Restaurant in Paris, France

Automne

Name: Automne
Address: 11 Rue Richard Lenoir, 75011 Paris, France, Paris, FR
Telephone: +33 1 40 09 03 70
Price range: $$$$

650Pearl Points

Michelin level, without the grand dining room.

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About Automne

Automne holds a Michelin star in the 11th arrondissement with a deliberately simple bistro room and a short seasonal menu shaped by chef Nobuyuki Akishige's training at La Vague d'Or and La Pyramide. At €€€€, it delivers more technical precision than the surroundings suggest and less ceremony than most starred Paris rooms. Hard to book, narrow hours, worth the effort if the food is the entire point.

The Verdict

If you are weighing Automne against Paris's bigger-name Japanese-influenced modern French restaurants, book here instead. At €€€€ in the 11th arrondissement, this Michelin one-star delivers the kind of cooking you would expect from venues charging considerably more, inside a room that makes no attempt to impress you with its decor. That is the point. Chef Nobuyuki Akishige, who trained at kitchens including La Vague d'Or in Saint-Tropez alongside Arnaud Donckele and La Pyramide in Vienne, brings genuine technical depth to a short, seasonal menu. The result is a rare thing in Paris at this price tier: food that earns its star without theatre.

Who Should Book

Book Automne if you want to eat at Michelin level without the formal dining room overhead. If you have been once and found the understated room and compressed service windows a surprise, that is by design. The format rewards diners who come focused on the plate. If you need a grand room to justify the spend, or if you are hosting a group that wants spectacle alongside the food, look elsewhere. For a two-leading where the meal is the occasion itself, this is where to go.

About the Restaurant

Automne sits at 11 Rue Richard Lenoir in the 11th arrondissement, a neighbourhood more associated with natural wine bars and neighbourhood bistros than starred kitchens. That address is part of the proposition. The room is described in Michelin's own recognition as a simple bistro interior, the contrast between the surroundings and what arrives on the plate is where the interest lies. Chef Akishige's trajectory spans some of France's most demanding kitchens: L'Atelier du Peintre in Colmar, Auberge de l'Ill in Illhaeusern, La Vague d'Or, Le K2 in Courchevel. That formation shows in the precision of the cooking, particularly in how the kitchen handles seasonal produce. The Michelin citation specifically references white asparagus with sorrel and almonds, a dish of meagre with courgettes, hand-dived razor shells and verbena as illustrations of the kitchen's approach: harmonious flavours from technically accurate cooking rather than from complexity or elaboration.

The hours are narrow and the windows tight. Lunch runs from around 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM Wednesday through Sunday. Dinner runs 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM on the same days, with Monday and Tuesday closed entirely. Saturday lunch closes at 1:00 PM. These are not the hours of a restaurant that wants to turn tables; they are the hours of a kitchen that controls what it can execute well. Anyone arriving expecting a leisurely two-and-a-half-hour lunch window needs to plan accordingly.

4.6 at this volume points to reliable delivery across occasions and seatings.

For context on what this tier of Japanese-French modern cuisine looks like elsewhere in France, kitchens like Flocons de Sel in Megève and Maison Lameloise in Chagny demonstrate how French regional fine dining absorbs outside influence. Automne's version of this, operating inside a Paris neighbourhood room rather than a destination property, is its own argument for the format.

Know Before You Go

Practical Details

Address: 11 Rue Richard Lenoir, 75011 Paris, France
Price range: €€€€
Cuisine: Modern Cuisine (Japanese-influenced French)
Awards: Michelin 1 Star (2024)
Lunch hours: Wednesday–Friday 12:00 PM–1:30 PM; Saturday–Sunday 12:00 PM–1:00 PM
Dinner hours: Wednesday–Sunday 7:30 PM–9:30 PM
Closed: Monday and Tuesday
Booking difficulty: Hard — reserve well in advance
Dress code: Not confirmed; smart casual is appropriate given the bistro room and starred kitchen
Phone / website: Not publicly listed — book via a third-party reservation platform

How It Compares

See the comparison table below for how Automne sits against other €€€€ modern French addresses in Paris.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Automne good for solo dining?

Automne suits solo diners well. The compact, bistro-style room keeps the atmosphere low-key rather than performative, so eating alone here does not carry the self-consciousness that can come with Paris's grander one-star rooms. At €€€€, the price is high for one, but the Michelin credential justifies the spend if seasonal modern French cooking is your focus.

Does Automne handle dietary restrictions?

