The oldest restaurants in Paris for a historic dinner!

Dine on history in these centuries-old Parisian culinary institutions.

Paris is one of the world's top culinary destinations and enjoying its gastronomic delights is the highlight of any trip to the French capital.

The city currently has over 10,000 restaurants, however, the very Parisian concept of dining in a place with an attractive setting and a menu of dishes to choose from is relatively new. From the 1760s to the early 20th century, the city's culinary scene shifted from modest inns to glamorous gourmet restaurants and dazzling art nouveau eateries.

You can enjoy a delicious bite of French history at some of Paris' oldest restaurants.

Here is a list of the oldest restaurants in Paris!

Admire the Tour d'Argent

For over 400 years, La Tour d'Argent has been one of the most famous restaurants in the world. Founded in 1582 as a humble inn on the outskirts of Paris, it quickly became known for its excellent cuisine and its new utensil: the fork!

The restaurant soon attracted the attention of King Henry IV, who was seduced by its refined cuisine. Many other royal clients, from emperors to tsars, frequented the gastronomic institution. In 1911, it was bought by André Terrail, whose family still owns it today. This astute restaurateur took La Tour d' Argent to new heights - in terms of reputation and physique - by expanding the building from two to six floors and topping it with a panoramic dining room. This is where today's guests can enjoy its famous numbered duck, wine from its legendary cellar and breathtaking views of the city.

La Tour d'Argent is a piece of art among the oldest restaurants in Paris!

At La Petite Chaise

In 1680, a wine shop serving modest dishes opened in a house (chèze in old French) in the middle of the fields to the west of the capital, now the 7th arrondissement. Its original wrought iron grill and sign draw diners into its classic dining room, once favoured by Chateaubriand, Georges Sand and President François Mitterrand. Gone are the days when its menu included fish caught in the Seine, instead it offers well-prepared onion soup, duck breast, beef tartare and other French favourites.

Discover Le Procope

Although it was originally a café, Le Procope is now one of the oldest restaurants in Paris. Founded in 1686, the café became a meeting point for philosophers, writers and revolutionaries on the Left Bank. Winks to its illustrious regulars, from Rousseau to Robespierre and from Benjamin Franklin to Paul Verlaine, decorate its maze of dining rooms. Although its cuisine is not as revolutionary as its former customers, the menu offers respectable modern versions of classics such as coq au vin and sole meunière.

Au Chien Qui Fume, One of the oldest brasseries in Paris!

Opened in 1740, this brasserie was once a popular watering hole for workers at Les Halles, the city's former central food market. Although its decor has changed over the centuries, it still carries clues to its name, "At the Smoking Dog", via its logo, cheeky dog paintings and decorative panels on its zinc bar. If you don't sit inside for a meal of its seafood specialities, you can also stop for a drink on its terrace overlooking the market hall site.

Lapérouse, A chic place among the oldest restaurants in Paris!

This chic place in the 6th arrondissement is certainly the most seductive of Paris' historic restaurants. Originally opened as a wine merchant in 1766, it became a favourite haunt of the Parisian elite and their mistresses in the 19th century. Beyond its elegant dining room are private salons, whose mirrors still bear the scratches made by these ladies of pleasure, testing the authenticity of the diamonds offered by their rich benefactors. In 1933, Lapérouse became the first Parisian restaurant to be awarded three Michelin stars, although these have since been lost, the chic restaurant still dazzles.

Le Grand Véfour

Little has changed in this grand restaurant since it opened in 1784 in the Palais-Royal, the busiest place in Paris at the time. Its refined interiors retain their original Pompeian frescoes, mirrored ceilings, delicate chandeliers and the tables where Napoleon Bonaparte, Victor Hugo and Collette once dined. More recently, its famous chef Guy Martin has reoriented the restaurant's once two-star menu towards more casual, but equally delicious, market cuisine.

Au Rocher de Cancale

Although it has changed address a few times, this restaurant has been a popular restaurant on the bustling market street of Rue Montorgueil since 1804. This was particularly the case during the first half of the 19th century, when dandies and writers flocked here after the theatre for its famous oysters from the Breton port of Cancale. Among them was Honoré de Balzac, who immortalised the restaurant in his opus La Comédie Humaine. Its beautifully restored façade bears witness to this period, as do the frescoes preserved on the walls of the second floor painted by Paul Gavarni, coincidentally the illustrator of several of Balzac's novels.

L'Escargot Montorgueil

When you arrive in front of this restaurant located at the beginning of rue Montorgueil, you will have no doubt about the dish it specialises in since 1832. Originally called L'Escargot d'Or, a large golden snail still sits above the entrance. It would be nearly a hundred years before it became a resounding success, thanks to its new owner André Terrail, of the Tour d'Argent. During the Roaring Twenties, snails with butter could be dug out of their shells alongside Pablo Picasso, Salvator Dali and Charlie Chaplin. Today, this elegant place offers traditional Burgundy snails, creative versions of this typically French speciality and a range of less slippery dishes.

Polidor

Originally a cheese factory and restaurant dating back to 1845, in the 20th century this restaurant's location in the heart of literary Paris made it popular with French and foreign writers, including Paul Valéry, André Gide, James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway. Today, these scribes have been replaced by the young writers of tomorrow and other diners attracted by its reasonably priced menu and old-fashioned atmosphere.

Bouillon Chartier Montparnasse, the sensuality of the oldest restaurant in Paris!

One of the city's original bouillons, tables offering simple traditional dishes at low prices, this is the best deal for a historic restaurant in Paris. Originally founded in 1858, the restaurant was bought by bouillon baron Edouard Chartier in 1903. Like many other restaurants in his empire, he had it decorated in the fashionable Art Nouveau style. Although it changed hands a few times before returning to the Chartier label in 2019, its richly carved mirrors, floral tiles, gilded light fittings and stained glass ceiling have miraculously remained intact. In this sensational setting, you can enjoy a three-course meal with wine for less than a dish that would cost you in most Parisian restaurants.

Café de la Paix

Prestigious from day one, the café and restaurant of the Grand Hotel on the Place de l'Opéra were both inaugurated in 1862 with great fanfare and in the presence of Empress Eugenie. Its majestic Second Empire interiors, with gilded columns, intricate mouldings and painted ceilings, have attracted famous guests from the future King Edward VII to Marlene Dietrich. The café menu offers refined, 'casual' dishes such as croque monsieur and salads, while the restaurant offers more creative contemporary cuisine, all at prices as spectacular as the décor.

A visit to Gallopin, one of the oldest restaurants in Paris!

Located behind the Paris Stock Exchange, this establishment was founded in 1876 as a beer and wine wholesaler. Adapting to the hectic lifestyles of his financial customers, owner Gustave Gallopin cleverly started selling half pints of beer, served in small silver cups for refreshment. It became the first Anglo-American bar in Paris and its chic wooden bar from the era still stands inside the entrance. You can have a drink here before heading to the back dining room, flanked by a wall of beautiful stained glass, for a meal of French classics.

When planning your next trip to Paris, be sure to visit these traditional Parisian restaurants to understand how gastronomy has evolved over the centuries and to have an authentic experience.