Le Sergent Recruteur

Rating: 15
Author: Gault&Millau

41 Rue Saint-Louis en l'Île, 75004 Paris, France

15/20
Remarkable Restaurant

12 PHOTOS

Chef: Alain Pégouret
Cooking: French | Gastronomic | Signature cuisine
Style: Elegant | Romantic

Budget (€)

Indicative price per person (excl. drinks)

57 to 118

Gault&Millau's review 2026

A former student of Jacques Maximin, Christian Constant, and Joël Robuchon before serving as head chef at Le Laurent for nearly twenty years, Alain Pégouret waited until he was in his fifties to finally open his own restaurant on Île Saint-Louis, where tourist diners abound. It is precisely this cheerful mix of influences that appeals to him at Sergent Recruteur, where patrons feel right at home showing up in Bermuda shorts. Now assisted by the excellent Emilie Couturier—whom we had met all too briefly at Héritages on Rue Treilhard and who is gradually taking over— Alain Pégouret offers a very personal, eclectic cuisine, free of preconceptions, combining marinated tuna, aged watermelon petals, eggplant, a cranberry sauce, and ginger in a joyful melting pot, then returning to a more comforting dish (chanterelle mushrooms, tomato jus with candied lemon, and playful paella-inspired condiments) before driving the point home with a beautiful Luteau chicken roasted with black garlic under the skin, served with celtuce, baby broccoli, and a refreshing matcha tea sauce. The same spirit of openness is evident in the pastries, which boldly feature kiwi as the central ingredient, alongside a generous madeleine, a light faisselle, and a lively “Granny tarragon” sorbet. The service is lively, and the wine list is varied and fairly classic.