Restaurant in Paris, France
Serious technique, bookable by Paris standards.
In the 17th arrondissement, Agapé operates at the upper tier of Paris's modern cuisine scene, where Franco-Japanese precision meets ingredient-led generosity. Chef Yoshi Nagato, trained at Maison Rostang, Le Cinq, and Épicure, constructs menus around premium seasonal produce, while pastry is handled by his partner Asuka Ishiba. A Michelin Plate and a Google rating of 4.4 across 461 reviews confirm its standing in a competitive field.
Agapé is easy to get into by Paris €€€€ standards — no months-long waitlist, no theatre of exclusivity. If you want a serious modern French lunch in the 17th arrondissement without the booking battle that comes with [Le Cinq - Four Seasons Hôtel George V](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/le-cinq-four-seasons-hotel-george-v) or [Pierre Gagnaire](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/pierre-gagnaire), Agapé is the answer. Book a week ahead for lunch; a few days more for dinner. Walk-ins are not the play here.
The kitchen is led by chef Yoshi Nagato, who trained at Maison Rostang, Le Cinq, and Épicure — three of the more technically demanding houses in Paris. That pedigree shows in the plating and ingredient sourcing: Brittany lobster, Challans duckling, roast sweetbread with girolles, and Piedmont hazelnuts are the register this kitchen operates in. His partner Asuka Ishiba runs pastry and desserts, which gives the tasting arc a consistency that solo-chef kitchens sometimes lack.
The room at 51 Rue Jouffroy d'Abbans is described as cosy and decorated in soft shades , a deliberate contrast to the grander dining rooms you find in the 8th. For a food-focused explorer who wants the technique without the ceremony, that trade-off works. The wine list leans organic and natural, which puts it in step with where serious Paris dining has moved over the past decade.
2024 Michelin Plate recognition is the honest trust signal here: this is a kitchen the Guide takes seriously, but it is not yet at star level. At €€€€ pricing, that gap is worth understanding before you book. You are paying for premium ingredients and high-precision cooking, not for a Michelin star name on the door. Google reviewers back that up at 4.4 across 461 reviews , a consistent score that suggests reliable rather than occasionally transcendent.
Agapé is closed Saturday and Sunday, which makes any brunch or weekend plan a non-starter. The editorial angle here matters: if you are planning a weekend food trip to Paris, Agapé will not be part of it. What the restaurant does offer is a weekday lunch service running noon to 2 PM, Monday through Friday. That lunch slot is where this kind of kitchen usually offers the leading value , tighter menus, the same produce, and lower per-head spend than the evening. If your Paris trip has a free Thursday or Friday midday, this is the version of Agapé to prioritise. For weekend modern French options at a similar price point, consider [Anona](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/anona-paris-restaurant) or [Accents Table Bourse](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/accents-table-bourse-paris-restaurant).
Evening service runs 8 PM to 10 PM on weekdays. The later start suits a Paris dinner rhythm , you are not rushing from anywhere. The premium ingredient menu (lobster, duckling, sweetbread) lands harder at dinner when the kitchen has time to layer the full tasting progression. If occasion dining is the goal, dinner is the right call. But the price-to-recognition gap is more visible at dinner: you are in €€€€ territory without the star to anchor the spend for guests who track that.
The 17th arrondissement does not draw as much food tourism as the 6th or 8th, which partly explains why Agapé remains bookable. For food and wine explorers interested in the full range of what Paris serious dining looks like, [our full Paris restaurants guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/paris) covers the spectrum. And if you are building a longer France trip, the benchmark comparisons extend to [Mirazur in Menton](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/mirazur-menton-restaurant), [Flocons de Sel in Megève](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/flocons-de-sel-megve-restaurant), and [Troisgros - Le Bois sans Feuilles in Ouches](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/troisgros-le-bois-sans-feuilles-ouches-restaurant) for what the country's top-tier kitchens deliver at higher price points.
For Paris planning beyond restaurants, [our full Paris hotels guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/hotels/paris), [bars guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/bars/paris), and [experiences guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/experiences/paris) cover the rest of the trip.
