This post is all about the best restaurants near the Eiffel Tower (Paris)!
Whether it’s your first time visiting the city of lights or if you’ve been here before, you’re most likely going to the Tour Eiffel!
Even if you’ve seen it before, revisiting the classics is always nice. Depending on the time of day you’re planning your visit, you might be on the lookout for a restaurant to have lunch, dinner, or just a coffee.
As you might imagine the area around the Eiffel Tower is quite touristy. You’ll find many touristy restaurants where no Parisian would ever set foot. This does not mean they are bad restaurants, it’s just that they are less authentic.
We’ll cover different types of restaurants in this post: the restaurants on the Eiffel Tower itself, the touristy places, the hidden gems, and the great coffee places!
Here are all the best places to grab a bit to eat or have a coffee around the Eiffel Tower!
Best restaurants near the Eiffel Tower (Paris)
1 – The restaurants on the Eiffel Tower
Since you are visiting the Iron Lady, you might as well take advantage of the 4 restaurants on the Eiffel Tower itself! They can be the perfect place to prolong the unique experience of the panoramic views of Paris you will be having up there.
Should you go to the Eiffel Tower restaurant? It could be a very unique (and pricey) experience for sure! Let’s have a closer look at the various options at your disposal.
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The Madame Brasserie restaurant
On the first floor of the Eiffel Tower, you have the Madame Brasserie restaurant. The goal is to have you experience the traditional French brasserie experience. This restaurant is the kingdom of renowned chef Thierry Marx.
Here you can go have a bite from breakfast to dinner, and even an afternoon snack.
Booking a table for your preferred time and date (especially for lunch and dinner) is highly recommended!
Depending on if you’re going there for lunch or dinner and where you want to be sitting (inside the Eiffel Tower or with the Paris view), prices are going to vary. They can go from 57€ all the way up to 205€.
The restaurant also has its dedicated entry at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, so you won’t have to queue to get in. You show up and give them your reservation.
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Le Jules Verne restaurant
On the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, you have the Jules Verne restaurant, which has one Michelin star. The chef Frédéric Anton welcomes you to this very unique space, the setup is quite modern in tones of black, and grey, and touches of gold.
They serve during lunch and dinner hours. You could either go for the tasting menu of 5 or 7 courses or a shorter menu for lunch ( starter, main, cheese, and dessert). Prices are pretty steep, they take into account the location and the Michelin stars:
- 5-course menu: 255€ per person
- 7-course menu: 275€ per person
- short lunch menu: 160€ per person
For this culinary experience, booking a table for your preferred time and date is highly recommended!
Please take into account that you cannot get in just a T-shirt and shorts or sports clothes. The restaurant also has its dedicated entry and private elevator at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower (at the intersection of the avenue Charles Floquet et Octave Gréard), so you won’t have to queue to get in. You show up and give them your reservation.
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The Champagne bar
On the third floor of the Eiffel Tower, you have the Champagne bar.
If you want to enjoy the Eiffel Tower view and the view of Paris with a glass of champagne, this is the right spot for you!
No bookings are needed, once you’re at the top, you can just order your glass of champagne (or soft drink) and enjoy some of the best views of the city.
2 – The touristy restaurants
This is not going to be a list of all the touristy places around the Eiffel Tower, because that could be a post all in itself. Some restaurants might have certain “tourist trap” qualities. These are just a few elements of how to identify those places. There is nothing wrong with going to a more touristy restaurant, it might just be a less authentic experience:
- Waiters calling for you on the street directly in English (“Hello, are you hungry?”)
- Menus outside of the restaurant are solely in English or in French and English
- You’ll hear many different languages in the restaurant, none of which are French
Another very touristy experience is having lunch or dinner on a Seine River cruise. This is a great way to enjoy the great views of Paris (including the view of the Eiffel Tower) and have a meal. It might not be your best meal ever, but it’s a different experience!
3 – Expensive restaurants with a view
The area around the Eiffel Tower is quite a posh area in Paris and a great place for renowned chefs to have their restaurants. Here is a list of some of those places. You can expect a great view of the Eiffel Tower, good food, and a fairly expensive tab at the end! It would make for a great experience for a special occasion.
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Le Bistro Parisien
Very close to the Eiffel Tower, you’ll find departing docks for a Seine River cruise. The Bistro Parisien is on one of the ships, allowing you to grab a bite to eat before you depart for your cruise. You can even find some deals for a meal and a cruise on their website. The restaurant is full of windows allowing you to see the Eiffel Tower anytime during your meal.
You’ll find mostly French food on the Bistot Parisien, with a price point that is very much the average for Paris, meaning: starters are around 13€, mains around 23€ and desserts at around 10€.
Considering the location you might find yourself with many other tourists, but this is the price to pay to have this up close and personal view of the Eiffel Tower.
