Lasserre

Who Should Book Lasserre — and When

If you are planning a milestone dinner in Paris — an anniversary, a significant birthday, a proposal , Lasserre is one of the strongest cases you can make at the €€€€ tier. The combination of a Michelin star, a 2025 Les Grandes Tables du Monde award, and over 80 years of continuous operation on Avenue Franklin Delano Roosevelt puts it in a narrow category of Paris restaurants where the room itself is part of the occasion. For a regular looking to go deeper on a second visit, the question shifts from whether to book to what to focus on when you arrive.

Eight Decades and Still Earning It

Lasserre opened in the years following the Second World War, and the Directoire-style mansion it occupies has been the address of choice for formal French dining ever since. The 80-year milestone is not just a sentimental note , it is a signal about consistency. Very few Paris restaurants at this price point hold a Michelin star, a Les Grandes Tables du Monde listing, and a 4.6 Google rating across 628 reviews simultaneously. That alignment across professional and public evaluation is a meaningful endorsement.

The dining room has been called lavishly appointed with good reason: columns, orchids, silver tableware, crystal chandeliers, and Chinese porcelain have been features for decades. The detail that matters most for first-timers deciding whether to book: the retractable roof. In fair weather, the ceiling opens to the sky above the tables. For a warm evening in late spring or early summer, this is the version of Lasserre to experience. If your visit falls in winter, you get the full opulence of the closed room, which holds its own.

The Food: Classic French with a Mediterranean Edge

Chef Jean-Louis Nomicos runs a kitchen that works from Lasserre's classical French heritage but brings Mediterranean influence into the execution. From the verified menu record, the signatures worth knowing before you return include the stuffed macaroni with black truffle, celery, and duck foie gras in a light gratin , a dish that sits at the exact intersection of old-school French luxury and personal chef identity. The "André Malraux" squab with petits pois à la française is the purest expression of the house's classical lineage. If you tried the squab on your first visit, the Carabinero prawns with almond cream and peas with marigold represent a useful contrast , lighter, more Mediterranean, and a better read on where Nomicos is taking the kitchen. The gourmet chocolate soufflé tart is the dessert to finish on if you have room.

The flavour register here is rich and precise rather than avant-garde. If you came to Lasserre the first time expecting something like Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen or Arpège and found it more traditional, that is by design. The kitchen is not trying to redefine French cuisine , it is trying to execute a specific, established vision at a high level, and it does.

The Wine and Drinks Program

A restaurant of this standing and age will carry a serious cellar. Les Grandes Tables du Monde membership is a reliable indicator of a wine program that takes vertical depth seriously, with significant holdings in Bordeaux and Burgundy expected at this tier. For a regular visitor, the conversation with the sommelier about what is drinking well now , rather than defaulting to a safe label , is worth having. Lasserre at €€€€ is the kind of room where that conversation is welcome. Classic Champagne pairings for the opening courses, a structured Burgundy or Rhône alongside the squab or foie gras preparation, and a dessert wine with the soufflé tart are the natural arc. The drinks program is not the primary reason to book Lasserre over other Paris tables, but it is well-suited to the occasion format this restaurant serves leading.

Booking and Practical Details

Lasserre is open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner only, 7 PM to 9:30 PM, with Monday and Sunday closed. That five-night window, combined with the restaurant's profile and price tier, makes this a hard booking. Plan a minimum of three to four weeks ahead for a standard table; for specific date requests tied to an occasion, six to eight weeks is safer. The address is 17 Avenue Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 75008 Paris, in the 8th arrondissement just off the Champs-Élysées. The nearest Métro stop is Franklin D. Roosevelt on lines 1 and 9.

Dress code is not published in the venue data, but the room and occasion format make formal or smart formal the practical expectation. Show up underdressed and you will feel it. For groups of two marking an anniversary or milestone, request a table near the centre of the room to make the most of the retractable roof. For groups of four or more, confirm table configuration at the time of booking.

For broader Paris planning, see our full Paris restaurants guide, our full Paris hotels guide, our full Paris bars guide, our full Paris wineries guide, and our full Paris experiences guide.

Other classic French tables worth knowing in Paris: L'Ambroisie and Relais Louis XIII for classical depth, and L'Assiette for a less formal evening. If you are travelling beyond Paris to experience France's broader classical table, Paul Bocuse - L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges, Auberge de l'Ill, Georges Blanc, Les Prés d'Eugénie - Michel Guérard, Troisgros - Le Bois sans Feuilles, Bras, Flocons de Sel, and Mirazur each represent a different register of French cooking at a high level.

Quick reference: Michelin 1 Star (2024) · Les Grandes Tables du Monde (2025) · €€€€ · Dinner only, Tue–Sat 7 PM–9:30 PM · 17 Av. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 75008 Paris · Hard to book , reserve 4–8 weeks ahead.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should a first-timer know about Lasserre?

• This is a formal dinner restaurant, dinner-only, Tuesday through Saturday. Arrive expecting a full classical French experience: multiple courses, silver service, a serious room.
• The retractable roof is the feature most worth knowing about in advance , if the weather is right, the ceiling opens. A warm evening in May or June is the ideal first visit.
• At €€€€, you are in the same price tier as most serious Paris fine dining, but Lasserre skews more traditional than restaurants like Alléno Paris. Go in knowing you are booking a classical experience, not a contemporary one.
• Book 4–8 weeks ahead. Same-week availability is unlikely.

Is Lasserre good for a special occasion?

• Yes , it is one of the stronger arguments in Paris for a milestone dinner. The room, the service format, and the 80-year history create the kind of occasion weight that is hard to manufacture.
• The Michelin star and Les Grandes Tables du Monde status mean the quality floor is validated by external benchmarks, not just reputation.
• For proposals, anniversaries, or significant birthdays where the setting matters as much as the plate, Lasserre competes with L'Ambroisie as the leading Paris choice for classical gravitas.

Does Lasserre handle dietary restrictions?

• Specific dietary accommodation policy is not published in the venue data. For any restriction , vegetarian, allergen-based, or otherwise , contact the restaurant directly well before your reservation.
• The menu skews heavily toward classic French proteins (foie gras, squab, prawns), so vegetarian guests in particular should confirm options in advance.

What should I order at Lasserre?

• The stuffed macaroni with black truffle, celery, and duck foie gras in a light gratin is the dish that leading captures the Nomicos approach: classical luxury with a personal touch.
• The "André Malraux" squab with petits pois à la française is the house's most classically French preparation and worth ordering at least once.
• On a return visit, the Carabinero prawns with almond cream and peas with marigold is the most useful contrast , it shows where the Mediterranean influence comes in.
• Finish with the gourmet chocolate soufflé tart if available.

Is the tasting menu worth it at Lasserre?

• Tasting menu format and pricing are not confirmed in the venue data , verify at booking.
• At this tier, a tasting menu is typically the leading way to cover the kitchen's range in one sitting, particularly on a first visit. If you are returning specifically to explore Nomicos's Mediterranean-leaning dishes alongside the classical signatures, it is the more efficient route.
• For a la carte flexibility , or if your group has mixed appetite levels , the a la carte option allows you to build the meal around specific dishes rather than a set progression.

Is Lasserre worth the price?

• At €€€€, yes , provided the classical French occasion format is what you are booking. You are paying for a Michelin-starred kitchen, a historically significant room, and a service register that matches the setting.
• If you want more creative cooking at the same price, Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen or Arpège are stronger choices.
• If the room and occasion atmosphere matter as much as the plate, Lasserre and L'Ambroisie are the two Paris tables that deliver both most consistently at this tier.