Lapérouse is a Parisian landmark, a restaurant that’s nothing if not steeped in history. Located on the quai des Grands-Augustins overlooking the Seine, this space in a former private mansion was transformed, in 1766, into a wine merchant’s complete with private salons perfect for conducting private business. When it was taken over in the 19th century by Jules Lapérouse, these salons got a bit of a makeover, with loads of decorative paintings and mirrors that would charm famed Parisians, who often brought their mistresses here, thanks to the space’s innate privacy and discretion. Today, the portraits of former patrons like Guy de Maupassant, Emile Zola, Victor Hugo, Honoré de Balzac, and Sarah Bernhardt dot the winding corridors and staircases, leading to what feel like countless dining rooms located throughout the space.
A visit to Lapérouse begins in the bar, a sumptuous room with marble floors covered in thick rugs and a gorgeous ceiling with mahogany molding. One look at the cocktail menu clues you into the prices that are de rigeur here: The least expensive cocktail is 26 euros. I decided to save my sous for the meal and headed, instead, up to the dining room, which offers views of the Seine as well as live piano music for a lovely, Old World feel.
While Lapérouse got its third Michelin star in 1933, it lost it in 1969. Today, much like Maxim’s, it seems to skate by on its past culinary excellence and continued popularity with stars including Nicole Kidman, Bella Hadid, and Kim Kardashian. The imposing wine list, which boasts 800 references, hews close to Burgundy and rarely offers a bottle for less than 100 euro, and the menu boasts a selection truffle- and caviar-bedecked otherwise-approachable classics.
Fancy garnishes aside, appetizers run the gamut from a simple mesclun with mushrooms and cilantro (28) to a seasonal sweet pea velouté (30). I opted to begin with the Croque-Royal truffé (34), a long, slender finger of sandwich bread filled with a just-OK truffle-infused cheese filling.
My dining companion fared better with the pâté en croute (31), which was filled with duck and foie gras seasoned with thyme and black chanterelle mushrooms. Both were served with an absolutely delicious side salad – the star of the plate, in my humble opinion. (Though would it have been worth 28 euros?)
Mains include two “Grands Classiques de la Maison” to share: beef Wellington (85 euros per person) and sole meunière (95 euros per person). Dishes for one range from lamb chops (68) to blanquette de veau (36), a hearty outlier that almost seems too homey to be at home here. My dining companion went for the chicken suprême with a lovely creamy morel mushroom sauce (42) and a side of rich and creamy mashed potatoes.
I was hesitating between the sea bream flambéed in absinthe (57) and the beef Châteaubriand (65), and given our waiter’s enthusiastic appraisal of the latter, I pounced. I was rewarded with a perfectly cooked filet: crispy on the outside, tender and rare within.
It was served with a generous copper cassolette of creamy pepper sauce and an absolute mound of crispy pommes allumettes. I’m not usually a French fry fan – in fact, it may well be my most divisive culinary hot take that French fries are rarely better than fine – but these were very good and well-seasoned to boot.
We were more than sated by the time the dessert menu came, and yet we decided, for the sake of science, to try the eponymous Lapérouse cake (22), a combination of vanilla sponge and two kinds of vanilla cream, all crowned with a fluffy Italian meringue. Frankly, I was super impressed. The admittedly very sweet dessert nevertheless managed to be nuanced and moreish, with the perfect tender and moist texture.
I hadn’t expected the food here to be mind-blowing; in fact, it was better than I expected it to be, all things considered. Was it worth the exorbitant prices? Perhaps not, but at a place like this, you’re not paying for the food as much as you’re paying for the experience… and that’s where I have a bone to pick.
I have no problem eating slightly less well in a place whose ambiance is of this caliber, but I expect the service to have that oh-so-Parisian blend of omnipresence and discretion, and here, that was far from the case. The relatively young brigade of servers were disorganized bordering on inept. Our dishes arrived before we’d even had time to order wine, and a communication snafu regarding my buckwheat allergy was straight out of a Louis De Funès film and resulted in my being served a side of (admittedly delicious) gluten-free toast.
I get the sense that the move here is to come with a group and enjoy your meal in one of the gorgeous private salons, where you won’t notice quite so much if your waiter is bumbling or over-present, and where you can exalt in the ambiance of this storied space even more intently than in the shared dining room. (Luckily, it’s easy to peek into the private salons as you seek the luxurious bathrooms!)
Lapérouse – 51 Quai des Grands Augustins, 75006