Le Grand Véfour
The oldest grand restaurant in Paris and arguably its most beautiful room. You sit where Napoleon, Hugo, and Colette sat — their names are on brass plaques on the banquettes.
Le Grand Véfour opened in 1784 under the arcades of the Palais-Royal as the Café de Chartres, and it is generally considered the first grand restaurant in the city. The list of people who have eaten here is, essentially, the history of France: Napoleon and Joséphine (it was supposedly his favorite, and supposedly where he proposed), Victor Hugo, Colette, Cocteau, Sartre and de Beauvoir. The most charming detail in any Paris dining room: little brass plaques on the banquettes mark each famous regular's favorite seat, so you can ask to sit at Colette's. Both dining rooms are listed Historic Monuments — Louis XVI woodwork, hand-painted panels, gilded mirrors. As one writer put it, it may be the most beautiful, romantic restaurant in Paris.
Classical French haute cuisine, generous by Paris standards. Signature dishes have long included foie gras ravioli and an oxtail parmentier. The kitchen leadership has been in transition under new ownership — confirm the current chef at the time of your visit.
The event. A colonnaded arcade entrance opens into a high, daylight-filled room mirrored and tiled inch by inch, frescoed ceilings corniced in gold, overlooking the Palais-Royal gardens. Up the stairwell to the restrooms, look for an original Jean Cocteau chalk illustration on the black panels — the kind of detail that tells you where you are.
Le Grand Véfour is the most historic room in Paris and one of its most beautiful. Sit at a named banquette, look up at the gilded ceiling, and dine where two centuries of France have dined before you.
Reserve well in advance — this room fills weeks out, especially on weekends.
Dress the part — the room rewards a jacket, and lunch is a smart alternative to dinner.