The 12 Oldest Restaurants in France You Can Still Eat At

Last updated on December 16th, 2024 at 06:08 pm

Traveling around France, you’ll see some spectacular old buildings full of history. Some you can visit, walk around, and step into the pages of their centuries-old stories. Others are the oldest restaurants in France, which have wined and dined famous names, witnessed historical events, and had front-row seats to the proceedings as they unfold.

Today, you can be a part of that history, enjoy the cuisine France is so famous for, and soak up the atmosphere of these fantastic restaurants. Their patrons included famous thinkers like Voltaire and Rousseau and literary greats such as Ernest Hemingway and Simone de Beauvoir. So, if you want to follow in the footsteps of the rich and famous, these 12 restaurants in France should be at the top of your list.

The 12 Oldest Restaurants in France

La Couronne (Rouen)

La Couronne sits on the historic Place du Vieux-Marché, the very square where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431. Dating back to 1345, it had a bird’s eye view of this terrible event, and it’s the oldest auberge (inn) in France. Its half-timbered façade is one of over 600 medieval buildings like this in Rouen.

Inside, the wood-beamed ceilings, period paintings, and red velvet furnishings transport you to a bygone era. I was lucky enough to eat there and sit at the same table where Julia Child had her first meal in France in 1948. And, of course, we had the menu named after her.

Aside from Julia Child, who famously described her first meal there as a life-changing experience, the restaurant has welcomed royalty. Queen Elizabeth II dined there on a visit to France, Salvador Dali stopped off on his way to America, and numerous Hollywood greats, including Marlene Dietrich, Ingrid Bergman, Audrey Hepburn, and John Wayne.

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Le Procope (Paris)

Le Procope, established in 1686, is Paris’ oldest restaurant. Located in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district, it evokes the grandeur of 18th-century Paris, transporting you back to the Age of Enlightenment. From red velvet banquettes and antique mirrors to crystal chandeliers, you can easily imagine what it would have been like a couple of centuries ago.

Voltaire was a regular, drinking forty-odd cups of coffee a day mixed with chocolate, and revolutionaries like Robespierre debated the ideas that would shape the future of France. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson discussed politics and philosophy. In the 19th century, literary icons such as Victor Hugo, Honoré de Balzac, and later, writers like Anatole France and Paul Verlaine made Le Procope their meeting spot.

During the French Revolution, Le Procope became a hotspot for political debate. Legend has it that the first draft of the French Constitution was discussed here. Even today, diners can see Napoleon Bonaparte’s hat displayed in the restaurant.

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Le Grand Véfour (Paris)

Le Grand Véfour opened its doors in 1784 in the arcades of the Palais-Royal. It’s a stunning example of French Directoire style, with gilded mirrors, hand-painted wall panels, and chandeliers. Throughout history, it has hosted a veritable who’s who of France’s cultural and political elite. 

Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife Joséphine dined here in the early 19th century. Later, literary giants like Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas became regulars. In the 20th century, renowned figures such as Jean Cocteau, Simone de Beauvoir, and Jean-Paul Sartre were patrons. In the 20th century, chef Raymond Oliver transformed it into a French haute cuisine restaurant.

A fun fact: each table still bears the names of its famous past patrons, allowing guests to dine in the seats once occupied by history’s greatest minds.

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La Tour d’Argent (Paris) 

For dinner with a view of the Seine River, La Tour d’Argent is the perfect spot. Established in 1582, it has one of the best views of Notre Dame in Paris. Its wine cellar contains over 450,000 bottles valued at approximately 25 million euros.

It’s been mentioned in many literary works, including Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast, in which he describes the rooms for rent and discounts on food for the renters. It was also the inspiration behind the Disney movie Ratatouille. 

Over the centuries, La Tour d’Argent has served a glittering array of famous guests, including King Henry IV, Alexandre Dumas, and Grace Kelly. It’s known for its “Caneton Tour d’Argent,” or pressed duck. The ducks are raised on the restaurant’s farm, and each one served receives a unique serial number. Since 1890, they’ve cataloged over a million ducks. 

Fun fact: Duck number 112,151 was served to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945.

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Auberge Provençale da Bouttau

Now for a trip to Cannes on the French Riviera. Auberge Provençale da Bouttau, founded in 1860, is tucked away in the heart of Cannes’ historic Le Suquet district. It’s full of Provençal charm with its rustic stone walls, wooden beams, and cozy fireplaces. 

The restaurant’s signature dish, daube Provençale, has been prepared using the same recipe for over a century. In the early 20th century, French writer Guy de Maupassant loved to eat here, and later, stars like Edith Piaf, Brigitte Bardot, and Sean Connery.

It was here in 1946 that the idea for the Cannes Film Festival began to take shape when the 5 Musketeers, as they were known, Jean Bouttau, Robert Favre Lehrer, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, and Philippe Erlanger, sat plottinh. 

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La Mère Brazier (Lyon)

Lyon is nicknamed the food capital of France, so it would be wrong not to include at least one Lyon restaurant on this list. Established in 1921, La Mère Brazier sits at the foot of the Croix-Rousse hill and is exactly how you imagine an old French-style bistro to look. 

The restaurant owes much of its fame to Eugénie Brazier, the first woman to earn three Michelin stars. It was the birthplace of some of France’s most popular dishes, such as artichoke with foie gras and Bresse chicken in cream sauce. French President Charles de Gaulle dined here, as did legendary chef Paul Bocuse, who trained under Brazier herself.