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Café de l’homme
The Café de l’homme is located inside the musée de l’Homme on the place du Trocadero. The restaurant has just undergone a complete redesign: the space looks very posh. In the summertime, the outdoor space is where you want to sit. You’ll have an amazing view not only of the Eiffel Tower but also of Paris!
The restaurant is very much focused on high-end, quality French food: you’ll find dishes like foie gras, vol-au-vent, or a warm chocolate soufflé.
I would highly recommend booking your spot. When you’ll do it, you can book the type of experience and meal you would like to have. In terms of the price range, you’ll either have a set menu (from 170€ to 250€) or you can go à la carte.
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Monsieur bleu
In the Monsieur Bleu, you’ll be eating in a great Art Deco space inside the Palais de Tokyo. Just like the Café de l’homme, there is great outdoor space overlooking the Eiffel Tower and Paris.
Food-wise, you’ll find seasonal French food from breakfast all the way to dinner and with brunch on the weekend. I highly recommend having a reservation, especially if you want to be on the terrasse this summer.
Considering the location and the quality of the food, expect a bill of around 100€ per person minimum.
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Le ciel de Paris
One of the best views of the Eiffel Tower is not from the Eiffel Tower itself but from the Tour Maine Montparnasse! The restaurant Le Ciel de Paris is located on the 56th floor of the Montparnasse Tower and offers the perfect view of the Iron Lady. The food proposed by the chef is very much French food and there are vegetarian options.
You can book a table right by the window, so as to not have anyone in the way of your pictures. When you’ll book your table, you can choose a menu going from 46€ for lunch up to 140€ for dinner.
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Les Ombres
Les Ombres restaurant is located on the roof of the musée du Quai Branly just in front of the Seine River. The restaurant was designed by the famous French architect Jean Nouvel and offers a great view of the Eiffel Tower. To have an even better experience I would recommend going there at night: on the hour the Eiffel Tower illuminates and so does the ceiling of the restaurant. It is a fully immersive experience.
The food is Mediterranean-inspired and ranges from 58€ to 188€.
Let’s move away from the more high-end restaurant experiences around the Eiffel Tower and go discover some hidden gems!
4 – The hidden gems restaurants around the Eiffel Tower
In this section, we’ll look into some great restaurants that are in the area of the Eiffel Tower but do not have a direct view of it. This also means some delicious and less expensive options! You’ll notice that many of those restaurants are located in the rue Saint-Dominique. This street is full of shops, restaurants, and food shops. It’s also a great place to take pictures from!
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Les Cocottes
Les Cocottes is a great place for very typical French food at an affordable price. It’s not a huge restaurant, so if you’re coming to Paris during the height of the tourist season I would definitely recommend booking a table.
The atmosphere is quite relaxed, with many seats directly at the bar and a few higher bar tables.
Each day of the week they offer a specific main course, which is a French classic (like the cassoulet or a poulet fermier). However if this does not suit you, you can always pick something else from their à la carte menu. They also have set menus ranging from 28€ to 38€ if you want a starter, main, and/or dessert.
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Le Violon d’Ingres
From the same chef, Christian Constant, you could prefer the more traditional and chic restaurant: le Violon d’Ingres. This is a one-star Michelin restaurant that celebrates French cuisine. It is just 2 doors down from les Cocottes restaurants.
As with any such restaurant, a booking is mandatory, because depending on the season it could be full for weeks!
When you book, you can choose a lunch menu starting at 58€ and going all the way up to 160€ (the menu is available for dinner too). If you chose a menu you won’t be able to go back to à la carte once there.
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Pottoka
Pottoka is a small restaurant just off the rue Saint-Dominique and a real hidden gem!
Here the idea is to enjoy good food in a very relaxed atmosphere with friends and family. The à la carte menu is composed of 4 starters, 4 mains, and 4 desserts, or you could choose from 3 different set menus ranging from 22€ to 70€.
This is definitely less touristy, but nonetheless, a booking is advisable (the restaurant is really quite small!).
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Apollon
If you would like a change from all the classical French food, you could check out this Greek restaurant just at the corner of the rue Saint-Dominique. There you’ll find all the expected Greek food: warm or cold mezze, mousaka or gyros, and of course baklava.
The prices are quite affordable and the atmosphere is very homely.
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Ducasse sur Seine (Seine river cruise)
If sitting down in a normal restaurant is not really what you are after, you should definitely check out the Ducasse sur Seine experience. Alain Ducasse is a very famous chef, so expect some great food…at quite a higher price (up to 500€)!
You could go there for lunch or dinner and choose the type of culinary experience you would like to have: how many courses, wine pairing (or not)…
During your meal, you’ll be going down the Seine River on the first electrical boat on the river. That way you won’t be bothered by the noise or the unpleasant smells of the traditional river cruises.
This post was all bout the best restaurants around the Eiffel Tower (Paris).
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