Have you ever woken up and thought, “Gosh, I’d love to eat at a second-best restaurant today?” Of course you haven’t. Whether you’ve lived here your entire life or are visiting for the first time, it’s human nature to want to experience the best of the best. And that’s exactly why we wrote this guide. It’s a roundup of our top spots in Paris—the ones we’d sit in an hour of traffic to get to. On this list you’ll find incredible bistros, big-deal tasting menus, and casual sandwich joints serving impeccable jambon-beurre. And if you want to see what our favorite new spots are, check out our Hit List.
Wherever you go, just make sure to plan ahead. Restaurants are small and tend to have very short windows of operation: lunch is from noon to 2:30pm, and dinner is from 7pm to 10:30pm, with the exception of all-day brasseries and cafes. And since most places only offer one or two seatings for dinner, reservations are key.