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• Where to eat and drink in the Marais, Paris: an insider shares her favourite restaurants

Where to eat and drink in the Marais, Paris: an insider shares her favourite restaurants

• Gina Jackson

Published: September 21, 2026 at 4:56 PM

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From classic bistros to favourite quick lunch spots, these are the places to know

It’s no secret that Paris ranks among the world’s great food capitals. Everyone has their own favourite corner of the city, and their go-to haunts: characterful cafés, Parisian bars where tables spill onto the street for prime people-watching, and unsuspecting Michelin-starred spots tucked along discreet streets.

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For writer Gina Jackson, who returns each year with the sole aim of eating her way through the city, the Marais – a stylish neighbourhood spanning parts of the third and fourth arrondissements – remains a firm favourite. It’s home to some of Paris’ chicest boutiques, and also boasts an exceptional concentration of standout places for wining and dining. Below, discover Gina’s pick of the best spots to visit, both in the Marais, and just bordering it.

Best restaurants in the Marais, Paris

Fauna

This Scandi-style café is the antithesis of the classic Parisian coffee shop: there’s a clear Danish DNA that Parisians and tourists alike have taken to with enthusiasm. Thanks to a few viral TikTok videos, you can expect long queues on weekends – but don’t be put off by the crowds.

It’s worth waiting around for a table if you have the patience: expect Danish breakfast plates laden with sourdough, soft-boiled eggs and comté, perfectly sliced avocado toast, and artfully arranged granola bowls – plus the best cardamom buns you'll find in Paris. @faunaparis

Temple & Chapon

The centrepiece restaurant at Experimental Marais – the third hotel in Paris by Parisian-based hospitality empire Experimental Group – is the perfect spot for long lunches that segue into dinner. Soaring cathedral-like ceilings, arched mirrors and candlelit tables make quite the statement, with the menu paying homage to 1950s New York chop houses.

It’s the kind of place you can drop into at any time, from breakfast through to cocktails, but is best enjoyed with a group of friends for dinner. Start with oysters and tuna crudo, before moving onto lobster linguine and hearty cuts of meat. Make sure to save room for the pillowy soft Paris-Brest with pecan ganache. templeetchapon.com

Pluto

This all-day restaurant set within a contemporary art gallery attracts an in-the-know crowd, with its Frama-furnished, art-lined dining room.

There’s something new on the menu every day, with a subtle Asian influence threaded through cooking that zigzags across the globe: for dinner you could dine on everything from Turkish manti to a Vietnamese-inspired pithivier and cold soba noodles. The desserts are the standout of any meal here: think gooey gochujang cookies (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it), apricot tarte tatin and strawberry millefeuille. @pluto.paris

Credit: Joanna Doukov

Bambino

An intimate listening bar set on the edge of the Marais, Bambino is the sixth in Parisian restaurateur Fabien Lombardi's family of venues, and takes clear inspiration from Tokyo's storied jazz cafés. The setup is simple: stripped-back interiors, a serious sound system, and a rotating curation of vinyls, all pulled from Lombardi's own private collection.

There are no reservations – simply turn up for cocktails and Japanese-inspired sandos and let the night unfold (it’s open until the early hours of the morning, well after neighbouring venues have closed for the night). @bambino_paris

Popelini

If there's one thing Parisians take seriously, it's their sweets. Most patisseries specialise in one or two things (madeleines here, macarons there), and for choux, it has to be Popelini.

Their Marais outpost is a tiny takeaway counter turning out sugary morsels: light-as-air choux with a slight crunch on the outside, and flavoured crème pâtissière within. Order a mixed box (salted caramel, vanilla, pistachio, passion fruit – the flavour list is genuinely overwhelming) and sneak them home with you on the Eurostar. popelini.com

Dreamin’ Man

This Japanese-owned cafe has garnered something of a cult following among specialty coffee lovers. Recent success has spawned a few sister spots across Paris, but the original location along rue Amelot (which has plenty of other independent cafes worth checking out) is snug and characterful - and is still the most charming of the lot. Alongside excellent coffee, you’ll find a daily-changing selection of homemade baked goods on offer: buttery madeleines, crumbly scones served with seasonal jams, and a silky, Japanese-influenced flan. Come summer, guests spill out onto the street outside. @dreaminman_paris

Parcelles

This intimate, candlelit restaurant on rue Chapon has quietly become one of the arrondissement's most sought-after tables, and is the perfect location for an elevated date night.

The menu is short, seasonal and unapologetically French (with a few Italian influences too): expect simply cooked plates of just-caught fish, vegetable-led dishes that make the most of whatever's in season, and handmade pastas. The real headliner, though, is the wine list; expect one of Paris's most comprehensive natural wine offerings, curated with real care. parcelles-paris.fr

Bistrot des Tournelles

If classic French bistro food is what you're after, it doesn't get much better than this legendary, old-school spot in the heart of the Marais. Step inside and it's all snugly squeezed tables, candlelit corners and mirrored walls, with tourists and locals alike clamouring for a table.

The menu is a greatest hits parade of French classics: croque monsieur followed by generously portioned steak au poivre and juicy chicken with morels, all served with crispy French fries and green beans. Book well ahead: the restaurant is only open for dinner, and tables here are hard to come by. bistrotdestournelles.com

Miznon

Long before Miznon spawned across Paris (and beyond), the Marais was home to its original Parisian outpost: a tiny, no-frills eatery located on rue des Écouffes. The concept is beautifully simple: warm, generously stuffed pitas filled with everything from slow-roasted meats to fresh vegetables (the cauliflower drizzled with tahini will convert even the most sceptical of carnivores).

It's still a walk-in only affair, and there's always a queue snaking out the door come lunchtime, but the pace of service is quick, and it’s one of the more affordable eats in the neighbourhood. miznonparis.com

Hotel Le Grand Mazarin

This Martin Brudnizki-designed hotel is easily one of the neighbourhood's chicest (and most colourful) addresses. While there are plenty of stylish boutique hotels in this quarter of the city, few feature the same slick, five-star service and amenities that Le Grand Mazarin has to offer. In true Brudnizki style, bedrooms are a riot of pattern and colour, all awash in macaron-like shades: think pistachio-toned walls, intricate tapestry canopies suspended over beds and lemon yellow-tiled bathrooms stocked with Diptyque toiletries. Downstairs, a mosaicked spa unfolds around an underground pool crowned with a spectacular, mural-wrapped ceiling. Check out our best hotels in Paris for more. legrandmazarin.com

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Gina Jackson

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