Restaurant in Paris, France
Serious €€ cooking in the 17th. Book weekdays.
A consistently credentialed neo-bistro in the 17th arrondissement with a Michelin Plate (2025) and three consecutive OAD Casual Europe rankings. Chef Marc Cordonnier, trained at Ferrandi and under Alain Passard, runs a seasonal, produce-led kitchen at a €€ price point that makes it one of Paris's more serious value plays. Book lunch first; return for dinner the next season.
At the €€ price point, Gare au Gorille is one of the more serious value propositions in Paris's neo-bistro tier. You are not spending €€€€ on a grand dining room or a sommelier in a tailored suit. What you are spending is a reasonable amount for precise, seasonal cooking shaped by a chef, Marc Cordonnier, trained at Ferrandi and mentored by Alain Passard — the latter a name that carries real weight in vegetables-first cooking. If that pedigree interests you, the 17th arrondissement address on Rue des Dames is worth the detour. If you are looking for a splashy occasion restaurant, look elsewhere.
The credentialing here is consistent and multi-year. Gare au Gorille holds a Michelin Plate for both 2024 and 2025, and has appeared on the Opinionated About Dining Casual Europe list across three consecutive cycles , ranked #268 in 2025 and #259 in 2024, with a Highly Recommended nod in 2023. That kind of OAD consistency at the casual tier is a meaningful signal: it means the kitchen is not coasting on a single strong year. Google reviews sit at 4.5 across 507 ratings, which reinforces the pattern rather than contradicting it.
The editorial angle here is worth taking seriously: Gare au Gorille rewards repeat visits more than a single drop-in. Cordonnier's training under Passard at L'Arpège points toward a kitchen that rotates its menu around what's in season, which means the restaurant you visit in April is not quite the same restaurant you visit in October. The OAD descriptions reference dishes like haddock with cottage cheese in a zucchini soup, and squid with sausage and sorrel , constructions that read as seasonal rather than fixed. There is also, according to OAD, a composed vegetable plate for those whose interest runs that way, a clear nod to the Passard lineage.
On a first visit, the move is to go at lunch. The kitchen operates a tight midday service , 12:15 to 2pm, Tuesday through Friday , and the lunch format at this price tier in Paris typically delivers better value-per-course than the dinner equivalent. You are also more likely to eat at a reasonable pace rather than competing with a full evening room. Booking is easy by Paris neo-bistro standards; this is not Septime, where you are planning three weeks ahead and refreshing a booking page. Get a reservation a week out, ideally midweek.
On a second visit, go at dinner. The 7:30 to 10pm service runs the same week days, and the evening format likely gives you more room to work through the menu at your own pace. With Cordonnier's background and the seasonal rotation, the menu will have shifted enough from your last visit to make the return worthwhile , especially across a season change. If you ate here in spring, come back in autumn and you will encounter a different set of produce-driven decisions entirely.
A third visit, if you are building a pattern, is the one where you lean specifically into the vegetable-forward side of the menu. The kitchen's green approach, as OAD describes it, is incorporated subtly rather than announced. This is not a vegetarian restaurant, but it is a kitchen where the vegetable plate is not an afterthought. For food-focused visitors who follow Passard's approach at places like Septime or Le Chateaubriand, that angle is worth exploring directly.
Rue des Dames sits in the Batignolles neighbourhood of the 17th , not a destination arrondissement by tourist standards, but a working residential area with a real local dining scene. The restaurant is not trading on a flashy address. That is, in fact, part of the point: the cooking here carries the page, not the postcode. For visitors staying in the 8th or 17th, it is a short and direct trip. For those based elsewhere in Paris, it is a deliberate journey rather than a convenient one , factor that into your planning.
If your Paris trip includes a mix of neo-bistro eating, Gare au Gorille slots well alongside Elmer, Le Pantruche, or Le Servan as part of a thoughtfully assembled itinerary. Each of those operates in a similar price register with a similar ethos; the question is which neighbourhood suits your movement on a given day. For broader Paris planning, see our full Paris restaurants guide, plus guides to Paris hotels, Paris bars, Paris wineries, and Paris experiences.
For reference on the broader French fine dining conversation, the country's most decorated rooms include Mirazur in Menton, Flocons de Sel in Megève, Troisgros in Ouches, Auberge de l'Ill in Illhaeusern, Bras in Laguiole, and Paul Bocuse in Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or. Gare au Gorille is not competing in that tier, nor is it trying to. It is a neighbourhood neo-bistro with serious credentials and a clear culinary point of view. That is a different and equally valid reason to book. For comparable neo-bistro cooking outside France, Bruut in Bruges operates in a similar register and is worth comparing if your travels extend to Belgium. And if you want to see where some of Cordonnier's culinary lineage ultimately connects through French technique refined in New York, Le Bernardin is the reference point.
