Verified in 2 cities.
Escargots de Bourgogne is a signature dish of France; we have verified places to eat it in Dijon and Paris.
Escargots de Bourgogne are snails baked in their shells under a thick seal of garlic and parsley butter, served by the half-dozen or dozen with bread to mop the butter: a Burgundy starter found across Dijon.
The Burgundy snail, Helix pomatia, is the large Roman snail of European woods and vineyards, and its name travelled with the dish of snails baked in garlic and parsley butter that French menus call à la bourguignonne. Wild snails are protected in season: in France collecting them is banned from 1 April to 30 June and below a shell diameter of 3 cm. In Dijon they are still ordered as a first course, often alongside oeufs en meurette.
Where to eat in Dijon:
Where to eat Escargots de Bourgogne in Dijon: the editor picks
Escargots de Bourgogne in Paris is the snail starter served in its shell with garlic-and-parsley butter, eaten with tongs and a slim two-tined fork, sopped up with baguette.
Snails entered Parisian dining in the 19th century after a 1814 banquet at the Palais-Royal where Antonin Carême served them to Tsar Alexander I. By 1900, the dish was standard at Paris brasseries: a half-dozen escargots de Bourgogne, the Helix pomatia raised in vineyards across Burgundy, baked in their shells with garlic, parsley and Champagne butter. L'Escargot Montorgueil, founded 1832 in the 1er, has cooked the dish without interruption longer than any other restaurant in the city. Modern Paris has stayed loyal to the form: bistros serve a half or a full dozen at €12 to €24, with a slim escargot fork in lieu of an oyster pick.
Where to eat in Paris:
Where to eat Escargots de Bourgogne in Paris: the editor picks
Day trip · 5h 30m
Explore Burgundy’s charming villages, enjoy a wine tasting workshop and lunch, visit a family-run winery, and experience the prestigious Montrachet Grand Cru.
Guided tour · 3 hours
A typical tasting lunch from the Burgundy region offered at the Château du Clos de Vougeot.
Day trip · 8h 30m
Join this Private Burgundy wine tour chauffeured in a legendary car of the 20th century : Citroën DS Discover the famous Cote de Nuits wine region as you enjoy a priva...
