Restaurant in Paris, France
Serious wine, real food, book ahead.
Le Verre Volé is the Canal Saint-Martin wine bar that earns a return visit. With consistent Opinionated About Dining recognition (ranked #715 in Europe in 2025) and a kitchen that supports rather than upstages the natural wine list, it works best for two at lunch — quieter, easier to book, and the same quality as dinner without the evening crowd.
If you want a natural wine bar in the 10th arrondissement that takes both the glass and the plate seriously, Le Verre Volé earns a firm recommendation. It has climbed from Opinionated About Dining's Recommended list in 2023 to #590 in 2024 and #715 in 2025 among Casual European venues — a consistent upward trajectory that signals a kitchen and cellar operating with real intent. Book it for a weekday lunch if your calendar allows; the evening service is well-regarded but the midday sitting tends to be calmer and, at a canal-side address in the 10th, the setting rewards a slower pace.
Le Verre Volé occupies a compact room on Rue de Lancry, steps from the Canal Saint-Martin. The layout is tight by design — small tables, bottles lining the walls, the kind of room where you are aware of what your neighbours are drinking. That proximity is part of the point. It works well for two; groups of four or more will feel the squeeze. If you have been once and found it cramped, try requesting a table earlier in the service window , 12:30 pm or 7 pm , before the room fills. The spatial logic here is intimate without being precious, which puts it closer in feel to Cave du Septime than to the more polished surroundings of ALLÉNOTHÈQUE.
This is the question worth answering before you book. Lunch at Le Verre Volé runs from 12:30 to 2 pm daily , a tight two-hour window that concentrates the service but also keeps the energy focused. For anyone coming from outside the neighbourhood, lunch here makes sense as part of a Canal Saint-Martin afternoon rather than a standalone destination meal. The evening stretches to midnight, which gives dinner a more unhurried rhythm and suits the wine-bar format better if you want to linger over a second bottle. If you have already been for dinner and want a different read on the place, lunch is the smarter next visit: lower noise, easier booking, and the same kitchen running at full commitment. For the wine-bar-as-destination experience in Paris, dinner still wins on atmosphere , but lunch wins on access.
Chef Takao Inazawa runs a kitchen that supports the cellar rather than competing with it. The cooking is described in OAD's citation as "tasty and frank" , direct, unfussy food that gives the wine list room to operate. The cellar focuses on lesser-known producers, which is consistent with the natural wine bar format that has made the Canal Saint-Martin stretch one of the more interesting drinking corridors in Paris. For comparison, Cave du Septime in the 11th takes a similar approach but with more kitchen ambition; Le Bon Georges on the Right Bank offers a more traditional bistro frame around its wine focus. Le Verre Volé sits between those two: more food-forward than a pure cave à manger, less chef-driven than a destination bistro.
Within Paris's wine bar category, Le Verre Volé is well-positioned for a return visit if you already know the format. Cave du Septime is the stronger choice if you want more ambitious plates alongside the natural wine list. ALLÉNOTHÈQUE is the right call if you want high-end wine retail and fine dining in the same room. For a relaxed neighbourhood lunch with a serious glass, Le Verre Volé holds its own. It carries a Google rating of 4.2 across 1,045 reviews, which is a reliable signal of consistent delivery rather than occasion-dining peaks. Internationally, if you are benchmarking the format, 40 Maltby Street in London and 4850 in Amsterdam operate in the same register.
For broader Paris planning, see our full Paris restaurants guide, our full Paris bars guide, and Le Bon Georges if a classic bistro wine list is more your direction. If you are building a wider France trip around serious food, Mirazur in Menton and Flocons de Sel in Megève represent the other end of the ambition spectrum.
The kitchen runs a short, market-led menu designed to complement the wine list rather than headline on its own. No specific dishes are confirmed in our database, so follow the server's recommendation , at a wine bar of this format, the daily specials are typically the leading guide. The OAD citation describes the cooking as "tasty and frank," which points to direct, produce-led plates rather than elaborate preparations. Order what pairs with whatever the sommelier is excited about that day.
Smart casual is right. This is a Canal Saint-Martin wine bar, not a formal dining room , no dress code is enforced, and the room skews relaxed. Paris's 10th arrondissement sets a generally put-together baseline, so clean, casual clothes work fine. Avoid over-dressing; the room's atmosphere does not call for it.
The venue database does not confirm specific bar seating, but the format , a compact wine bar with bottles lining the walls , is consistent with counter or bar dining being available. If you are dining solo, arriving at opening (12:30 pm or 7 pm) gives you the leading chance of a counter spot. Call ahead if bar seating is important to your visit, since the room is small and fills quickly.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which means same-week reservations are generally available. That said, the room is small, and the venue has consistent OAD recognition , weekend evenings may fill faster than weekdays. A few days' notice is usually enough; for a Saturday dinner, booking 5–7 days out is a reasonable precaution. Lunch, especially on weekdays, is the easiest slot to secure.
Yes, more so than most Paris restaurants at this level. The wine-bar format suits solo diners , a counter or small table for one is easier to secure, the room encourages conversation, and the focus on wine means you can order a glass or two without committing to a full bottle. Arrive at opening for the leading seat selection. If solo dining is a priority across your Paris trip, also consider Cave du Septime, which operates a similar model in the 11th.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le Verre volé | A few steps from the St Martin canal (10th arrondissement), Verre Volé is worth a visit. A tasty and frank cuisine is accompanied by a wine selection that seeks above all to highlight little known win...; Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #715 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #590 (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 | €€€€ | — |
Comparing your options in Paris for this tier.
The kitchen under Chef Takao Inazawa is built to complement the cellar, not headline it. OAD describes the cooking as 'tasty and frank' — expect market-driven plates that pair with the natural wine list rather than steal focus. Your best move is to ask the floor for a pairing suggestion based on what's pouring that day; the wine selection prioritises little-known producers, so lean on that knowledge rather than defaulting to a recognisable label.
This is a canal-side wine bar in the 10th arrondissement, not a white-tablecloth room. Dress as you would for a relaxed neighbourhood dinner — no formality required. The compact space and bottle-lined walls set a casual register; overdressing would read as out of place here.
The room on Rue de Lancry is small and laid out with close-set tables rather than a traditional bar counter, so seating at a bar in the conventional sense may be limited. If counter or solo-seat options matter to you, call ahead or arrive at opening — the tight layout means configurations can vary and fill quickly.
Book at least one to two weeks out for dinner, more on weekends. The room is compact by design and Le Verre Volé has held a spot on OAD's Casual Europe list since 2023, which means it draws beyond the local crowd. Lunch (12:30–2 pm daily) is a shorter window and can be easier to secure on shorter notice, but don't count on walk-in availability at peak times.
Yes — the format suits solo diners well. A small, informal room with a focus on wine-by-the-glass means you can eat and drink at your own pace without the social awkwardness of a tasting-menu format. It's a more practical solo pick than a structured dinner venue; arriving at lunch keeps the time commitment contained within the 12:30–2 pm window.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