Quick reference: Gare au Gorille, 68 Rue des Dames, 75017 Paris. Open Monday–Friday, lunch 12:15–2pm, dinner 7:30–10pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday. Price range: €€. Booking difficulty: easy. Awards: Michelin Plate 2024–2025; OAD Casual Europe #268 (2025). Google rating: 4.5 / 507 reviews.
It works for a low-key celebration , the cooking quality is there, the multi-year Michelin Plate and OAD credentials are genuine, and the €€ price means you are not paying for occasion-restaurant overhead. But the room is a neighbourhood bistro, not a grand dining space. If the occasion requires formal atmosphere or a sense of ceremony, look at the €€€€ tier. If what matters is excellent seasonal food and a relaxed, intimate setting in Paris, Gare au Gorille is a solid choice.
Seat count is not listed in the available data, but for a room of this neighbourhood bistro type in Paris, groups of more than six are worth calling or emailing ahead to confirm. The kitchen runs tight services , lunch 12:15–2pm, dinner 7:30–10pm, weekdays only , so there is limited flexibility for large parties that arrive without a plan. Groups of two to four should have no trouble with a standard reservation.
No dress code is specified, and for a €€ neo-bistro in a working Paris neighbourhood, smart casual is the right call. You are not walking into a grand brasserie or a Michelin-starred formal room. Jeans and a clean shirt or simple dress are entirely appropriate. Leave the tie at the hotel.
Lunch is the better first visit. The 12:15–2pm service at the €€ price tier in Paris typically offers tighter, better-value set menus, and the pace is easier. Dinner , 7:30–10pm, same weekday schedule , gives you more time and is the right format for a second visit when you want to work through more of the menu. Do not come on a Saturday or Sunday; the kitchen is closed both days.
The OAD record notes a composed vegetable plate on the menu, suggesting the kitchen has genuine facility with produce-focused cooking rather than just token options. Marc Cordonnier's training under Alain Passard reinforces this. That said, no specific dietary policy is listed in the available data. If you have strict requirements , allergies in particular , contact the restaurant directly before booking. No phone number is listed publicly; email or booking platform messaging is your leading route.
At €€ pricing with a Michelin Plate and consistent OAD rankings, yes , the value case is clear compared to spending multiples more at the €€€€ tier for comparable seasonal cooking ambition. Cordonnier's Ferrandi and Passard background means the technique justifies the format. Whether a tasting menu specifically is offered, and at what price, is not confirmed in the available data; the format at this tier in Paris more often runs as a short set menu rather than a long tasting sequence. Confirm the current menu structure when booking.
In the same €€ neo-bistro register, Septime is the benchmark , harder to book, higher profile, but comparable in ethos. Le Chateaubriand is sharper and more experimental if you want to push further. Le Pantruche and Le Servan operate in a similar neighbourhood-bistro spirit and are easier to get into. If your budget runs to €€€€, the Paris comparison set shifts entirely: see the How It Compares section above for the full-tier analysis.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gare au Gorille | €€ | Easy | — |
| Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Kei | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| L'Ambroisie | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Le Cinq - Four Seasons Hôtel George V | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Pierre Gagnaire | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Paris for this tier.
It works for a low-key celebration rather than a landmark dinner. The Michelin Plate and OAD Casual in Europe ranking (currently #268 for 2025) signal real cooking, but the €€ price point and neo-bistro format are relaxed rather than ceremonial. If you want white-tablecloth gravity, look elsewhere — here the occasion is the food itself.
Small groups of two to four are the sweet spot for a room of this format and neighbourhood scale. Larger parties should check the venue's official channels to check availability, as neo-bistros on Rue des Dames rarely have private dining infrastructure. For groups of six or more wanting a coordinated menu, a grander Paris address will be more practical.
This is a Batignolles neighbourhood neo-bistro, not a grand restaurant. Neat, relaxed clothing is appropriate — think what a Parisian professional wears to a Friday lunch. No dress code is documented for the venue, and the €€ pricing and casual OAD category confirm the tone.
Weekday lunch is the sharper value proposition at €€ pricing, and the kitchen runs Tuesday through Friday for both services. Dinner gives more time at the table, which suits Cordonnier's produce-led cooking if you want to pace through the menu. Either service works; lunch is the more practical entry point.
The kitchen has a documented vegetable-forward approach shaped by Cordonnier's time with Alain Passard, and the menu includes a composed plate of just vegetables — so vegetarians have a genuine option here, not an afterthought. For other restrictions, check the venue's official channels; no specific policy is on record.
No tasting menu format is documented in available venue data. Gare au Gorille operates as a neo-bistro with a seasonal menu rather than a structured omakase or dégustation format — which is part of why the €€ price point holds. Expect a focused carte rather than a long progression.
For the same neo-bistro register at comparable price and seriousness, look at other OAD Casual in Europe-ranked Paris addresses. If you want to step up in formality and spend, Kei offers a Franco-Japanese fine dining format with Michelin recognition. Pierre Gagnaire and L'Ambroisie are in an entirely different bracket — three-star territory where the bill and the occasion both scale up sharply.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