No dietary policy is documented in the available record. Given that the kitchen operates a tightly edited seasonal menu built around specific ingredients — white asparagus, razor shells, courgettes — rigid substitutions may not be straightforward. check the venue's official channels before booking if you have serious restrictions.

What should I order at Automne?

The kitchen's approach is a short, seasonal repertoire rather than an extensive à la carte, so there is limited individual choice by design. Documented dishes include white asparagus with sorrel and almonds, meagre with courgettes, hand-dived razor shells, verbena — both are representative of the restrained, produce-led style. Follow the menu as offered rather than arriving with fixed preferences.

What are alternatives to Automne in Paris?

For a comparable Japanese-influenced precision at Michelin level, Kei in the 1st is the closest peer — more formal room, similar technical register. If you want to stay in the 11th's register but skip the fine dining price, the neighbourhood's natural wine bistros offer a lower-stakes meal. For more theatrical one-star experiences, Plénitude or Le Cinq deliver grander settings at higher overall spend.

Is Automne good for a special occasion?

Yes, with a caveat on setting. The room is a simple bistro interior, not a white-tablecloth showpiece, so if the visual ceremony of a special occasion matters to your group, Le Cinq or Plénitude will deliver more obvious occasion staging. Automne earns its place for celebrations where the cooking is the centrepiece, not the décor.

Is Automne worth the price?

At €€€€ with a 2024 Michelin star, Automne sits at the lower end of Paris fine dining in terms of ritual and overhead — you are paying for the cooking, not the room. Chef Nobuyuki Akishige's background includes stints at La Vague d'Or alongside Arnaud Donckele, which is credible pedigree for the price point. Compared to three-star addresses in Paris at similar or higher spend, the value case here is strong.

Is the tasting menu worth it at Automne?

The format is a tight seasonal menu rather than a multi-course tasting marathon, which makes it more accessible than the longer set menus at Alléno Paris or Pierre Gagnaire. If you prefer a focused meal over a two-hour progression of ten-plus courses, Automne's approach is the more practical fit. The documented dishes show restraint and precision, which is the point of the format here.

Location

11 Rue Richard Lenoir, 75011 Paris, France

Compare Automne

How Easy to Book: Automne vs. Peers

Venue	Cuisine	Price	Booking Difficulty
Automne	Modern Cuisine	€€€€	Hard
Plénitude	Contemporary French	€€€€	Unknown
Pierre Gagnaire	French, Creative	€€€€	Unknown
Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen	Creative	€€€€	Unknown
Kei	Contemporary French, Modern Cuisine	€€€€	Unknown
Le Cinq - Four Seasons Hôtel George V	French, Modern Cuisine	€€€€	Unknown

Key differences to consider before you reserve.

Also Consider

Plénitude, Contemporary French, €€€€
Pierre Gagnaire, French, Creative, €€€€
Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen, Creative, €€€€
Kei, Contemporary French, Modern Cuisine, €€€€
Le Cinq - Four Seasons Hôtel George V, French, Modern Cuisine, €€€€

Within Paris's €€€€ modern cuisine tier, Automne occupies a specific position: the most casual room, the narrowest menu, arguably the clearest value for money relative to what the kitchen produces. Compare it directly against Le Cinq at the Four Seasons Hôtel George V and the difference in format is significant. Le Cinq delivers grand-hotel formality, deep wine service, a room designed to signal occasion. If the room matters as much as the food, Le Cinq earns its spend. If the cooking is what you are there for, Automne closes the gap considerably at what is likely a lower total bill.

Kei is the more direct peer for Japanese-influenced modern French cooking in Paris: a Michelin two-star on the Right Bank with a more expansive format and a longer menu. Kei is the better booking for a formal business dinner or a first-time starred experience where you want length and ceremony. Automne is the better booking for a second or third starred meal where you want precision without the full production. For truly grand-scale creative cuisine, Pierre Gagnaire and Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen operate at a different level of ambition and price, both require considerably more planning to secure a table.

Plénitude at Cheval Blanc is worth mentioning as the most design-forward of the group, where the hotel setting adds a layer of hospitality infrastructure that Automne does not attempt. If you are staying in the 1st and want a seamless high-end evening, Plénitude is the more comfortable choice. If you are willing to cross to the 11th specifically to eat at a kitchen that earns its star through cooking rather than context, Automne delivers that with less friction and, most likely, a more honest bill. All five comparison venues are harder to book than most Paris restaurants; Automne's compact seatings and limited hours make it among the hardest to time correctly.