Restaurant in Paris, France
Two stars, tiny room, near-impossible to book.
Marsan par Hélène Darroze holds two Michelin stars and a La Liste ranking, operating out of an intimate Left Bank room on Rue d'Assas. Dinner closes at 9 pm sharp and the booking difficulty is near impossible — plan four to six weeks ahead minimum. Lunch on Saturday is the most accessible entry point for serious Modern French cooking at the €€€€ level.
The most common misconception about Marsan par Hélène Darroze is that it operates on the loose, extended hours you might expect from a high-profile Parisian address in the 6th arrondissement. It does not. Service ends at 9 pm sharp for dinner, Tuesday through Saturday, and the restaurant is closed Sunday and Monday entirely. If you are planning a late dinner after a museum visit or a long afternoon in the Jardin du Luxembourg, this is not the booking to make. Come here for a focused, unhurried meal that starts on time — not a spontaneous evening out.
That said, if you are prepared to work within those windows, Marsan is one of the more compelling two-star arguments in Paris right now. Michelin awarded it two stars in both 2024 and 2025. La Liste placed it at 79.5 points in 2025 and 78 points in 2026. Opinionated About Dining ranked it 178th among Classical European restaurants in 2025, up from 189th in 2024. The trajectory is upward, which matters when you are spending at the €€€€ level.
The address — 4 Rue d'Assas, in the southern stretch of Saint-Germain-des-Prés , is residential rather than grand. The dining room at Marsan is intimate in scale: not a stage-set destination space with soaring ceilings and theatrical lighting, but a room designed for concentration on the plate and the conversation. The spatial register is closer to a serious private dining room than to the ceremonial grandeur of, say, a palace hotel restaurant. Seating count is not confirmed in available data, but the room's proportions encourage the kind of quieter service pace that suits a two-star tasting menu format. For diners who find large, loud fine-dining rooms distracting, this works in Marsan's favour. For those who want spectacle alongside the cooking, look elsewhere.
The 6th arrondissement location puts it within comfortable reach of Saint-Sulpice and the Luxembourg gardens. If you are staying on the Left Bank, the walk is direct. If you are coming from the Marais or the 8th, allow time , the geography of Paris means this is not a quick taxi hop from everywhere.
Hélène Darroze is one of the most decorated French chefs of her generation, with two-star recognition at this Paris address running alongside her other operations. The cooking at Marsan sits in the Modern French register: technique-forward, produce-driven, anchored in the classical tradition but not prisoner to it. This is the kind of cooking that rewards attention rather than performance , dishes built around precision rather than provocation. For diners who want the intellectual engagement of a tasting menu without the avant-garde theatrics of somewhere like Pierre Gagnaire, Marsan is a more grounded proposition.
No signature dishes are confirmed in available data, so specific menu content should be verified at booking. What the awards record confirms is consistent quality at the two-star level across multiple years and multiple rating systems , which is a stronger signal than a single accolade.
Given the dinner service ends at 9 pm, lunch on a weekday or Saturday is the more practical and often more relaxed entry point. The lunch window , 12:30 to 1:30 pm , is tight, which means you need to be on time and mentally present from the first course. That said, two-star lunch in Paris at the €€€€ price tier frequently offers better value than dinner: lighter set menus, the same kitchen at full attention, and more of the afternoon ahead of you. If you are combining Marsan with a broader Paris itinerary , and our full Paris restaurants guide has broader context on how it fits , the Saturday lunch slot is the one to target.
Dinner is the better choice if the full tasting menu experience is the point and you want the evening to breathe. Just do not expect to linger past 9 pm. Plan your night accordingly: a bar visit beforehand, or use the evening's early end to explore what Paris's bar scene offers post-dinner. Our full Paris bars guide covers that territory.
