Restaurant in Paris, France
New Michelin star, book lunch first.
Aldehyde earned its first Michelin star in 2025, making dinner reservations at this Marais creative-format restaurant genuinely difficult to land. Lunch is the smarter entry point right now: same kitchen from chef Youssef Marzouk, easier availability, and a strong 4.9 Google score that pre-dates the post-star rush. Book well ahead at €€€€ pricing.
If you want a table at Aldehyde before next month, your leading move is to target the lunch service. Paris Michelin newcomers at this price point fill dinner slots weeks out the moment a star drops, and Aldehyde's 2025 one-star recognition has made evening reservations considerably harder to land. Lunch gives you the same kitchen, the same creative format from chef Youssef Marzouk, and — depending on how the menu is structured — often a more focused, calmer experience than the dinner rush. For food-first visitors to the 4th arrondissement, the lunch angle is the practical one.
Aldehyde sits at 5 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe in the Marais, a short walk from the Seine. The name references an organic compound in chemistry , a deliberate signal that the cooking here is precise, technically driven, and interested in how flavour molecules behave rather than in nostalgia or comfort. Chef Marzouk's approach is classified as Creative cuisine, which at this level in Paris means tasting-menu territory: constructed courses, considered ingredient combinations, and a kitchen that is working toward a particular point of view rather than serving crowd-pleasing classics.
The room itself communicates restraint. Visually, expect clean lines and a setting that keeps attention on the plate rather than competing with it , consistent with the address in a neighbourhood where the Seine-facing streets tend toward boutique scale rather than grand-brasserie grandeur. If you are coming from a hotel on the Right Bank, this is a 10-minute walk from the Île de la Cité. If you are based further west near the 8th, factor in a taxi or metro leg.
At €€€€ pricing, Aldehyde is operating in the upper tier of Paris dining, where every seat is a considered expenditure. The case for lunch is threefold. First, availability: as noted above, dinner slots at a freshly starred one-star in Paris are the hardest to land in the weeks following the announcement. Second, atmosphere: creative-format kitchens often send their sharpest execution earlier in the day, when the brigade is not yet deep into a double-service push. Third, pace: a Marais lunch lets you walk the neighbourhood before or after, extending the afternoon rather than anchoring your evening.
The case for dinner is simpler: if ambiance and occasion matter to you, an evening at a Michelin-starred table in Paris carries a different weight. The room will be fuller, the service dynamic slightly more formal, and the experience more likely to feel like the main event rather than a considered midday detour. For a special trip where the meal is the anchor of the day, dinner remains the conventional choice. For a food enthusiast who wants the cooking without the competition for seats, lunch is the smarter play right now.
Aldehyde held a Michelin Plate in 2024 , recognition that the cooking was worth noting but had not yet reached one-star level. The jump to one star in 2025 is significant in practical terms. It means the reservation difficulty increased substantially at the start of this year, the profile of who is trying to book shifted to include international visitors, and pricing expectations from the kitchen side will likely be reflected in any menu updates this year. If you visited or considered Aldehyde in 2024 when it was quieter, the current version is a different booking proposition entirely.
The Google rating of 4.9 across 106 reviews is a strong early signal, particularly because it precedes the wave of post-star tourism that tends to dilute scores at newly recognised venues. That score, accumulated while the restaurant was operating at Plate level, suggests the kitchen was already performing at a high standard before the 2025 recognition , a more reliable data point than ratings gathered after a star inflates interest and volume.
For context on where Aldehyde sits, see the full comparison section below. The short version: this is a newer entrant operating at one-star level in a city with a deep bench of creative and modern French options at the same price point. For food enthusiasts who follow the France circuit, you might also consider Flocons de Sel in Megève, Mirazur in Menton, or Bras in Laguiole if you are building a wider France itinerary around serious creative cooking. Within Paris, the relevant comparisons are covered below.
Aldehyde is at 5 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, 75004 Paris. The cuisine is Creative, chef-driven, and falls firmly in tasting-menu territory at €€€€ pricing. The 2025 Michelin one-star makes this a hard booking, particularly for dinner. Lunch is the more accessible entry point and arguably the better-value angle at this tier. The 4.9 Google score across 106 reviews provides confidence in the kitchen's consistency. No phone number or website is currently listed in our database , use a reservation platform or check directly. For broader Paris planning, see our full Paris restaurants guide, our full Paris hotels guide, and our full Paris bars guide.
Other Paris restaurants at a comparable level worth cross-referencing: Arpège, Le Meurice Alain Ducasse, Le Gabriel at La Réserve Paris, and Blanc. If you are exploring the broader European creative circuit, Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona and Enrico Bartolini in Milan offer useful comparisons for what the format delivers at two-star level.
Quick reference: Aldehyde, 5 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, 75004 Paris. Creative tasting menu. €€€€. Michelin 1 Star (2025). Google 4.9/5 (106 reviews). Hard booking , prioritise lunch for availability. Chef: Youssef Marzouk.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aldehyde | Creative | Michelin 1 Star (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Hard | — |
| 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 | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
At €€€€, Aldehyde is a considered spend, but the 2025 Michelin star gives it clear standing at that price point. Chef Youssef Marzouk's creative format is the draw — if chef-driven tasting menus are your preference, this is a justified outlay. If you want à la carte flexibility or a more established room, Kei or L'Ambroisie may suit the budget better.
Book at least three to four weeks ahead following the 2025 Michelin star — demand jumped sharply after the award. Lunch slots open up faster than dinner, so if you want a near-term table, target the midday service. Dinner at this price tier in a freshly starred Paris restaurant can run six to eight weeks out on busy periods.
Yes, if you want to track a chef mid-momentum. Aldehyde moved from Michelin Plate in 2024 to one star in 2025, which signals a kitchen operating with increasing precision. The creative format is intentional rather than broad, so go in committed to the chef's menu rather than expecting flexibility. For a more settled tasting experience at similar price, Pierre Gagnaire or Alléno Paris offer longer track records.
Kei sits at a comparable tier and blends French and Japanese technique with a longer record of consistency. Pierre Gagnaire is the standard-bearer for inventive cooking at the top Paris price bracket. L'Ambroisie is the choice for classical rigour in the Marais itself. Le Cinq at the Four Seasons George V delivers if setting and service weight matters as much as the plate.
A chef-driven creative restaurant at 5 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe is generally well-suited to solo diners, particularly at a counter or bar seat if available — check when booking. The tasting menu format removes the need for shared decision-making, which works in a solo diner's favour. Confirm seat configuration directly when you reserve.
Groups are harder to place at a restaurant in this format and price tier, particularly at €€€€ with a tasting menu structure. Parties of two to four are the natural fit. For larger groups of six or more, check the venue's official channels to confirm capacity and whether a private arrangement is possible — this is not standard at newer one-star addresses in Paris.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
