Le Voltaire

Paris, France

Tucked beneath a discreet black awning on a nondescript street, the name (and address) of this wood-panelled brasserie denotes its hidden history. Writer and philosopher François-Marie Arouet once lived in the building. His pen name? Voltaire. By the tail-end of the 19th century, the property had been transformed into a restaurant by a father-and-son team and was drawing in the city’s artistic community. Now, entrusted by the Picot family to a trio of friends, Le Voltaire has become a dining destination of choice for the city’s crème de la crème.

This is classic Parisian hospitality. Take a seat in the front café for coffee and sandwiches, or head to the dimly lit dining room out back to enjoy quintessential French cuisine: garlicky escargot, sole meunière and rotund mounds of chocolate-draped profiteroles. Le Voltaire is romantic brasserie dining at its best, inviting leisurely noon lunches that end as dusk settles on a third or fourth grasshopper cocktail. With crisp white tablecloths, velvet booths, dark wood panelling and chess board tiled floors, it's Parisian pleasures made material.

Key Information

• Lunch and dinner: Mon – Sun
• 33142611749
• Visit Le Voltaire's Website

Location

27 Quai Voltaire, 7th Arrondissement, Paris, 75007