5 Unforgettable Paris Restaurants for a Summer to Remember, Complete With Iconic Views

Dining out in Paris is an experience that is as much about the atmosphere as it is about the food. This season, there are some incredible spots where the setting is every bit as memorable as what’s on your plate.

From rooftop terraces with stunning close-up views of the Eiffel Tower to art nouveau buildings that have been reinvented under glass domes, you are spoilt for choice when it comes to Paris restaurants.

These restaurants know how to make a meal feel special. Some are perfect for a leisurely lunch, while others are perfect for a dinner in the world’s most romantic city. Whether you want contemporary Parisian dining or a splash of Italian flair, one thing is for sure: you’ll get plenty of the French Art de vivre.

No. 1 Kong Paris

Located on the top two floors of the Kenzo building, Kong opened in 2003 under a stunning glass roof designed by Philippe Starck, featuring a mix of Japanese manga-like sculptures and glossy, futuristic chairs. It’s haute décor at its finest, with breathtaking views overlooking the Seine and the Samaritaine. This really is all about the experience.

Kong landed pop‑culture fame when “Sex and the City” filmed Carrie’s Paris lunch here with her boyfriend’s ex-wife in the final series. I remember watching that episode and thinking how wonderful it would be to sit there, taking in the views of one of my favorite cities in the world. Well, it seems everyone has thought the same because it’s a popular spot. 

But what about the food? Chef Richard Pommiès, who has been there from the start, serves a menu that balances French gastronomie with Japanese flair. Seasonal dishes include lobster or truffle udon, duck breast brightened with Sichuan berries, tuna tartare, softshell crab tempura, and black cod with miso. 

But if it’s cocktails and not food you’re after, you’re in the right place because their mixologist knows just how to mix what you’re looking for before you realize you even wanted it. And a great DJ set to dance the night away.

It’s the kind of spot you book if you want a full sensory experience that could be lifted straight from fashion-world fantasy with a touch of celebrity.

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No. 2 Voyage Samaritaine

If you want to step into a piece of history, then you’ll love Voyage Samaritaine. Voyage sits on the fifth floor of the reimagined La Samaritaine, a landmark that first opened in 1870 and once stood as one of Paris’s grandest department stores. 

It closed in 2005 over safety concerns, then reopened in 2021 after €750 million of restoration. The original Art Nouveau domes, a soaring iron staircase, peacock frescoes, and pastel ceramic facades now coexist with a glass façade by SANAA on Rue de Rivoli. It’s the perfect blend of history and design.

The restaurant space opens under the restored glass roof, in front of the famous peacock fresco, offering natural light and shades that change with the day. In the kitchen is Mathieu Viannay, a chef with two Michelin stars to his name. His menu moves with the seasons but always plays on contrasts: delicate langoustines with yuzu, melt-in-your-mouth sashimi, and desserts that echo the elegance of the setting. 

I never saw it as a department store, but I’d read about it and always wanted to go, and I wasn’t disappointed. It feels like a conversation between past and present, with every detail, from the terrazzo floors to the sculpted columns, reminding you that this building was once the beating heart of Parisian shopping culture. 

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No. 3 Pink Mamma

I love Italian food, so Pink Mamma was always going to be on my list. It’s the kind of place that makes you stop and stare before you even sit down. Set in a four-story townhouse in Pigalle, it’s part of the Big Mamma Group, known for bringing bold Italian flavors to Paris with a dose of fun. 

The building feels like a love letter to Italian trattorias, only reimagined for Paris with dramatic greenery, vintage tiles, and a glass ceiling that floods the top floor with light. Each floor has its own personality, but the rooftop level is the star. Up here, you eat under a greenhouse-like dome, surrounded by plants and bathed in sunlight by day or soft glow at night. 

The kitchen specializes in regional Italian cooking, and it is beyond yummy. The fresh pasta is rolled daily, Fiorentina steaks cooked over a wood fire, creamy burrata, and plenty of pizza choices. The menu shifts with the seasons, but it never strays from that Big Mamma promise: hearty plates that taste like they came from an Italian nonna’s kitchen, only with a Parisian twist.

There’s a wonderful energy to Pink Mamma that goes beyond the food. You could almost be in Italy in a restaurant off one of the piazzas. It’s the kind of place where lunch easily turns into aperitivo hour, and you don’t really want to leave.

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No. 4 Girafe

If it’s front row seats to the Eiffel Tower you want, that’s what you get at Girafe. It sits on the terrace of the Palais de Chaillot, a landmark built for the 1937 International Exhibition of Art and Technology.

This is the building that replaced the old Trocadéro Palace, featuring two curved wings that frame one of the most famous views in Paris: the Eiffel Tower rising above the gardens. 

It’s also a place where history happened. In 1948, the Palais de Chaillot hosted the United Nations General Assembly when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. You’re dining above a space that once shaped global politics.

Inside, the design by Joseph Dirand draws inspiration from the 1930s heritage of the building, featuring soft curves, marble counters, brass accents, and palm fronds that lend an Art Deco glamor to the dining room. The terrace, though, is the real prize with the Eiffel Tower so close it feels like you could reach out and touch it when it lights up at night.

Seafood is the star here. Platters of oysters, prawns, and crab arrive like works of art, along with more standard dishes such as sole meunière, lobster pasta, and sashimi-style starters. There are a few meat options, but most people come for the shellfish and the view, which never fails to steal the show.

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No. 5 Les Ombres

Two of my favorite things combined at Les Ombres: fine dining and a truly fantastic view of the Eiffel Tower. I’d go as far as to say it’s probably the most Instagrammable view of the Iron Lady in Paris. When it sparkles at night, it is simply breathtaking. 

How does it have such an amazing view? Because it sits on the roof of the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, one of Paris’s most distinctive modern museums, designed by Jean Nouvel. It’s famous for its living green wall created by botanist Patrick Blanc and for Nouvel’s architectural vision that blends glass, steel, and plant life into an almost organic form.

The name, “Les Ombres,” or “The Shadows,” is a nod to the Eiffel Tower’s silhouette, which stretches across the glass roof of the dining room. From every table, you see the tower soaring above you, so close that it dominates the skyline. The terrace is spectacular in summer, with Paris laid out beneath your feet and the Seine winding through the city like a silver ribbon.

And the food? Refined French cuisine with seasonal ingredients at its core. The crispy artichoke with sea beans starter was really good, and I’m not normally a fan of artichoke. But the star for me was the smoked chocolate dessert served with wild black rice and saké. It sounds strange, but it worked so well.

I was a little disappointed that you’re only given a two-hour slot for dinner, as I would have liked to stay there for the entire evening. However, you can go and sit on the terrace if you want to stay.

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