28 Best Restaurants in Side Trips from Paris, France

A culinary institution since 1861, this warm and welcoming retreat in the heights of Suresnes has served generations of Parisians and locals who flock here for a reliably delicious meal. With a crackling fire in winter and a flower-bedecked terrace in summer, you'll enjoy gastronomic versions of French classics in every season along with fantastic views of Paris and the Eiffel Tower. Chef Guillaume Delage, who's plied his craft in some of France's greatest kitchens, specializes in seasonal dishes with extravagant touches, like the lièvre à la royale (wild rabbit stuffed with foie gras and simmered in red wine), a staple on the menu since 1861. Desserts are equally delicious and an encyclopedic wine list delights aficionados and amateurs alike. Though the restaurant is worth a trip on its own, being a three-minute walk from the American Cemetery makes it the perfect spot before or after a visit.

A mandatory stop for pastry- and chocolate-lovers alike, this master pâtissier excels in classic French confections with all the bells and whistles. Light as air and made with the best ingredients, Cassel's award-winning creations are as beautiful as they are scrumptious. The sinful mille-feuille comes in five flavors, including sweet chestnut and Earl Gray tea; the tarte duo de cerise mixes tart and sweet cherries with almond cream; and some say his classic macaron is one of the best in France. Chocolates are freshly made on the premises. Don't miss the lovely tea salon for lunch or a midday break, where you can choose from a gourmet menu of hot and cold dishes for lunch and a large selection of Dammann Frères teas, coffée, chocolat chaud, and pastries.

Worldwide chef sensation Gordon Ramsay brings his conversation-worthy cuisine to this Versailles berth. Picture exemplary entrées like ravioli of langoustines and lobster cooked in a Riesling bisque with Petrossian caviar and lime consommé, or Périgord foie gras done "2 ways," roasted with a beetroot tart and pressed with green apple and Sauternes, all available on an expensive five-course tasting menu at dinner. The Trianon's more casual, 60-seat Véranda restaurant (open for lunch and dinner) is also under Ramsay's sway, and in its black-and-white contemporary setting you can opt for his "light, modern take" on bistro novelties like radicchio and Parmesan risotto with chorizo oil. Teatime provides a delightful (and more reasonable) restorative for weary château-goers, with a French twist on high tea: scones, madeleines, and heavenly macarons.

Beamed ceilings, tiled floors, and charming accents are just the beginning of a thoroughly enjoyable dining experience at this traditional bistro in the heart of Barbizon. All the beloved French classics—chevre chaud, leeks vinaigrette, entrecôte de boeuf, noix de Saint-Jacques, steak tartare—are served just as they're meant to be for lunch and dinner. If you're hankering after a skillfully prepared, deeply French meal, this is the place—and it's open seven days a week, a rarity in France.

This cozy bistro's namesake studied at the prestigious Ferrandi school and cut her teeth at Joël Robuchon in Paris before returning to her hometown to open her own "bistronomique" restaurant (meaning gastronomic bistro). The refined menu offers seasonal dishes made with ingredients from sustainable farms when possible, and all the wines are organic. Dining on the terrace, overlooking the fountain on Chartres' pretty Evora Square, is a joy in warm weather.

Chef Rémi Chambard's Michelin-starred dining room at the charming "countryside" luxury hotel Les Étangs de Corot is a favorite hideaway for Paris gastronomes not only for the lovely setting, between Paris and Versailles, but for his flawless cuisine made from top-notch ingredients (veggies are from the Versailles gardens). In warm weather, the famous Sunday brunch, served in the beautiful patio garden, is an experience to remember.

If you want to make your visit or stay in Chartres a memorable one, this stellar hotel restaurant is the place to go. Excellent by any standards, the elegant dining room, impeccable service, and refined gastronomic menu from chef Thomas Parnaud, who breathed new life into the restaurant when he took the helm in mid-2018, make this dining room a standout in Chartres and the entire region.

Owner and chef Eric Guérin brings all his considerable expertise to bear in the beautiful dining room at this hotel restaurant, where the menu focuses on the bounty of the Norman seaside. A destination unto itself, the restaurant and hotel are favorites of Giverny visitors seeking a dining "experience," so be sure to reserve in advance for both lunch and dinner. Prices are on the higher side, but for cuisine of this quality that's to be expected.

