L'Ami Louis

Paris, France

It's one of the most authentic bistros in Paris – and one of the hardest to get a table at. L'Ami Louis divides opinion: AA Gill loathed it, the Beckhams and chef Simon Hopkinson love its congeniality. Behind the dark wood and red-and-white-check curtained façade, there are only a dozen tables in the teeny panelled space – and they're normally reserved by the great and the good of Parisian society. Judges, bankers, artists and actors (Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Brad Pitt have all been spotted here) gather to gulp back Burgundy and devour the classic French menu brought out by waiters in white coats, the likes of thickly sliced foie gras, côte de boeuf, lamb chops and simple sides. But it's the whole roast chicken, cooked in the wood-fired oven and served with a pile of shoestring fries, that steals the show.

Key Information

• Average price per person $135
• Lunch and dinner: Wed – Sun
• +33 1 48 87 77 48

Location

32 Rue du Vertbois, 3rd arrondissement, Paris, 75003 Paris