In Paris, food is arguably more important than anywhere else in the world. Here are spots with last-minute availability duing the 2024 Summer Olympic Games and beyond.
LessWithin the old covered market Marche des Enfants Rouge is this miraculous dining spot with a party vibe. Diners sit around chef Shunta Susuki’s open kitchen; his menu changes seasonally, but there’s generally some form of ceviche, plus bistro standards like oysters, charcuterie and a skirt steak with mashed potatoes. Open every day except Monday; the place is famously no reservations.
Unlike so many places in Paris with peculiar operating days and times, Le Marie Celeste is always open, every day from 12-noon until 2 a.m. This sunny corner spot has tables indoors and out where you can hang out with a cocktail, a small producer-sourced glass of wine and a couple engaging small plates. (Ginger-sesame-infused deviled eggs have a cult following.) At lunch and dinner hours the menu expands to serve dishes like agnolotti with ricotta for €18, and a dessert of yuzu and miso pie.
Up in Belleville, the hottest neighborhood in Paris right now, chef Hanz Gueco’s Asian-fusion spot serves up inspired specialties like shrimp toast-styled, egg-topped Croque Monsieur and pithiviers (French pies), with lamb-shiitake-ichuan pepper stuffing. The place has garnered a reputation for stuffed duck a l’orange, which goes for about €100. The place has extended its hours for the Olympics. The restaurant is open every day except Sunday through Aug. 10; reservations on website.
Another Belleville institution, this massive Thai/Laotian restaurant has been around for 40 years and has a fresh feeling now that it’s run by the sons of its founders. Highlights are the pan-fried, garlicky prawns and crying tiger, a Northern Thai specialty consisting of beef brisket in a spicy house sauce. (Ama Siam next door is smaller and also solid.) Lao Saim is open for lunch and dinner every day except Tuesday. Call for reservations (1-40-40-09-68) or line up outside.
This famed Paris hangout in an old butcher shop checks all the boxes of a classic Paris bistro—mirrored walls, chalkboard menu, simple cloth-covered tables inside and out on the street. The highlight of the meat-focused menu is the superbly peppery filet au boeuf au poivre with crisp house fries. For dessert, a souffle is pretty much non-negotiable. The wine list is stronger than a lot of Paris bistros. Reservations are only available by phone; there’s often room for walk-ins (1-43-72-24-01).
If you want to be near prime time tourist spots like the Louvre but right outside the fenced-off Olympic zone, Ellsworth has your name all over it—and last-minute rezzies. The three-course, €64 prix fixe menu offers only two options per course, but they’ll both be top quality. (Sample entree: juicy pork chops with heirloom tomatoes or a rich spinach-chanterelle risotto with mimolette cheese.) Down the street their sister restaurant Verjus also promotes fresh produce. Open Tues–Sat for dinner.
A dynamic, woman-run Lebanese restaurant with a futuristic white-walled interior decorated with colorful blocks and low tables. The menu features chef Rita Higgins-inspired classics: avocado-enhanced hummus, gambas, or giant shrimp, bathed in shawarma butter, and roasted chicken accompanied by black lime labneh. The wine list leans natural and is well-matched to the powerfully flavored food. Kubri is open Tuesday through Saturday for both lunch and dinner. Reservations on website.
This spot was founded in 1908 and looks properly old school with a striped white and red awning fronting a quintessential Left Bank street. Burgundian escargot are a specialty, so is foie gras terrine. The daily changing plat du jour for €25 is beef tartare with frites on Mondays and coq au vin on Wednesday. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily. Reservations are available by phone (01-47-05-46-44) or on the website.
This Michelin-starred neighborhood gem promises an elegant but not stuffy experience. Noam Gedalof, the chef, and his wife, sommelier Etheliya Hananova, worked for famed chef Thomas Keller before coming to France. The four-course €120 menu might have choices like sea bream tartare with brioche croutons, and roasted and pressed Corsican lamb with artichokes and caper vinaigrette. Comice is open for dinner daily, through Aug. 10 (and then again after summer break).