Brunch

A brunch hunt: top 10 best brunch in Paris

Brunch may have been invented in the US, but Paris Region certainly knows how to enhance it with French gastronomy. Chosen from the menu or served in a buffet, here’s the best of Parisian cafés and restaurants where to enjoy this Sunday tradition.
  1. Inspiration
  2. Top experiences
  3. Brunch in the Paris Region

Now taking the romantic, gourmet city of Paris by storm, brunch is a 19th-century legacy of the American golden youth who, after partying on a Saturday night, struggled to get up for breakfast on Sunday mornings. The city is famous for its cobblestone streets and charming cafés, but also its legendary brunches. For Parisians and tourists alike, brunch has become a weekend highlight and comes in many shapes and forms. Explore every district of the French capital to find the best places to enjoy a ‘breakfast lunch’.

Where shall we brunch?

Biglove Caffé, brunch the Italian way

This is one of the Big Mamma group’s latest eateries. In the heart of the Marais district in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, it serves a menu that just oozes Italy. Naturally, this restaurant has the same charm that made its counterparts so popular: elegant tableware, a warm welcome by Italian waiters and, more importantly, generous dishes straight out of Italy. Here, brunch is available throughout the day. Buffalo-ricotta pancakes, salmon bruschetta, bread pudding with mascarpone cream and raspberries… You’ll leave with a full tummy and a desire to learn Italian.

Biglove Caffè
Biglove Caffé

Le Mob, for an organic brunch

The most Americanised town in the Paris Region, also known as Saint-Ouen, conceals a very special hotel. The interior walls of this establishment display kits inviting customers to express their views. Le Mob serves an organic Italian menu that’s based on seasonal ingredients and packed with flavour. You have the freedom to choose where you sit, either outside on the spacious terrace or indoors amid the friendly atmosphere around the huge tables or on one of the super-cosy sofas. Here, the pace of time matches yours. The menu includes meze, hummus, sweet peppers, cauliflower granola, fried aubergines, bulgur tabbouleh, Kalamata olives and bread puffs prepared in-house. Not forgetting their selection of cheese, ham, pastries, hot drinks, jam, eggs and fresh fruit. This zero-waste brunch can be savoured to the sound of live music.

Restaurant Mob Hotel
Mob Hotel Paris les Puces

Brasserie Thoumieux, the sophisticated brunch

The ground-floor restaurant of the beautiful Thoumieux Hotel on the left bank has become a reference among brunch lovers. Both the venue and the menu are loyal to the purest Parisian tradition. Every Sunday from 12 noon, begins the classic French breakfast procession of hot and cold drinks, a selection of pastries and French bread spread with butter, honey or jam. The savoury tradition is also observed, with dishes like eggs Benedict with salmon, ham-and-cheese macaroni and croque-monsieur. For dessert, you’ll succumb to the temptation of sweet treats like a soft cookie, granola with fromage blanc or a seasonal fruit salad.

Restaurant
Brasserie Thoumieux

Cazaudehore, the winter brunch

At this restaurant located in the forest of Saint Germain en Laye, don’t expect to order brunch at any old time of year. When the weather is cold and gloomy, Cazaudehore pulls out all the stops and offers warmth and comfort in the form of a winter brunch. Grégory Balland, the chef, and his team have put together an all-you-can-eat buffet that invites you and your family to enjoy a pleasant meal in a spirit of warmth and togetherness. On top of all that, the Cazaudehore expertise and the fireside atmosphere make this a hard place to leave…

Cazaudehore

Mama Shelter East & West, for brunch at Mama’s

More than a mere hotel, Mama Shelter is a lively venue in its own right, to which only Mama holds the secret. Initially set up in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, it can now also be found just a stone’s throw from the Porte de Versailles. At both establishments, Mama’s brunches are unique, with an all-you-can-eat option that combines French and Italian specialities. At Mama Shelter East, you’ll love the typically French cheeseboard, duck shepherd’s pie, soft-boiled eggs, croque-monsieur and pastries… With an Italian touch in the form of Mama’s famous pasta. Mama Shelter West gives pride of place to Italian dishes, in a menu of lasagna, daily pasta specials and the traditional tomatoes with mozzarella & basil pesto. Whichever one you choose, you’ll enjoy the same cosy and colourful atmosphere.

Salle du restaurant du Mama Shelter Paris East
Mama Shelter East

Hoct & Loca, the chocolate brunch

In the heart of the 1st arrondissement of Paris, Hoct & Loca in the Châtelet district calls itself a chocolate bar. But to complete the picture, they also serve savoury dishes. The three course brunch menu is available every day of the week. You’ll begin with a savoury starter such as salmon, toast with avocado, feta, red onion, etc., a veggie bowl or a healthy bowl with açai purée, chia seeds and seasonal fruit. A homemade cold drink will freshen your palate to prepare you for the highlight, a chocolate tasting session. You have just two choices from six possibilities. If this is torture for you, you’ll find comfort in the pastries, fruit, hot milk and ice cream, to be enjoyed to your heart’s content.

Hoct&Loca
HOCT & LOCA

Boulom, the secret brunch

From the outside it looks like nothing more than a bakery. But don’t be fooled, step inside! Julien Duboué, the Dax-born chef, has converted the backroom into the most stylish canteen in the whole of Paris. Walk past the shelves filled with bread and pastries to find yourself in the room where it all happens.

Under the ceiling of plants you can get together with friends around one of the huge tables for an all-you-can-eat brunch that’s fit for a giant. Everyone can choose whatever they like, be it oysters produced by Joël Dupuch, duck sausages with Espelette chilli, devilled eggs, charcuterie and so on. As for the desserts, there’s no getting round it, you just have to try them! These include lemon meringue tart, chocolate mousse, brioche and crêpe Suzette. These are, of course, all made in-house and baked in the traditional ovens. For groups of more than six, you may be lucky enough to dine in the secret bar, hidden away for private functions behind the fridge door…

Lazy Brunch, like brunch at home

This is what Juliette wanted to see in Paris. Brunch in bed without having to cook. A recipe for happiness. Every weekend, Juliette and her accomplices prepare brunches for delivery straight to your door. Choose from a menu of pancakes, avocado toast, seasonal salads, sweet-potato waffle burgers, cookies and French toast. With a delicious homemade fruit juice to wash it all down, of course. Or if you’re up to facing the outside world, pop to Juliette’s restaurant in Levallois-Perret where brunch is served at weekends. To be Lazy or not to be Lazy, that is the question.

Bal Café, the solidarity brunch

Located in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, at the bottom of a dead-end street near Place de Clichy, Bal is a photo exhibition venue and studio. But several years ago it also became a restaurant which overlooks a garden and serves a decidedly creative ‘Brunch/Früstück’ menu at weekends. This includes British and Germanic specialities, such as homemade bircher muesli, cottage cheese with herbs and soft-boiled egg, various porridges, scones and creamy bacon sauce. Above all, the Bal Café is a shelter that offers back-to-work support to refugees keen to familiarise themselves with the values of ethical and committed cuisine.

Noglu, the brunch for gluten-intolerant diners

You won’t find an ounce of gluten here. Yet their French pastries are as tasty as ever. Every Saturday in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, brunch offers an opportunity to showcase these delicious pastries made with alternatives to wheat flour. The cookies with giant chocolate chips, brownies, almond & pear tarts and soft madeleines are just a few of their mouthwatering creations. The savoury dishes are tasty too: turkey and vegetable rolls, club sandwiches, roast meats etc., for a delicious brunch that’s sure to please.

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