– This post was written by Jeremy –
If you’re keen on seeing more than just Mona Lisa’s enigmatic smile while visiting the world’s biggest museum, we recommend you spend the day at the Louvre. However, a few hours of strolling along its art-laden corridors will leave your stomach growling. Because your ticket to the Louvre allows for all-day entrance, we compiled this list of 5 spots for lunch near the Louvre.
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1. Hearty Gallic lunch at Bistrot Victoires
Just a ten-minute walk from the museum and right next to the Palais Royal, this place is the historical embodiment of the word bistro. Its vintage decor and nostalgic air serve a purpose: to keep the tradition of a warm, hearty and relatively low-cost meal, available to those in Paris who haven’t forgotten what it is like to sit down to a filling and delightful Gallic plat du jour.
Steak-frites (fries and steak), confit du canard (grilled preserved duck) or blanquette de veau (veal in cream sauce); your lunch at Bistrot Victoires will provide you with all the power you need to walk around the entire Louvre – twice!
6 Rue de la Vrillière, 75001 Paris. Main course €10-15, 3-course meal €20. Open daily from 12am – 3pm and 7pm – 11pm.
2. Ramen-time at Higuma
This Japanese noodle bar is loved by locals and Japanese expats alike. It’s perfectly fit for a quick meal due to its nearby location and the Japanese formula of fast-served steaming bowls of glistening noodles, mouth-watering donburi or moist-filled gyoza.
This eatery is as Japanese as can be, so expect a line around lunch time. Also, expect welcoming shouts in Japanese as you enter Higuma. Itadakimasu!
163 Rue Saint Honoré, 75001 Paris. Bowl of ramen with gyoza €11. Open daily from 11:30am – 10pm.
3. Bourgeois’ indulgence at Le Fumoir
If you want to really indulge in the excesses of Paris, this restaurant/café/bar right across the main entrance of the Louvre caters to your every need. With a mahogany interior and rows of books, Le Fumoir is as elegant as it is decadent.
Have a break here for lunch, dinner — or maybe just one of their prestigious cocktails. By the time you head back to the Louvre, you’ll be striding along the boulevards like a true Parisian.
6 Rue de l’Amiral de Coligny, 75001 Paris. 3-course lunch €30, 3-course dinner €60. Open daily from 11am – 2am.
4. A foodie’s paradise at Rue Montorgeuil
So your morning session at the Louvre gave you a beastly appetite, but you suck at making decisions? If you’re really serious about scoring lunch, take a 12-minute walk to Montorgueil street.
Formerly the market halls for all of Paris, this food-centred shopping street is the place-to-go for local chefs – it even houses a few acclaimed restaurants. Personally, we like to float down the street while trying every delicacy we come across, be them cheeses, sausages or pastries.
Rue Montorgueil, 75002 Paris. Delicacies fairly priced, lunch served from around €8. Opening hours vary between shops, though all will be open around.
5. Lunch inside the Louvre
Instead of having lunch near the Louvre, how about having lunch on the 1st floor of this magnificent palace? Le Café Richelieu (in the Richelieu rooms) borrows its menu from the famed Parisian food institute Angelina. And, with a terrace overlooking I.M. Pei’s Pyramid, the view from this fancy restaurant is as good as the food itself.
If you’d rather overlook the Carrousel Gardens while munching on a muffin, then Café Mollien is the one for you. Serving coffee and snacks, this café makes for a laidback alternative to the gourmet-themed Richelieu.
Check out our ultimate guide on the Louvre Museum packed with everything you could need to know to ensure you’ll make the most of your visit.