Availability at Marsan is classified as near impossible. This is a small room, a high-profile chef, and a two-star address that draws international visitors alongside a loyal Paris clientele. Booking method is not confirmed in available data , verify directly via the restaurant or a concierge service. Assume you will need to plan at minimum four to six weeks ahead, and further out for peak Paris periods: Fashion Week, summer, and the holiday run in December. The Google rating of 4.3 across 876 reviews suggests that when guests do get in, the experience largely meets expectation , the score is not exceptional, but it is solid for a restaurant at this price and format.
For context on how Marsan compares to other demanding Paris bookings, venues like Table - Bruno Verjus and Alliance operate in a similar difficulty bracket. If you want serious modern French cooking with more availability, Tomy & Co, Virtus, and Pages are worth considering as alternatives or fallbacks.
Hélène Darroze's reach extends well beyond this address. France's broader fine-dining map includes two-star and three-star restaurants that offer different settings and booking windows: Flocons de Sel in Megève, Mirazur in Menton, Troisgros in Ouches, Auberge de l'Ill in Illhaeusern, Bras in Laguiole, and Paul Bocuse in Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or represent the range of what serious French fine dining looks like outside the capital. If your appetite runs to serious French-trained cooking in a global context, Le Bernardin in New York City and Atomix in New York City are useful reference points for how French technique travels.
For Paris hotel context if you are planning a stay around this booking, our full Paris hotels guide covers Left Bank options close to the 6th. Our Paris wineries guide and Paris experiences guide round out the broader trip picture.
Quick reference: Two Michelin stars (2024, 2025); €€€€; Tue–Sat lunch 12:30–1:30 pm, dinner 7:30–9 pm; closed Sun–Mon; 4 Rue d'Assas, 75006 Paris; booking difficulty: near impossible.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Marsan par Hélène Darroze | €€€€ | — |
| Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen | €€€€ | — |
| Kei | €€€€ | — |
| L'Ambroisie | €€€€ | — |
| Le Cinq - Four Seasons Hôtel George V | €€€€ | — |
| Pierre Gagnaire | €€€€ | — |
How Marsan par Hélène Darroze stacks up against the competition.
Book as far in advance as possible — availability is near impossible given the small room, two-star reputation, and international demand. The kitchen operates within very tight service windows (lunch 12:30–1:30 pm, dinner 7:30–9 pm), so late arrivals are not absorbed quietly. At €€€€ pricing with two Michelin stars and a La Liste ranking of 78pts for 2026, this is a committed, formal meal — not a drop-in occasion. Come with a clear block of time and confirmed reservation.
Large groups are a poor fit here. The dining room is intimate by design, and with service windows as narrow as one hour at lunch, the format does not flex well for parties expecting a leisurely group pace. For a celebratory table of two to four, the two-star setting works well. Groups of six or more should consider venues with dedicated private dining infrastructure rather than risk dominating a small room at this level.
Solo dining is viable here, particularly at lunch, where the shorter service window and quieter midweek slots create a more focused atmosphere than dinner. The trade-off is that the €€€€ price point hits harder per head dining alone, and with one of Paris's most high-profile chefs at the pass, the experience is weighted toward shared occasions. If solo fine dining is your format, the counter experience at a venue like Kei may offer better value and a more appropriate setting.
Yes, provided you secure the reservation well in advance. Two Michelin stars, a La Liste Top Restaurants ranking, and Hélène Darroze's standing as one of the most decorated French chefs of her generation make this a credible high-stakes choice. The intimacy of the room suits couples or small parties marking a specific occasion more than large celebratory groups. For milestone dining in Paris, this competes directly with L'Ambroisie and Le Cinq, but at a slightly more residential, less grand-hotel register.
Lunch is the more practical and often more accessible option. The 12:30–1:30 pm window is tight, but midweek lunch slots open up more frequently than evening seats, and the atmosphere tends to be calmer. Dinner runs 7:30–9 pm — also a narrow window — and fills faster given evening demand. On value, lunch at a two-star address in Paris typically carries a lower price entry than dinner, making it the smarter first visit if you have flexibility.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
