Christian Le Squer's Le Cinq at the Four Seasons George V in Paris keeps three Michelin stars on a classical line built around lobster, caviar and butter.
Signature dishes: Spaghetti with caviar, Brittany lobster
Must order: The caviar-stuffed spaghetti; the Brittany lobster cooked in seaweed butter.
Tip: Lunch sets at €175 are the most under-priced way into a three-star palace room.
Address: Four Seasons George V, 31 Avenue George V, 75008 Paris
Pavyllon in Paris is Yannick Alléno's counter-seating two-star: 36 seats in a circle, a la carte for a fraction of what the main Ledoyen room costs.
Signature: Counter tasting, Egg with caviar
Order: Whatever caviar course is on the counter menu; the chef's classical egg.
Tip: Seats at the counter are easier than a table; book a 12:30 lunch over a 20:00 dinner.
Stéphanie Le Quellec's La Scène in Paris cooks open-kitchen on the 8e: a long copper bar fronting a 12-seat dining room, two Michelin stars since 2020.
Signature: Lobster ravioli, Wagyu
Order: The lobster ravioli course; the wagyu main with seasonal vegetables.
Tip: Eight bar stools front the open kitchen; ask for those rather than the back tables.
Akrame Benallal's Akrame in Paris cooks an Algerian-French tasting menu that earned the 8e room two Michelin stars in 2015 and a regular table since.
Signature: Algerian-French tasting, Lamb
Order: The whole tasting menu; the chef rotates a lamb course in winter months.
Tip: The shorter weekday lunch at €70 is the cheapest two-Michelin-star meal in central Paris.
Alain Passard's Arpège has cooked vegetable-first three-Michelin-star menus in Paris since 1986. The kitchen pulls produce daily from three estate gardens.
Signature: Vegetable tasting menu, Tomato confit
Order: The full vegetable tasting menu; the chef's signature tomato confit dessert.
Tip: Lunch at €175 lands a fraction of the cost of dinner and uses the same kitchen line.
Arnaud Donckele's Plénitude in Paris cooks sauce-first inside Cheval Blanc on the Seine. Three Michelin stars since the room opened in 2021.
Signature: Sauce-led tasting menu, Langoustine
Order: The seven-course tasting; ask for the langoustine course early in the order.
Tip: The Sunday dinner is the easiest seating, with the same kitchen and a calmer floor.
Andrea Capasso's Le Clarence in Paris cooks game- and shellfish-forward tasting menus inside a Domaine Clarence Dillon townhouse on the Champs-Élysées.
Signature: Game tasting menu, Lobster
Order: Whatever game appears in winter; the chef's lobster course year-round.
Tip: Two seatings at lunch and dinner. Pelé works the floor; ask the maître d' to flag him.
