Paris Restaurants

Windo SkyBar 

3 Pl. du Général Kœnig. 75017 Paris, France

Windo SkyBar is located on the 34th floor of the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile. We have a review of this splendid hotel in another post. One of the reasons we chose the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile is because it is the only skyscraper hotel in Paris. Of course, we also like the warmth of the Hyatt brand, and we frequently chose it anyway. Our room had a view of the Eiffel Tower, but the Windo SkyBar has magnificent views of quite a bit of Paris, including the Eiffel Tower.

Madeline took this shot in a mirror that showed the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. The blue light and wreath represented the EU. We happened to be in Paris at the right time. From 1 January 2022 to 30 June 2022, France held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It was the first time in 13 years that France held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. So, The Eiffel Tower was beautifully colored blue.

They had a wide variety of select champagne by the glass or the bottle. We don’t have champagne that often, so we asked for a recommendation, and we really enjoyed it. The vintage was something we would not have seen in Texas, that’s for sure.

We started out with a very nice appetizer to share. Most of the menu is tapas style things to share. 

We were both still hungry, so I ordered a very nice (and substantial) hamburger and Madeline had a rather large Caesar salad with beautiful croutons and fried chicken on top.

Nothing is inexpensive at this SkyBar but we were in Paris on the 34th floor with a rather exclusive view of Paris at night. I think the expense was definitely worth it. The food was wonderful, and the service was perfect. We felt pampered and really enjoyed this. You should try it.

We think it is popular with people not staying at the Hyatt as well. There was a line of people waiting to be seated when we left. There are not that many tables so I would advise getting there early and watching the Eiffel Tower light up.

Mayo

3 Pl. du Général Kœnig. 75017 Paris, France

Mayo is located on the lobby floor of the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile. We have a review of the hotel in another post. Breakfast at Mayo was included with our room, and we really enjoyed eating there every morning. We would generally take tours every day and skip lunch. So, a hearty breakfast was a great way to start the day. They had quite a large array of choices and the presentation and the quality of the food was excellent.

Of course, Madeline loved Madeleines and they were freshly baked each morning. Madeline isn’t generally a big breakfast person but there were plenty of sweet things to try. After all, we were in Paris and French pastries were freshly made each day. What’s not to look forward to?

I generally would have eggs, sausage, cheese, juice, and something sweet every morning. They had coffee machines that would make just about everything, and the menus were in English for the machines. I tried speaking French when I could, but the staff spoke English like natives. Madeline likes iced tea in the morning. She’s from Texas and it’s very normal to have iced tea for breakfast. In Paris, they simply nodded and got her a glass of ice.

I should let you in on a secret if you are an iced tea lover. In our Travel Essentials section, you’ll see Food as a choice and the first thing shown is the Takeya Iced Tea Maker. Madeline packs this on every trip along with Twinings Mixed Berry and Taylors Irish Breakfast tea. Most hotels overseas have electric kettles in their rooms. In the USA, they have coffee makers. She simply heats up water and uses the Takeya infuser to make her own tea the way she likes it. We keep it in the room in the mini-fridge and she’ll take a glass of it downstairs with her each morning. That way, all we need is ice.

Mayo is a great place to start your day. We really enjoyed it.

Roger La Grenouille

28 Rue des Grands Augustins, 75006 Paris, France

When I worked in Paris, early in my career, one of my colleagues took me to this restaurant. In English, it means Roger the frog. In those days, they kept a chalk menu nearly touching the ceiling. They gave you a pair of binoculars to read it. If you did, you’d find black smudges around your eyes. The mood was always playful.

The restaurant has been around since 1930. I would say that it has a lot of staying power. The restaurant is named after the original owner, Roger Spinhirny. He transformed a shoe repair shop into a restaurant in 1930. Some of his guests included Picasso, Balthus, Saint-Exupery, Pope John XXIII and the Queen Mother of England. Picasso’s studio was a short walk away. Today, the restaurant is run by François Pagot, and he has kept the style intact.

We began our meal with some drinks, a dry martini for me and a Kir Royale for Madeline. There were all sorts of delicious appetizers and entrees to choose from. Madeline and I have eaten here twice now, and we both remembered the wonderful steak frite.

So, we had to try it again. It was as good as we remembered. I tried speaking as much French as I could, but the waiter would always answer in English. I think he appreciated my attempts, but my college French wouldn’t stand up to some of his answers.

The restaurant doesn’t seem to advertise. They probably don’t need to. They even had their own branded salt. If they can attract Picasso and the Queen Mother of England, they probably don’t need to advertise.

Our waiter suggested this wonderful baked dessert when we ordered. He said it would take a bit of time, so we ordered it along with our main course. We are glad we did. It was delicious.

You can see my reflection in the mirror when Madeline composed this picture. You can tell that there is art everywhere in the restaurant.

This long shot shows the walls packed with history and interesting things to look at. It’s not a large restaurant so I would suggest you make a reservation. I tried using the restaurant reservation link here https://www.roger-la-grenouille.com/

But I also asked our concierge to call and verify. It might be best to have your hotel call and reserve. Most French don’t eat until later so if you book something early – you should be OK. Bon Appetit!

Da Franco

21 Rue Ruhmkorff, 75017 Paris, France

This was a very nice Italian restaurant near the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile hotel. We wanted to look around for restaurants within walking distance. Madeline isn’t terribly fond of seafood or things like fois gras, pate or snails. I know, we are in Paris and should try these things. However, it’s no fun if I have frog legs and Madeline looks forlornly at the menu hoping to find something she can eat.

We had a nice bottle of wine with dinner and the service was great. We got there when it opened and there was nobody else dining this early. The French eat later than Americans so getting there at 6 or 7PM is considered early.

We really enjoyed our dinner, and we definitely would have come back another time.

Canadian Embassy Pub

71 Bd Gouvion-Saint-Cyr, 75017 Paris, France.

We could see this pub from the hotel, and it was a very short walk to get there. They had a large selection of pub food and lots of different beers and ale to try. They had sports TV on all over the place with football (soccer) and rugby being the primary offerings. The food was very good, and it was nice to relax. The name of the pub comes from the adjacent Canadian Embassy so if you can find one, you can find the other.

Pub food was filling and refreshing after an all-day tour. Our days would typically start at 6:30AM and end sometimes at 8PM so getting a quick pub meal was enjoyable.

Trattoria di Bellagio

101 Av. des Ternes, 75017 Paris, France

We really loved this Italian restaurant. The photo shows our server who appeared to be the owner as well. She asked if we’d ever had the famous San Daniele ham. When we said no, she walked over and shaved some slices for us to try, free of charge. That was a very nice way to start our meal.

She showed us how to put the ham on the freshly baked focaccia with olive oil after we ordered a bottle of wine. Things were really looking up at this restaurant.

The menu had all sorts of things we both enjoy, so it was difficult to choose.

This required a bit more focaccia.

We shared a pasta course of four cheese gnocchi with pistachios.

After dinner, the server graciously provided her Caffarel chocolate with Piedmont hazelnuts. They came from Italy, and she loved them as a child. 

If you are in this area of Paris, you definitely should dine here. The service was wonderful, and the food was terrific.

We never had a bad meal in France. I don’t think you will either. Enjoy your time in Paris and hopefully you can sample some of the places we highly recommend.