golden ribbon that lends itself perfectly to table service, and beef Wellington, spectacular, melt-in-your-mouth, a true festive dish to be enjoyed by many.
- Where? 51, quai des Grands Augustins, 75006 Paris
- Read the Gault&Millau review of Lapérouse
Les Parisiens by Thibault Sombardier
In this elegant restaurant (2 toques), French tradition is revisited without losing its soul. Enjoy a rich, full-bodied beef bourguignon or a Catalan-style sea bass, cooked to retain all its softness. Whole dishes, served with elegance, that put the table at the center of the experience.
- Where? 1, rue du Pré aux Clercs, 75007 Paris
- Read the Gault&Millau review of Les Parisiens
L'Assiette
In this 1-toque house, as warm as it is typically Parisian, we share heartfelt and comforting local dishes: the emblematic cassoulet, deep and steaming, or the stuffed cabbage, served like a family dish. Here, tradition is worn high and without fuss.
- Where? 181, rue du Château, 75014 Paris
- Read the Gault&Millau review of L'Assiette