Don't be fooled by the casual interior: this popular "gastrobistro," helmed by two brothers passionate about food and wine, is where local foodies go for a special lunch or evening out. Products fresh from Compiègne's wonderful farmers' market are transformed into only a few sophisticated dishes each day that change with the season and are as beautiful to look at as they are delicious. Near the Oise River and a quick walk from the château, this is a great place for a two- or three-course lunch, but linger over dinner to fully enjoy this marvelous cuisine.

The adventurous cuisine served at Les Feuillantines (one of Chartres’s few gastronomic restaurants) rarely falters and very often soars. Try the superb house-made terrine with tangy cornichons to start, followed by duck risotto topped with caramelized shallots or beef ravioli perfumed with lemongrass and smoked tea. For dessert, the copious cheese plate, vanilla-flecked baba au rhum, and divine melted-chocolate cake all hit the spot. In warmer months, the garden is an added bonus, as is a good, if slightly unimaginative, wine list. The location (on a tiny street near the cathedral) is convenient, and in terms of quality for price this cozy spot can’t be beat.

In the center of town just a few minutes from the Musée Maurice Denis, this contemporary French-style bistro is popular for its bright decor and healthy Swedish-inflected recipes. Appetizers like toasts Skagen—tiny shrimps in homemade dilled mayonnaise on toast—and salmon gravlax or marinated herring are fresh, healthy, and delicious. There's also beautifully prepared dishes like veal and lamb for meat lovers. Homemade desserts are a must. Two- or three-course lunch menus are a good bet for dishes of this quality. Book ahead if possible, especially at dinnertime.

There's no doubt that dining in the world's most famous palace at a restaurant conceived by the world's most famous chef is an experience worth having. Although Alain Ducasse is not actually cooking here, you can enjoy a gourmet version of breakfast, lunch, or teatime in splendid surroundings with views of the palace from the first-floor restaurant's floor-to-ceiling windows. For the best value, go for the fixed-price menus. A six-course teatime (3:30 to 5:30 pm), with both savory and sweet offerings, is a particularly pleasant option. The restaurant also hosts several exclusive candlelit dinners after palace closing hours throughout the year. Be sure to reserve ahead of time online or by phone. Several of Ore's fixed-price menus include the price of admission to Versailles, allowing you to skip the long lines.

Back in Monet's day, this pretty-in-pink villa was the favorite hotel of the American painters' colony. Today it remains one of the most charming spots in the Île-de-France (despite the tourists), although the surroundings retain more historic charm than the simple cuisine (mainly salads large enough to count as a main course in their own right, or straightforward, if unremarkable, dishes like an omelet or gigot d'agneau [lamb and mutton]). A decent three-course prix-fixe menu is available at lunch and dinner. Renovated to appear as it did in Monet's time, the dining room is stage-set rustic; and there’s an extraordinarily pretty rose garden out back with embowered paths that lead to the studio Cézanne once used.

Three km (2 miles) from Rambouillet near the small town of Gazeran, this ivy-clad 18th-century home is a romantic setting for an elegant gastronomic meal. Dishes like roasted cod in beef reduction with black-truffle risotto or fillet of venison with parsnip mousse are made with the freshest ingredients—many from the kitchen garden—and can be followed by a copious cheese plate or tempting seasonal desserts. A beautiful garden terrace is delightful in the summer. Three-course prix-fixe menus at both lunch and dinner are an excellent value.

With a roaring fire in winter and an outdoor terrace in summer, this quaint, country-style restaurant specializes in the fruits of the sea. Traditional dishes—like brioche-enrobed escargot with Roquefort sauce, plump seafood sausage, a hearty soupe de poisson (fish soup), and a heaping seafood platter—are served in a wood-beamed dining room.

For total van Gogh immersion, have lunch—or dinner on Friday and Saturday—in the restaurant he patronized regularly more than 100 years ago, in the building where he actually died. A three-course prix-fixe menu is available, and saddle of lamb and homemade terrine are among Loran Gattufo's specialties. What makes eating here special, though, is the genius loci, complete with glasswork, lace curtains, and wall blandishments carefully modeled on the original designs. Table No. 5, the "table des habitués," is where Van Gogh used to sit. A magnificently illustrated book, Van Gogh's Table, by culinary historian Alexandra Leaf and art historian Fred Leeman, recalls Vincent's stay at the auberge and describes in loving detail the dishes served here at the time.