Book Agapé for a weekday lunch if you want Nagato-level technique , Le Cinq and Épicure training , at a price point that does not require a Michelin star justification. Avoid if you need weekend availability or are benchmarking against starred rooms. The organic wine list and consistent Google score (4.4, 461 reviews) make this a reliable rather than a speculative booking.
Quick reference: 51 Rue Jouffroy d'Abbans, 75017 Paris. Mon–Fri lunch 12–2 PM, dinner 8–10 PM. Closed Saturday and Sunday. €€€€. Easy to book. Michelin Plate 2024.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agapé | Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | In this cosy, welcoming room adorned in soft shades, the menu rolls out a lineup of premium ingredients that depend on the whim of chef Yoshi Nagato (Maison Rostang, Le Cinq, Épicure) and his partner, Asuka Ishiba, in charge of desserts. Brittany lobster salad, wax beans, Piedmont hazelnuts and a dressing of lobster roe; Challans duckling lacquered in honey and Sichuan pepper; roast sweetbread and sautéed girolles… Stylish, high-precision plating and generous helpings. Fine range of organic and natural wines.; Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen | Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Kei | Contemporary French, Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| L'Ambroisie | French, Classic Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Le Cinq - Four Seasons Hôtel George V | French, Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Pierre Gagnaire | French, Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Paris for this tier.
The kitchen runs on premium seasonal ingredients chosen by chef Yoshi Nagato, so the menu shifts with his whim rather than fixed signatures. The Michelin Plate citation references dishes like Brittany lobster salad with lobster roe dressing, Challans duckling lacquered in honey and Sichuan pepper, and roast sweetbread with girolles — these represent the house style rather than guaranteed listings. Desserts are handled by Asuka Ishiba, Nagato's partner, so the sweet course is worth treating as a feature rather than an afterthought.
The room is described as cosy with soft shades rather than grand or formal, which puts it closer to polished casual than black-tie. At €€€€ pricing with a technically serious kitchen, arriving in business casual or neat evening dress is appropriate — overly casual will feel out of step, but a suit is not required. Think along the lines of what you'd wear to a mid-tier Michelin-starred Paris lunch: presentable, not theatrical.
For comparable modern French technique at a lower price ceiling, Kei (Rue Coq Héron) offers French-Japanese precision with a Michelin star and is often more accessible on availability. If you want to step up in prestige, Le Cinq at the Four Seasons George V is where Nagato trained and represents the starred tier his cooking is benchmarked against. L'Ambroisie is the three-star standard-bearer for classical French in Paris but requires far more advance planning and budget.
Agapé is a small, cosy room — the venue data does not confirm private dining or large group capacity. For a group of four or fewer, a standard booking should be manageable given the restaurant's relative accessibility by Paris €€€€ standards. Larger groups should check the venue's official channels before assuming availability; the intimate room format is not designed around big-table dining.
Lunch is the stronger case. Agapé serves weekday lunch from 12 PM to 2 PM and dinner from 8 PM to 10 PM, with no weekend service at all. Paris fine dining lunch menus typically offer better value relative to the evening price point, and the 17th arrondissement location means dinner involves more of a deliberate trip than a natural evening circuit. If you're planning around a Paris itinerary, lunch fits more cleanly.
At €€€€, Agapé sits in the price band just below Paris's starred flagship restaurants — and the Michelin Plate recognition plus Nagato's training at Épicure and Le Cinq means the kitchen operates at a level that justifies that positioning. The format is tasting-menu-oriented with premium ingredients and precise plating, so if that structure suits you, the value proposition is solid relative to peers. If you prefer à la carte flexibility, this format may not be the right fit.
Yes, with one practical caveat: Agapé is closed weekends, so a Saturday or Sunday celebration is off the table entirely. For a weekday anniversary dinner or a business lunch that needs to impress, the combination of Nagato's training pedigree, Ishiba's dedicated dessert focus, and the warm rather than austere room makes it a reasonable choice at the €€€€ price point. It is more approachable and less theatrical than a full starred-room experience, which suits occasions where the conversation matters as much as the spectacle.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
