Restaurant in Paris, France
One star, real value, book early.
Virtus holds a 2025 Michelin star and an Opinionated About Dining European ranking of #376, run by the Japanese-Argentine duo Chiho Kanzaki and Marcelo Di Giacomo. In Paris's dense one-star field, it delivers stronger value than most equivalents at the €€€€ tier, particularly for diners who want cross-cultural creative cooking over classical French formality. Book at least three to four weeks out.
Virtus holds a Michelin star and a 2025 Opinionated About Dining ranking of #376 in Europe (up from #359 in 2024), with a Google rating of 4.8 across more than 1,200 reviews. Those numbers, taken together, make a clear case: this is not a restaurant you book on a whim, but it rewards the effort. If you've already visited once, the question is whether the kitchen has given you reason to return. The short answer is yes, and the seasonal menu structure is the main reason why.
Virtus sits at 29 Rue de Cotte in the 12th arrondissement, a neighbourhood that runs cooler than the more tourist-heavy arrondissements of central Paris. That location matters: you're not paying a premium for a famous postcode, which is part of why the value calculation here is stronger than at comparable one-star addresses closer to the Seine. If you've eaten here before and are deciding whether a second visit is justified, the dual-chef model gives the kitchen a wider creative range than most single-chef tables at this price point.
The kitchen is led by Chiho Kanzaki and Marcelo Di Giacomo, one Japanese and one Argentinian, both of whom travel extensively to source ingredients directly from producers. That sourcing philosophy shapes what arrives at the table: dishes are built around ingredient combinations that don't follow a conventional French logic — green asparagus with burrata and gariguette strawberry, Saint-Jacques with kohlrabi, Challans duck with roasted apple. The dessert section carries Di Giacomo's influence and leans into French-Japanese hybrids: gariguette strawberries with Marc de saké cream and Genmaicha ice cream is the kind of combination that makes more sense in the eating than in the description. For a returning guest, these desserts are worth planning your appetite around.
The current season is the right moment to be thinking about Virtus. Spring produces in Paris are at their peak from April through June, and a kitchen that centres its menus on producer relationships and seasonal sourcing tends to deliver its sharpest work during this window. Gariguette strawberries, the early asparagus, the shift from root vegetables to the first bright herbs , this is when the menu's cross-cultural logic is most legible. If you're timing a visit, booking now rather than in midsummer or autumn gives you the leading read on what the kitchen does when its ingredients are at their most expressive.
Wine program at Virtus is where the dual-chef philosophy extends beyond the kitchen. A table built around Japanese-Argentine creative instincts and French produce doesn't fit neatly into the conventional Burgundy-and-Bordeaux frame that defines many Paris fine-dining lists. Virtus's list reflects that: expect a selection that leans toward natural and low-intervention producers, with French regional wines that can hold their own against the acidic, saline, and umami-forward flavour profiles the kitchen regularly deploys. For a returning guest, the wine pairing is worth considering over a self-selected bottle , the pairings tend to be more instructive about what the kitchen is doing than a safe Burgundy selection would be. The combination of kohlrabi, scallop, and sake-inflected desserts creates a pairing challenge that a well-calibrated list answers directly. If you're the kind of diner who treats the wine program as a separate course of information about the meal, Virtus delivers on that.
Getting a table here is hard. Virtus operates a limited service schedule: dinner Tuesday through Saturday (19:30 last seating at 21:00), with lunch only on Friday (12:00, last seating 13:00). Sunday and Monday are closed. That adds up to roughly six services per week, which, for a Michelin-starred address with this kind of OAD ranking and review volume, means competition for seats is real. Plan for a minimum of three to four weeks' lead time; during peak Paris seasons (spring, Fashion Week in October, the holiday period) book further out. Lunch on Friday is the easiest entry point if your schedule is flexible , it's a single service and generally quieter than weekend dinner.