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Le Chapon Fin (Bordeaux) 

Bordeaux has a great foodie scene, which, when paired with wine, makes it a great place to visit. Le Chapon Fin, founded in 1825, is one of Bordeaux’s oldest restaurants. Its decor is stunning and full of Belle Époque charm with a blend of Art Nouveau designs. It features a rock-grotto-style dining room, intricate stonework, and lush greenery. It is an experience not to miss.

It was a favorite with many of the European monarchs. Manuel II of Portugal, Edward VII of England, the Sultan of Morocco, and Alfonso XIII of Spain have eaten here. Its wine cellar, regarded as one of the finest in France, drew enthusiasts and collectors worldwide, including famed chef Auguste Escoffier.  In 1933, it became one of the first restaurants to receive a three-star rating from the Michelin Guide.

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Les Deux Magots (Paris) 

Les Deux Magots, founded in 1885, is a historic café in Paris’ Saint-Germain-des-Prés district. I had breakfast there recently, and it was quite an experience watching the waiters perform their duties, flying around the tables, dressed in black and white, carrying their trays. 

The café’s interior remains much as it was during its early years, with polished wooden tables, red velvet seats, and brass fixtures. Two wooden statues, known as “magots,” are still there, giving the cafe its name.

It was a gathering spot for some of the most influential writers, artists, and intellectuals of the 1920s, including Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was quite literally, a central hub of the literary “Lost Generation.” Later, it became the haunt of French existentialist philosophers Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.

Fun fact: Les Deux Magots has its own literary prize, the “Prix des Deux Magots,” established in 1933. It was a counterpoint to the more formal literary awards, celebrating avant-garde and innovative literature. 

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Brasserie Lipp (Paris) 

Another restaurant full of Belle Époque decor is Brasserie Lipp in Saint-Germain. It opened in 1880 and has tiled floors, large mirrors, and gorgeous frescoed ceilings. The story of the restaurant begins in the 19th century, when Léonard Lipp fled German-occupied Alsace-Lorraine for Paris, bringing with him two essential skills: a discerning taste for beer and a talent for cooking sauerkraut. 

In 1880, he opened his brasserie at 151 Boulevard Saint-Germain, setting up ten marble-topped tables, beer taps, and sauerkraut barrels under the sign “Brasserie des bords du Rhin.” Lipp aimed to reintroduce bourgeois Alsatian cuisine to the French capital as a subtle stand against the Kaiser. By the time he sold the place at the turn of the century, it was known as Brasserie Lipp.

It was another favorite haunt of literary and political figures. Ernest Hemingway was a regular during the 1920s, with other writers like Marcel Proust and Albert Camus. In the decades that followed, it became a meeting spot for André Malraux, Jean-Paul Sartre, and even French President François Mitterrand. 

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Le Train Bleu (Paris) 

Established in 1901, Le Train Bleu is a restaurant with a difference inside the Paris Gare de Lyon train station. It’s the sort of place that leaves you speechless. It’s a masterpiece of Belle Époque design, with gilded ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and grand frescoes depicting scenes from French history and landscapes.

Le Train Bleu began as a station buffet in 1900 built for the Universal Exhibition. The railway company hired Marius Toudoire, the architect behind the Gare de Lyon’s clock tower and façade, to create a dining experience that was both luxurious and modern. Unveiled in 1901 by French President Émile Loubet, the buffet quickly became a favorite among high society and artists.

In 1963, it was renamed “Le Train Bleu” as a tribute to the Paris-Vintimille line from 1868, which connected travelers to towns along the French Riviera. It hasn’t lost any of its grandeur, and it’s somewhere everyone should dine once in their lives.

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Bouillon Chartier (Paris)

The founders of the first Bouillon restaurant, the Chartier brothers, had a simple idea: to serve traditional French cuisine at affordable prices, allowing everyone to enjoy hearty, home-style meals. They named it “Bouillon” after the original concept of serving broth (bouillon) with meat and vegetables. 

The restaurant’s dining room, with its high ceilings, brass railings, and large mirrors, retains the look of a Belle Époque-era brasserie. Waiters still jot down orders on paper tablecloths. I had the beef bourguignon when I went and the biggest profiterole you’ve ever seen—all served at rapid speed and reasonable prices.

Unfortunately, their popularity decreased when other affordable restaurants started to open, and at the start of the 20th century, they had all but disappeared. Recently, they’ve had a resurgence, and there is one in Montparnasse, where I ate, Montmartre, Chartier Gare de l’Est, and Bouillon Chartier Grands Boulevards.

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L’Escargot Montorgueil (Paris) 

L’Escargot Montorgueil, established in 1832, is on Rue Montorgueil. When it first opened, the traders from Les Halles would come at lunchtime for their fill of snails. You can’t miss it, as there are large snails on the outside of the building. Inside, there is a lot of wood paneling, velvet seating, and ornate mirrors; it’s very Parisian.

As the name suggests, its signature dish is snails, or escargot, served in a variety of ways, from traditional garlic butter to unique flavors like Roquefort cheese and truffle. The ceiling features cooking cherubs, originally from actress Sarah Bernhardt’s apartment, bought at auction in 1919. Upstairs, a spiral staircase leads to a room that houses a portrait of Sarah Bernhardt, a muse of the Art Nouveau movement and decorative arts.

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Final Thoughts on the Oldest French Restaurants

There are some truly amazing old restaurants in France and it’s hard to imagine what they may have looked like 500 years ago. The old paintings, floors, lights and decor are just stunning. I’ve eaten at many restaurants around the world, including in the States in a restaurant with the best murals in Nashville, but nothing beats France and the history surrounding these eateries.