Where a Michelin-Starred Chef Eats in Paris
Welcome to The Relisher’s third Paris edition! This week I met with chef Toshitaka Omiya and sommelier Shawn Joyeux, the co-owners of the Michelin-starred Restaurant Alliance in Paris.
Chef Omiya trained in Paris’ most iconic restaurants, including, three-starred Arpège, three-starred Le Cinq and two-starred David Toutain Restaurant. In 2015, he and Shawn opened Alliance in the 5th arrondissement.
I was especially interested in featuring this duo because over three Michelin-starred chefs I’ve interviewed—not to mention the founder of Paris by Mouth—have named Alliance among their top three restaurants in the world. Naturally, I had to find out their favorite places in Paris.
Below, the pair share their favorite restaurants, wine bars, patisseries, stores, and more in Paris. A Google Map with all their picks is included at the end of the article.
Where We Always Eat in Paris
The three-starred Arpège is our absolute favorite restaurant in Paris. It’s unique because it truly reflects the chef’s cuisine—Alain Passard’s creations. You can’t find this type of cooking anywhere else.
Arpège was the first vegetable-focused, Michelin-starred restaurant in France. The chef takes simple, organic vegetables—grown in the restaurant’s gardens—and transforms them into the most impressive dishes. For example, the last time we were there, we had a shallot pie, and it was incredible to see such a simple product become the highlight of a course. Achieving that level of refinement with everyday ingredients isn’t easy.
A meal at Arpège is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Whether it’s your first visit to Paris or your fifth, it’s a must-visit restaurant.
Le Sot l’y Laisse is a French restaurant run by a Japanese chef, and it’s all about classic French cuisine, executed exceptionally well. It’s rare to find a place that still does the classics with such precision.
The restaurant itself has an old-school feel, with a small team—often just one or two people running the show. The chef sources seasonal ingredients himself, traveling to the countryside for produce, and updates the wine list every few months.
Their wine selection is excellent. Unlike many places that experiment with natural wines, they focus on a balanced selection of classic bottles to match their traditional dishes. Both the food and wine are priced very fairly.
Our favorite dish here is the wild duck with salmis sauce, a classic preparation using the bones, blood, and red wine. It’s a rare dish these days, typically found in traditional bouchon-style restaurants—casual Lyonnais eateries known for rich, meaty fare—but here it’s executed with perfection.
Capitaine is a farm-to-table French cuisine restaurant located in Le Marais, with a modern bistro feel: bare wooden tables, moleskin banquettes, and touches of maritime kitsch. This is one of my favorites, as the chef has a deep understanding of how to balance flavors, creating high-level cuisine through simple techniques. His cooking is straightforward—there’s no long preparation, just an instinctive pairing of ingredients that results in an incredible final dish.
Take, for example, the pimientos—sweet red chili peppers—and oysters. He plates the oysters with a simple pimiento dressing, served steamed and untouched beyond that. It’s a pure approach to cooking that lets the ingredients shine. For the perfect meal, start with the oysters and follow with the veal sweetbreads—they’re the best in Paris. The wine list is also excellent.
TOYO, a fusion of French and Japanese cuisine, is led by a Japanese chef—who was the private chef for fashion designer Kenzo. His menu is highly seasonal, dictated by the best produce available at the market. When he finds standout ingredients, he works them into simple yet elevated dishes. His signature sea urchin croque monsieur—a twist on the classic ham-and-cheese French sandwich, made crisp and melty, but with sea urchin inside— is absolutely to die for. His risotto is also a must-order.
We love coming here with friends for dinner—it has an amazing, lively atmosphere. You feel truly cared for and never want to leave. You’re guaranteed to have an amazing time. Everyone we’ve recommended this place to ends up becoming a regular.
Le Severo is a charming bistro with vintage chairs and chalk drawings on the walls. It’s owned by a former butcher who has been working with meat for over 30 years, so he knows exactly how to select, prepare and mature the best cuts. Not everyone understands how to properly mature meat—these days, everyone claims to be doing it, but we think William is the best in Paris.
The menu is simple: perfectly aged beef served with mashed potatoes, fries, and a good bottle of wine. If you’re looking for the best beef tartare in Paris, this is the place. The quality of the meat is truly top-tier. Without a doubt, this is the best meat restaurant in town.
Note that the restaurant is small, so book a table one to two weeks in advance.
Where to Drink Wine in Paris—And Find the Best Burgundy List
Sagan is our favorite wine bar. It’s just a counter and one table on the side—a small, casual spot beloved by local Parisians. They serve only French wines and offer a wide selection of tapas. With just 12 seats, the space feels intimate.
We love it because of the balance in the wine selection—the quality, the variety, and the price. Their Burgundy list is exceptional, especially at these prices, which is rare in Paris. The owner prices wines for locals, making it a great value.
The ambiance is wonderful. You drink well, eat well—as it should be, but that’s not always easy to find these days. It’s the kind of place where you can eat a lot if you’re hungry, and drink a lot if you’re thirsty.
Our personal favorite wine bottle that we like to order here is Saint Aubin, Hubert Lamy 2018 (a white Burgundy).
Our Favorite Patisserie and Boulangerie in Paris
The top pâtisserie in Paris is Mori Yoshida—once again, a Japanese pâtissier who does it best.
He specializes in classic French pastries that are perfectly executed. He’s known for his chocolate tart, Paris-Brest (a ring-shaped choux pastry filled with rich praline-flavored cream), chocolate éclairs, and lemon tart. His Mont Blanc—made from meringue with sweetened chestnut purée and whipped cream—is the best in Paris, and our personal favorite of his desserts.
For croissants, our favorite is La Maison d’Isabelle, located in Saint-Germain. They won the top prize for the best all-butter croissant in Paris and the surrounding region a few years ago. Their croissants are extremely high-quality and always fresh, no matter the time of day—which isn’t always the case at bakeries. Even when cold, they have a different texture that’s just as good.
Our personal favorite is the ordinary croissant—it has less butter than a typical croissant but more puff pastry, making it perfectly light and crisp.
Paris Stores Beloved by Chefs
The below stores aren’t just our favorites—they’re spots where some of Paris’s best chefs actually shop. We’ve even run into a few of them picking up spices or flipping through cookbooks.
When Parisian chefs need inspiration Izraël is the place they go. This spice shop feels like a North African souk—you step inside and are surrounded by hundreds of different spices.
It has the city’s most extraordinary spice selection along with a wide range of ingredients from across the Orient— everything from dried fruit and seeds to olives, condiments, sweets, and preserves.
Librairie Gourmande is our favorite bookstore. They have an amazing selection of cookbooks in both English and French, covering everything from classic techniques to contemporary cuisine.
HERE is a Google Map with all of the locations listed above.
Thanks for reading,
Gabrielle