The 12th arrondissement address is a practical advantage for anyone staying on the eastern side of Paris. For hotel guests based near the Marais or Bastille, Virtus is a short trip. For those staying in the 8th or 16th, factor in travel time: the 12th is not a quick walk from the traditional luxury hotel cluster. See our full Paris hotels guide for accommodation options closer to the restaurant.
Paris has a dense one-star tier, and Virtus occupies a specific position within it. Compared to addresses like Alliance or Tomy & Co, Virtus offers more conceptual ambition , the cross-cultural sourcing approach produces dishes that feel genuinely distinct rather than competently modern. Against Pages, which also draws on Japanese technique, the difference is register: Virtus leans warmer and more accessible in its combinations, Pages tighter and more austere. For a second visit, the question is whether you want to go deeper into the Kanzaki-Di Giacomo worldview or explore laterally. Marsan par Hélène Darroze and Table - Bruno Verjus are the two strongest Paris alternatives if product sourcing and producer relationships are what drew you to Virtus in the first place.
For those interested in the broader French fine-dining context, Virtus sits in the same creative current as destinations like Mirazur in Menton and Flocons de Sel in Megève , kitchens where international influence and hyper-local sourcing coexist. The difference is scale and ambition: Virtus is operating at the one-star tier, not the three-star level of Troisgros or Bras, but the cooking philosophy shares a lineage. For Paris-based diners interested in where the city's creative fine dining is heading, Virtus is a more useful data point than many of its peers at the same price tier.
See our full Paris restaurants guide, our full Paris bars guide, our full Paris wineries guide, and our full Paris experiences guide for more on what to do around your visit.
Yes, for the right diner. The tasting menu format is how the kitchen's cross-cultural sourcing logic makes the most sense , you need multiple courses to understand how Japanese and Argentine influences coexist with French produce. At the €€€€ price point, you're getting a Michelin-starred, OAD-ranked kitchen (Europe #376 in 2025) run by two chefs with serious ingredient relationships. If tasting menus aren't your format, Virtus is not the right choice , there's no strong case for a partial experience here.
Smart casual is the practical answer for Paris's one-star tier in the 12th. This is not a jacket-required room in the traditional Parisian grand restaurant sense, but arriving in activewear or very casual clothes would feel out of place against the contemporary interior and the price point. Think of it the way you'd dress for a serious dinner in a neighbourhood that's stylish but not ostentatious , well put-together without being formal.
At the €€€€ tier in Paris, Virtus offers better value than most of its peers. The 12th arrondissement address keeps the rent economics saner than restaurants in the 1st, 6th, or 8th, and a 4.8 Google rating across 1,200+ reviews suggests consistent delivery at that price. For the same money, Alliance offers a comparable creative level, but Virtus's dual-chef model gives it more tasting range. If your benchmark is three-star spending , Alléno or Le Cinq , Virtus is a sharper spend for the food alone.
Contact the restaurant directly ahead of your booking to communicate restrictions. No specific dietary information is available in our data, but kitchens operating at this level and format , a tasting menu driven by seasonal produce , typically have more flexibility than à la carte restaurants. The more notice you give, the better. The website should be your first contact point for current booking and communication details.
No confirmed bar seating information is available in our data. Given the service format and scale of Virtus, counter or bar dining is not a confirmed option. If flexibility around seating matters to you, confirm directly when booking. For more casual counter-style dining in Paris's creative one-star tier, Pages is worth considering.
Yes. The combination of a Michelin star, OAD European ranking, nostalgic-contemporary interior, and a tasting menu format built around unusual ingredient combinations makes Virtus a strong special occasion choice. It works better for occasions where the food itself is the point , a serious dining anniversary, a birthday for someone who cares about cooking , than for large group celebrations. The intimate room and focused format suit two to four people. For a grander occasion with more service ceremony, Le Cinq or L'Ambroisie would fit the brief better.
