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.
4 editor picks for Escargots de Bourgogne in Paris, ranked by editorial score. All Paris signature dishes · Escargots de Bourgogne across every city.
Le Grand Véfour ★ 4.3
1er · 17 Rue de Beaujolais, 75001 Paris
Two centuries of dining-room history at Le Grand Véfour, the Palais-Royal mirror-and-velvet salon where Paris cooked dinner for Napoleon, Colette and Cocteau.
Aux Lyonnais ★ 4.3
2e · 32 Rue Saint-Marc, 75002 Paris
Aux Lyonnais in Paris is Alain Ducasse's Lyonnais bouchon-style annex: quenelle de brochet, saucisson chaud and a Beaujolais list that respects the cru wines.
Bouillon Chartier ★ 4.0
9e · 7 Rue du Faubourg Montmartre, 75009 Paris
Bouillon Chartier has run a workers' canteen of a brasserie in Paris's 9e since 1896. The menu still puts œuf mayonnaise on for less than €3.
Polidor ★ 3.9
6e · 41 Rue Monsieur-le-Prince, 75006 Paris
Polidor in Paris has run a Latin-Quarter bistro at the same address since 1845. The carte still holds bœuf bourguignon, blanquette de veau, tarte tatin.