Restaurant in Paris, France
Forty years of fresh fish, no fuss.
La Cagouille has operated near Gare Montparnasse since the early 1980s, building one of Paris's most serious seafood-focused wine lists — 600 selections, France-first — alongside consistent OAD recognition (ranked #573 in 2024). At the $$ price tier for a two-course meal, it offers more wine depth than most competitors at this level. Book lunch first; return for the wine list.
Genuine seafood restaurants with staying power are rare in Paris. La Cagouille, open since the early 1980s and still drawing a loyal crowd near Gare Montparnasse, is one of the few that earns its reputation through consistency rather than hype. With a $$ price point for a two-course meal, a wine list spanning 600 selections across 10,000 bottles of inventory, and consecutive appearances on Opinionated About Dining's Europe Casual list (ranked #573 in 2024 and #685 in 2025), this is a restaurant you can book with confidence for a first visit — and return to for a second and third without running out of reasons.
The draw here is direct: fresh, French-focused seafood without the theatrical trappings of haute cuisine. The kitchen under chef Freddy Amy and owner André Robert operates with a discipline that forty-plus years of seafood-only cooking tends to produce. The OAD ranking confirms that the quality is recognised beyond the local dining circuit, which matters when you're choosing between a dozen plausible seafood options in the city.
The wine program is the detail that separates La Cagouille from many competitors at this price tier. Wine Director Kang Du oversees a list built around France, priced at the $$ tier — meaning a range of accessible bottles alongside a leading end, with a $25 corkage fee if you bring your own. For a food-focused exploration of French white wines alongside classic seafood preparation, this list gives you real options without the markup penalty you'd encounter at a grand brasserie. If wine pairing matters to your visit, factor this in: 600 selections and 10,000 bottles of inventory means depth, and sommelier Juliette Robert is on hand to help you work through it.
Google rating of 4.5 across 938 reviews reflects consistent execution rather than occasional brilliance. That kind of sustained score at meaningful volume is a more reliable signal than a single glowing review or a prestige award.
La Cagouille rewards a multi-visit approach. On a first visit, keep it simple: lunch, two courses, a glass from the French whites. The $$ cuisine pricing means you're spending $40–$65 for a proper meal, which is fair for the 14th arrondissement and the quality on offer. Lunch here is a lower-stakes entry point than dinner , easier to get a table, more relaxed pacing, and a practical choice if you're connecting through Montparnasse.
A second visit is where the wine list becomes the focus. With 600 selections and a wine director running a France-centric program, this is a restaurant where you can ask for guidance and expect a considered answer. The sommelier's involvement at this level of a casual restaurant is not the norm , use it. Request the list, flag your budget, and work with Juliette Robert to find something you wouldn't have ordered yourself.
By a third visit, you have enough reference to move through the menu with real intent , tracking seasonal availability, noting what the kitchen does leading, and treating La Cagouille the way its regulars do: as a reliable anchor in a Paris itinerary rather than a one-off destination. For context on how Paris seafood restaurants compare at different price points, see [Clamato](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/clamato-paris-restaurant) for a more casual, natural-wine-driven approach, and [Dessirier](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/dessirier-paris-restaurant) for a grander brasserie format. [La Méditerranée](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/la-mditerrane-paris-restaurant) and [Le Jour du Poisson](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/le-jour-du-poisson-paris-restaurant) are also worth benchmarking if you're building a Paris seafood itinerary. For broader context, see [our full Paris restaurants guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/paris).
For reference, if you're planning other dining in France, top-end options include [Mirazur in Menton](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/mirazur-menton-restaurant), [Troisgros - Le Bois sans Feuilles in Ouches](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/troisgros-le-bois-sans-feuilles-ouches-restaurant), [Auberge de l'Ill in Illhaeusern](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/auberge-de-lill-illhaeusern-restaurant), [Flocons de Sel in Megève](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/flocons-de-sel-megve-restaurant), [Bras in Laguiole](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/bras-laguiole-restaurant), and [Paul Bocuse - L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges in Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/paul-bocuse-lauberge-du-pont-de-collonges-collonges-au-mont-dor-restaurant). For seafood at a similar dedicated level in Italy, see [Gambero Rosso in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/gambero-rosso-marina-di-gioiosa-ionica-restaurant) and [Alici Restaurant on the Amalfi Coast](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/alici-restaurant-amalfi-coast-restaurant).
If your Paris visit also calls for a hotel or cocktail bar, see [our full Paris hotels guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/hotels/paris), [our full Paris bars guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/bars/paris), [our full Paris wineries guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/wineries/paris), and [our full Paris experiences guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/experiences/paris). For a Paris seafood dining comparison with a different format, [Brasserie Lutetia](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/brasserie-lutetia-paris-restaurant) is worth considering for its grand-hotel setting.
One to two weeks out is sufficient for most evenings; lunch slots tend to be more available, sometimes bookable just days ahead. This is an easy-booking restaurant by Paris standards , its OAD recognition brings a degree of demand, but it is not in the impossible-reservation category of the city's most-hyped tables.