Lunch, if you can manage it. Virtus serves lunch only on Fridays (12:00, last seating 13:00), which means it's harder to get but worth prioritising. Fine dining menus at this price point tend to be more considered at lunch , you have the afternoon to let the meal settle, service is typically less pressured, and the per-head cost sometimes reflects a shorter format. If Friday lunch doesn't work, Saturday dinner is the next leading option before the week closes. Sunday and Monday are both closed.
No confirmed group capacity or private dining information is available in our data. Given the limited weekly service schedule (roughly six services per week across a small room), large groups will face real constraints. For parties of more than four, contact the restaurant well in advance. If a private dining room is a requirement for your group, Pierre Gagnaire or Le Cinq are better-equipped options at a comparable price tier.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtus | With an attractive interior, a nostalgic ambience and a contemporary kitchen, Virtus is one of the musts of Paris. At the stove are two names to remember, the Japanese Chillo Kanzaki and the Argentinian Marcelo di Giacomo. The two men travel around the world in their free time to meet producers and other suppliers. The result is innovative and unique dishes with different inspirations. Original is a combination of green asparagus, burrata and gariguette strawberry or St. Jacques fruit with kohlrabi and also Challans duck and roasted apple. The desserts are signed Marcelo and flirt with French-Japanese flavours such as gariguette strawberries, cream of Marc de saké and Genmaicha ice cream.; Category: Remarkable; Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked #376 (2025); Michelin 1 Star (2025); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked #359 (2024); Michelin 1 Star (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top New Restaurants 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.
Yes, for the right diner. Virtus holds a Michelin star and ranked #376 in Europe on Opinionated About Dining 2025, and the Japanese-Argentine creative axis from Kanzaki and Di Giacomo produces combinations you won't find at comparable Paris one-stars. At €€€€, it sits at the upper end of the Paris one-star tier, but the cross-cultural cooking makes it a stronger choice than more conventional addresses at the same price point. If you want classical French precision above all, look elsewhere — this kitchen takes creative risks.
Smart casual reads correctly here. Virtus has a contemporary interior with a nostalgic ambience rather than the formal grandeur of a multi-star palace restaurant, so a jacket is not required for men, though turning up in athleisure would feel out of place. Think dinner-out rather than black tie. The 12th arrondissement address signals a relaxed register compared to addresses near the 8th.
At €€€€, Virtus is one of the more defensible spends in the Paris one-star tier. A Michelin star plus an independent OAD top-400 Europe ranking suggests consistency that justifies the price, and the Kanzaki-Di Giacomo partnership produces a creative output that punches above its category. If €€€€ for a one-star feels steep, consider that Alliance or Tomy & Co operate in a similar bracket with more classical profiles — Virtus gives you more creative range for comparable spend.
The venue data does not detail a specific dietary restriction policy. Given the tasting menu format and very limited nightly seatings, check the venue's official channels when booking to flag any requirements — the kitchen's produce-focused sourcing philosophy suggests flexibility is possible, but confirmation is essential before arrival.
No bar dining is documented for Virtus. The restaurant operates a tasting menu format with a constrained service window — dinner seatings from 19:30 with last entry at 21:00 Tuesday through Saturday, plus Friday lunch. The format is sit-down and structured, not drop-in. Book a table or expect to wait for availability.
Yes, and it's a stronger choice than many one-star Paris options for occasions where the meal itself is the point. The Michelin star and OAD recognition give it external credibility, the nostalgic-contemporary interior creates atmosphere without formality, and the creative Japanese-Argentine cooking gives guests something to talk about. For a milestone dinner, it competes well against addresses like Kei at a similar price tier.
Lunch runs Friday only (12:00 to 13:00 last seating), which makes it a scarce slot — if you can get it, Friday lunch is often the value entry point at Michelin-starred Paris restaurants and worth targeting. Dinner runs Tuesday through Saturday. Neither format is documented as a shorter or cheaper menu in the available data, so book whichever slot you can secure and confirm the menu format directly.
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