Why don’t you double the enjoyment of your Paris museum visits by eating at the best nearby restaurant?
Most major Paris museums have great restaurants in there surroundings and often inside the museum building itself. As a bonus some of them also have a great rooftop view of the Eiffel tower.
Wouldn’t that make your day? It always does to me, so here are the best museum restaurants in Paris.
What I like to do is start the day early and plan my museum visit right at the opening, less crowd and more enjoyment.
I usually book the restaurant in advance to make sure I’ll get a table around noon. I recommend you do that too unless you plan to go to a cafe or another less formal venue. End of day museum visit with following dinner also works great.
Le Louvre Museum
Le Louvre has not less than 15 restaurants and cafes in its surroundings. Some will require to have a museum ticket to access others won’t.
Le Café Marly
My favorite is Café Marly. It falls into the gourmet category and the food is nice but I actually love the view from the terrace. It is located on the first floor of the Richelieu wing of the Louvre building facing the glass pyramid. Entrance is via the pyramid court, you won’t need a museum ticket to access.
93 Rue de Rivoli 75001 Paris
Tel: 01 4926 0660
http://cafe-marly.com/en/
Palace of Versailles
Not in central Paris but a must visit while you are there, the immense palace and gardens of Versailles home of king Louis XIV. You will find several restaurants within the Palace property itself. The most noticeable ones are Le Grand Café d’Orléans and La Petite Venise restaurant.
Le Grand Café d’Orléans
Located in the southern side of the palace itself in the Midi wing. The restaurant offers traditional French cuisine.
Palace of Versailles, Place d’Armes 78000 Versailles
Tel: 01 3950 2979
http://www.legrandcafedorleans.com/
La Petite Venise
La Petite Venise restaurant is located in the gardens of Versailles. The restaurant serves traditional Italian food.
Place d’Armes, Gardens of Versailles 78000 Versailles
Tel: 01 3953 2569
http://www.lapetitevenise.com/
Orsay Museum
Restaurant of the Musée d’Orsay
Located on the first floor of the museum in a sumptuous 1900 golden decor with large bay windows and lit by crystal chandeliers. The restaurant serves traditional French cuisine.
1 Rue de la Légion d’Honneur 75007 Paris
Tel: 01 4549 4703
http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/visit/services/restaurants.html
Quai Branly museum
The Quai Branly museum has a rooftop restaurant with one of the best view of the Eiffel tower and a 360° panorama over Paris. Les Ombres restaurant offers food from over the world to reflect the theme of the museum which is a first civilization artifacts museum.
Les ombres restaurant
27 Quai Branly 75007 Paris
Tel: 01 4753 6800
http://www.lesombres-restaurant.com/
The centre Pompidou museum
Another Paris museum rooftop restaurant is located on the last floor of modern art museum Pompidou center. It is called The Georges and offers an incredible view over Paris with the Eiffel tower in the background especially at sunset.
Le Georges
19 Rue Beaubourg 75004 Paris
Tel: 01 4478 4799
http://restaurantgeorgesparis.com/en/
Le Grand Palais
A 1900 exhibition center sheltering temporary exhibitions and a science museum called “Le Palais de la Découverte”. You will find a great restaurant there, named Le Mini Palais and managed by a Michelin Three stars chef.
Le Mini Palais restaurant
3 Avenue Winston Churchill 75008 Paris
01 4256 4242
http://www.minipalais.com/
Le Petit Palais – Musée des Beaux Arts
Le Petit Palais is the Grand Palais little brother building, housing the fine art museum of Paris. A collection of fine arts from the Renaissance era to the 20th century. It also shelters a nice little Café named Le Jardin du Palais where you can relax and enjoy the view on the patio garden and pond under the shade of a beautiful colonnaded terrace.
Le jardin du Petit Palais
Petit Palais, Avenue Winston Churchill 75008 Paris
Tel:01 53 43 40 00
http://www.petitpalais.paris.fr/en/votre-visite/cafe-restaurant
If you are looking for a more up market restaurant nearby, right at the back of the Petit Palais you have a smaller building called Le Pavillon Ledoyen hosting one of the top Michelin three stars restaurant in Paris called Alléno Paris – Carré des Champs-Élysées.