An unapologetic carnivore, chef Alix Guiet bucks the trend for veggie-conscious cuisine in his handsome new restaurant a quick walk from the palace. The seasonal menu offers all the tried-and-true French classics—sautéed duck hearts, bone marrow on toast, veal liver, and steak tartare—from the famous meat-producing regions of France, served with your choice of delicious, artery-clogging sauce: green peppercorn, béarnaise, beurre Roquefort, etc. There's also a choice of fish dishes. The dining room, in a restored 17th-century town house, is sleek, bright, and comfortable, with wood-beam ceilings, white paneling, and tasteful artwork—and the meals served here are reasonably priced and of extremely high quality. Classic desserts (baba au rhum, brioche pain perdu) round out the meal.

If you're looking for a quick, traditional meal a few steps from the cathedral, look no further than this crêperie, a favorite in Chartres. You'll find a full list of savory (made with buckwheat flour) delights—ham, egg, smoked salmon, veggies, potatoes, and cheese—or sweet (made with white flour)—caramel au beurre salé, crêpes suzette, Grand Marnier, and ice cream—all washed down with a delicious Normandy cider. Whether you dine upstairs, downstairs, or on the sidewalk terrace, it's a good choice for a delicious, unfussy meal that's perfect for adults and kids.

Young Japanese chef Kunihisa Goto has finally brought Fontainebleau's dining scene a Michelin star. The sleek contemporary dining room is the perfect setting for his refined cuisine that draws from the natural bounty of the lush Fontainebleau region, both wild and cultivated. The menu is small, all the better to highlight luxury ingredients like sea urchin, caviar, truffles, and langoustine served with more prosaic riches like caramelized local tomatoes, puree of chervil root, or a velvety buckwheat sauce (prix-fixe menus are available for both lunch and dinner).

Housed in the stone-vaulted kitchens of the Château de Chantilly's legendary 17th-century chef Vorace Vatel, this quaint restaurant has an open-hearth fireplace big enough for whole lambs or oxen to sizzle on the spit. Reflect at leisure on your cultural peregrinations over mouthfuls of grilled turbot or roast quail, and don't forget to add a good dollop of homemade crème de Chantilly to your dessert. Open from noon to 5, it offers à la carte options plus a €35 prix-fixe menu.

A pleasing mix of ancient and modern, this colorful, light-filled restaurant, with high-beamed ceilings and limestone walls hung with contemporary art and "candeliers," was once a farmstead on the grounds of the nearby Château de Vaux-le-Pénil. But Isabelle and Fabrice Vitu's warm welcome and Michelin-starred cuisine are the real draws; locals and Parisians alike appreciate the refined menu that includes surprising twists on French classics and plenty of delicacies from the sea. Savor scallops on a bed of Puy lentils, crisp veal foot in a smoked-eel emulsion, or succulent John Dory with truffles—but be sure to save room for the warm Grand Marnier soufflé, a house specialty. The three-course menu is the best value.

French country specialties and fish are served at this rustic restaurant—one of Barbizon's very best—with a big open fire and a large terrace shaded by lime and chestnut trees. The three-course weekday menu is a good value, but wine here is expensive and cannot be ordered by the pichet (pitcher). Reservations are essential on weekends and highly recommended in summer.

The 15-minute walk from the palace gates to this cozy, well-priced bistro is rewarded by an enticing daily menu of French classics all listed on a blackboard that's brought to your table. Dishes like homemade foie gras, roasted cod, and ham with parsley sauce are made with ingredients fresh from local suppliers. Best of all is the list of 200 natural French wines, many served by the glass, and the very reasonably priced, three-course dinner menu. Be sure to reserve ahead of time, as it's very popular with the locals.

Adjoining the property of the stately 17th-century Château de Bourron, in the heart of the Forest of Fontainebleau, this lovely restaurant is well worth the short trip out of town. Bright and airy, with an open terrace in warm weather, the elegant dining room shows meticulous attention to detail—from the crisp table linens to the stylish flower arrangements—all the better to highlight chef Dominique Maès's sophisticated French fare. The six-course tasting menu (wine pairings extra) is the best deal, allowing for a well-rounded sampling of this talented chef's inventive cuisine.