Le Voltaire
The Left Bank power-lunch classic — a small, elegant Quai Voltaire bistro where the art and fashion world eats. Book ahead and dress the part.
Le Voltaire sits on the Quai Voltaire facing the Seine, and it is the kind of discreet, expensive, perfectly run bistro that the Left Bank's gallerists, antiquaires, and fashion figures treat as a canteen. The classics are done impeccably and the room runs on regulars. It is not trying to be discovered, which is precisely why it's worth knowing about.
Bistro classics executed with care — the kind of menu where the simplest things (an œuf mayonnaise, a sole, a steak) are the measure, and they pass.
Small, warm, classically Parisian, with the quiet hum of a place where everyone seems to know each other. The Seine outside, the antiquaires next door.
Le Voltaire is the Left Bank insider's bistro — book ahead, order the classics, and watch the art world at lunch.
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.