Lunch. The pacing is more relaxed, tables are easier to secure, and the $$ price point feels most at home in the afternoon. Dinner is a valid choice if you're staying in the 14th or connecting near Montparnasse, but there is no strong reason to hold out for an evening slot.
Yes. A focused seafood-and-wine restaurant at the $$ tier, open for lunch daily, is well-suited to solo visits. Sit at lunch, engage with the wine list, and you'll get as much from the experience as a table of four , possibly more, if you ask the sommelier for a recommendation.
For a seafood-focused celebration at a reasonable price, yes. It is not a white-tablecloth grand occasion restaurant , for that, consider [Le Cinq](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/le-cinq-four-seasons-hotel-george-v) or [L'Ambroisie](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/lambroisie). But La Cagouille's four decades of operation, OAD recognition, and serious wine list give it the substance to anchor a meaningful meal without the €€€€ price tag.
The venue data does not confirm seat count or private dining availability. For group bookings of six or more, contact the restaurant directly to confirm configuration. The $$ pricing makes it a practical group option if the table works out.
For a more casual, modern approach to seafood, [Clamato](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/clamato-paris-restaurant) is the comparison most often made. [Dessirier](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/dessirier-paris-restaurant) offers a grander brasserie format at a higher price point. [La Méditerranée](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/la-mditerrane-paris-restaurant) and [Le Jour du Poisson](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/le-jour-du-poisson-paris-restaurant) fill different niches in the Paris seafood market. La Cagouille's specific edge is its wine depth and its track record , neither Clamato nor most brasseries match its 600-selection list at this price tier.
The venue data does not confirm bar seating. Given La Cagouille's format as a sit-down restaurant rather than a bar-dining venue, counter or bar seating is not confirmed available. Check directly if this matters to your visit.
The venue data does not specify. As a seafood-only restaurant, La Cagouille is not well-suited to guests who avoid fish and shellfish. For guests with specific allergies or requirements, contact the restaurant before booking , no phone number is published in our database, so reaching out via email or booking platform is the practical route.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Cagouille | La Cagouille opened in the early '80s and is a true classic in Paris. The restaurant is located close to Gare Montparnasse and serves fresh dishes, focusing on seafood.; Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #685 (2025); WINE: Wine Strengths: France Pricing: $$ i Wine pricing: Based on the list\'s general markup and high and low price points:$ has many bottles < $50;$$ has a range of pricing;$$$ has many $100+ bottles Corkage Fee: $25 Selections: 600 Inventory: 10,000 CUISINE: Cuisine Types: French Pricing: $$ i Cuisine pricing: The cost of a typical two-course meal, not including tip or beverages.$ is < $40;$$ is $40–$65;$$$ is $66+. Meals: Lunch and Dinner STAFF: People Kang Du:Wine Director Wine Director: Kang Du Sommelier: Juliette Robert Chef: Freddy Amy General Manager: Valentin Martin Owner: André Robert; Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #573 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Recommended (2023) | — | |
| Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Kei | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| L'Ambroisie | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Le Cinq - Four Seasons Hôtel George V | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Pierre Gagnaire | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
What to weigh when choosing between La Cagouille and alternatives.
La Cagouille suits small groups well — lunch for four or six at the $$ price point is a manageable commitment. Larger parties should book well in advance given the restaurant's consistent OAD ranking (currently #685 in Europe for 2025) and loyal regular crowd. Call or contact them directly to confirm table configuration for groups above six.
La Cagouille is the reference point for no-theatre French seafood at $$ prices in Paris. If you want a more formal setting with a bigger budget, Le Cinq at the George V or L'Ambroisie cover the haute end. For creative French cooking without a seafood focus, Kei or Pierre Gagnaire are the comparisons to consider — both at a significantly higher price point.
Book at least one to two weeks out for a weekday lunch; weekend dinner slots fill faster given the neighbourhood draw near Gare Montparnasse. The restaurant has been OAD-ranked since at least 2023, meaning it has a consistent audience. Don't leave it to the day of, especially on Saturday.
Yes. The $$ cuisine pricing makes solo dining financially reasonable, and a French seafood restaurant of this format — established since the early 1980s, relaxed in tone — tends to handle solo guests without awkwardness. Lunch is the practical slot: shorter service window, lighter spend, easier to hold a table alone.
It works for a low-key celebration where the point is the food rather than the room — think a birthday lunch for someone who cares about eating well, not a proposal dinner requiring ceremony. The $$ price band and casual OAD category set the tone: serious kitchen, unstuffy setting. For a grander occasion with a more formal backdrop, Le Cinq or L'Ambroisie are the appropriate alternatives.
Lunch is the stronger play. Hours run 12–2:30 pm daily, and the two-course $$ format suits a midday meal near Gare Montparnasse without overcommitting your afternoon. Dinner (7–10:30 pm) is equally available every day of the week, but the neighbourhood energy at lunch fits the restaurant's unfussy character better than an evening-out occasion might demand.
Bar seating availability is not confirmed in the available venue data. Given the restaurant's format as a sit-down French seafood address with a 600-label wine list managed by Wine Director Kang Du, counter or bar dining may exist but should be confirmed when booking. Don't assume it without checking.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
