Chez l'Ami Louis
The most famous roast chicken and foie gras in Paris, served in a deliberately shabby room at maximalist prices and portions. A bucket-list bistro that doesn't care if you approve.
Chez l'Ami Louis is a paradox the food world has argued about for decades: a cramped, brown, intentionally un-renovated bistro in the 3rd that charges grand-restaurant prices for old-fashioned French cooking in enormous portions — and remains beloved by a devoted international following regardless. The roast chicken, the foie gras, the escargots, the potato cake the size of a frisbee. It has been called overpriced and overrated by critics and a religious experience by its loyalists, often in the same week. The truth is it's an institution that has decided exactly what it is.
The famous roast chicken for two (or three). Foie gras in slabs. Escargots swimming in garlic butter. The legendary pommes Anna. Portions are absurd; bring an appetite and a sense of humor about the bill.
Small, brown, deliberately frozen in time — the patina is the point. Tables close together, no concessions to modern dining-room design. You either find it charming or you find it stubborn, and the regulars find it charming.
ROAST CHICKEN · FOIE GRAS · POMMES ANNA
Chez l'Ami Louis is a Paris rite of passage — go once, order the chicken, split the foie gras, and decide for yourself which side of the argument you're on.
Reserve well in advance — this room fills weeks out, especially on weekends.
Lunch is often easier to secure than dinner and offers the same room at better value.