A French culinary icon's guide to Paris' restaurants

Michelin-starred female chef Anne-Sophie Pic dishes on her favourite restaurants in Paris right now, from the iconic Chez l’Ami Louis to newcomer Table – Bruno Verjus.

On the menu? Traditionally, beloved dishes like steak frites or a cheesy croque monsieur; for dessert, a tarte tatin (apple cake) served warm out of the oven or a crackly, creamy crême brulée.

Today, with big-name chefs from and all corners of the world setting up shop in the French capital – especially this summer, when a handful of Michelin-starred chefs have been selected to cater the Paris 2024 Olympics – the Parisian food scene has become a true melting pot of flavours from around the globe, enriching the national cuisine. In any given arrondissement, visitors are guaranteed to stumble upon an astonishing number of excellent restaurants.

We asked chef Anne-Sophie Pic – owner of the legendary three-Michelin-starred restaurant Anne-Sophie Pic, and one of the Olympic Games' official torch bearers – what's delicious in Paris now and where to get it.

"French cuisine has a unique heritage of traditions and culinary codes that have evolved over the centuries, following a common thread of ion and taste," says Pic, whose Paris restaurant Le Dame de Pic is found just steps away from the Louvre Museum. "A good dish is first and foremost one that is capable of arousing emotion, of leaving a memorable imprint."

Pic's own dishes are recognised as some of the most memorable in contemporary French cuisine. "Being a woman and self-taught has given me a certain freedom," she says. "My heritage is, of course, part of my cooking's DNA, but over the years, I've been able to forge my own path… each chef aims to create his own universe and culinary identity."

Here are chef Anne-Sophie Pic's picks for the best restaurants in Paris this summer.

Founded in 1929 by chef Antoine Magnin, Chez L'Ami Louis has hardly changed over the past century: the dark wood s still give the restaurant the same cosy atmosphere, the waiters are still dressed to the nines in their pristine white blazers and black ties and the woodfire oven is still intact and in use today.

"Chez L'Ami Louis is an iconic restaurant in Paris serving classic French dishes," says Pic. "It truly encapsulates the myth of the Parisian bistro with its checkered tablecloths, serving classic French food."