Alléno Paris – Carré des Champs-Élysées
Pavillon LeDoyen, 1 Avenue Dutuit 75008 Paris
Tel: 01 53 05 10 00
Decorative arts museum
The Musée des Arts Décoratifs is located in one of the wing of Le Louvre palace. This area also host the Fashion and Textile museum of Paris. On the ground floor of the wing you will find a restaurant named Le Saut du Loup that has a nice terrace and a splendid view over the Carousel du Louvre with the Eiffel tower in the background.
Le Saut du Loup
107 Rue de Rivoli 75001 Paris
Tel: 01 4225 4955
http://www.lesautduloup.fr/
Palais de Tokyo
The Palais de Tokyo is a big contemporary art center in Paris 16th arrondissement nearby Seine river. It has several restaurants, but the really nice one is Monsieur Bleu. It has a modern interior design and a really nice terrace overlooking Seine river with an incredible Eiffel tower view.
Monsieur Bleu
20 Avenue de New York 75116 Paris
Tel: 01 47 20 90 47
http://monsieurbleu.com/
Musée de la Vie Romantique
The Musée de la Vie Romantique nearby Montmartre is about the Romantic period during the 18th and 19th century that influenced arts and literature in Europe during that era. It is a small museum by Paris standards located in a lovely house. The museum also has a very relaxing cafe with tables on the garden side of the house opened from March to October.
Café de la Vie Romantique
16 Rue Chaptal 75009 Paris
Tel: 01 5531 9567
http://www.cafe-vie-romantique.com/
City of Architecture and Heritage
The Cité de l’architecture et du Patrimoine in Palais Chaillot retraces 1000 years of French construction heritage. The museum is great for kids with a lot to discover. It is also nice for its Café Carlu that offers one of the best view over the Eiffel tower.
Café Carlu
City of Architecture and Heritage
1 Place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre 75116 Paris
Tel: 01 5370 9665
http://www.citechaillot.fr/fr/infos_pratiques/services/cafe_carlu/
Palais Garnier opera house
The Palais Garnier is the home to the French national opera commissioned by Napoleon III. A master piece of French architecture opened to visitors. It also nest L’Opéra Restaurant with its modern design well integrated in the historical building.
L’Opéra Restaurant
Palais Garnier, 1 Place Jacques Rouché 75009 Paris
Tel: 01 4268 8680
http://www.opera-restaurant.fr/en
Musée Jacquemart-André
This is one of small Paris museum in a beautiful Parisian mansion house in the 8th arrondissement. Your visit will take you back in time in a 19th century Parisian bourgeois house with a collection of art and furnitures of that era. You can also enjoy the richly decorated Café Jacquemart-André inside the museum opening on a nice backyard terrace in summer.
Café Jacquemart-André
158 Boulevard Haussmann 75008 Paris
http://www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com/en/prepare-your-visit/restaurant-le-cafe-jacquemart-andre
Baccarat Museum
Headquarters of famous crystal manufacturer, visit the private Baccarat heritage collection and go upstairs to try the Cristal Room Baccarat restaurant surrounded by precious crystal art work.
Cristal Room Baccarat Restaurant
11 Place des États-Unis 75116 Paris
Tel: 01 4022 1110
Wine museum in Paris
The Musée du vin is a 15th century cellar where you will discover the tools and techniques French wine makers have used over the centuries. The museum also has a restaurant named Les Echansons located in the vaulted wine cellar. It serves traditional french food, but nothing fancy about it, however you get a wide selection of French wines to choose from of course. Booking in advance is required. Only open at lunch time.
Les Echansons wine museum restaurant
5 Square Charles Dickens 75016 Paris
Tel: 01 4525 6326
http://www.museeduvinparis.com/index.php/fr/restaurant/accueil-restaurant
Rodin Museum
The Musée Rodin is a must visit during your holidays in Paris. You will love the work of the artist but the place itself is amazing, the nice townhouse mansion that shelters the museum with its beautiful French garden that is so relaxing on a busy Paris visit. You will also enjoy the museum Café under the shadow of the trees by the fountain, perfect during summer visits.
Café du musée Rodin
77 Rue de Varenne 75007 Paris France
Tel: 01 4424 2796
http://www.musee-rodin.fr/en/professionals/private-events/musee-rodin-cafe
