The Best Restaurant Wine Lists in Paris

While Paris remains the greatest city in the world in which to drink French wine (no surprise here), where you can experience some of the country’s best wines has changed dramatically. Gone are the days when drinking well meant succumbing to lengthy tasting menus in dusty, heavily draped dining rooms. Today, you can drink rare wines in a casual brasserie setting or  Overnoy alongside craft cocktails at an oyster bar. Below is a list of some of Paris’s best restaurant wine list—and best places to drink, period.  (Special thanks to PUNCH friends Rajat Parr and Lucas Wittman who have provided invaluable insight.) —Jordan Salcito

  • 1

    114 Faubourg at Le Bristol

    Few wine lists are as comprehensive as Chef Sommelier Marco Pelletier’s collection of wines distributed across Hôtel Le Bristol's properties. Pelletier (who worked at Taillevant before moving to Le Bristol six years ago) has worked diligently to build a thorough French list that’s as well stocked with Tissot as it is with Raveneau. A man who understands that not everyone can afford a three-Michelin-star dining experience every week (as at Epicure), Pelletier created Winemaker Mondays at 114 Faubourg (the hotel’s elegant, but less-fancy restaurant). Each week, a winemaker hosts a tasting of her/his wines and the ...

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    KNOWN FOR

    • full menu
    • bar food
    • low wine markups
    • Champagne
    • bottle service
    • hotel bar
    • lots of whiskey
    • day drinking
    • outdoors / patio
    • vintage wine
  • 2

    Brasserie Thoumieux

    At the Hôtel Thoumieux's glamorous all-day brasserie, designer India Mahdavi’s style transports guests back into the art deco era. Brass railings, walls of mirrors, red banquettes and jade-colored table lamps set the scene for classic brasserie fare reinterpreted to match a wine list that includes everything from Champagne Agrapart to Beaujolais's rising star Anne-Sophie Dubois.

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    KNOWN FOR

    • natural wine
    • bar food
    • full menu
    • Champagne
    • low wine markups
    • hotel bar
    • oysters / raw bar
    • day drinking
  • 3

    La Cagouille

    The façade is more reminiscent of an Auto Grill than one of Paris’s great (if off-the-beaten-path) restaurants. Tucked into the 14ème, this restaurant is known for its fresh and expertly prepared seafood dishes, like classic moules frites, oysters and grilled mullet. And the wine list—particularly the white section—is exceptional and underpriced.

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    KNOWN FOR

    • natural wine
    • low wine markups
    • vintage wine
    • outdoors / patio
    • oysters / raw bar
  • 4

    La Tour d'Argent

    Ask any winemaker or sommelier in France which restaurant boasts the greatest list of French wines in the world, and--unless they have a financial stake elsewhere--the answer will be  La Tour d’Argent. The restaurant, which is said to have been the inspiration for Pixar’s Ratatouille, is one of Paris’s most historic. There are legends that it was founded as early as the 16th century and was frequented by Henry IV, but documentation dates its existence only as far back as 1860. No matter. The list is a leather-bound tome no less than ten inches thick, and is so heavy that it arrives tableside on a guéridon.

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    KNOWN FOR

    • full menu
    • vintage wine
    • low wine markups
    • Champagne
    • historic
  • 5

    Le Baratin

    A Parisian staple for more than two decades, Le Baratin boasts a deep cellar of natural wines curated by husband-and-wife duo Raquel Carina and Philippe (Pinouche) Pinoteau, both of whom were devotees of these wines long before they became trendy. A cozy bistro typified by a long zinc bar, rustic wooden table, simple glassware and Carina's soulful cooking make the place itself as down to earth as its owners.

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    KNOWN FOR

    • full menu
    • natural wine
    • vintage wine
    • low wine markups
    • historic
  • 6

    Le Mary Celeste

    Le Mary Celeste is named for a 19th-century French ship that went adrift after a wrong turn home from New York, a nautical homage that is supported by nuanced crudo dishes and an excellent selection of oysters. Chef Haan Palcu-Chang is half-Chinese, half-Romanian, and his culinary training comes from experience cooking in Thai and Classic European kitchens. So it makes sense that his food is a patchwork of ingredients and inspiration, with inventions like Chinese crepes stuffed with pork knuckle and kimchi. The wine list reads like a who's who of the natural wine world right now, with the likes of Arianna Occhipinti, ...

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    KNOWN FOR

    • cheap date
    • natural wine
    • low wine markups
    • day drinking
    • oysters / raw bar
    • craft cocktails
    • craft beer
    • Champagne
    • full menu
    • bar food
  • 7

    Le Sévero

    When former butcher William Bernet spotted a void in Paris's market for expertly butchered and aged steak frites, he created this tiny venue for meat and wine lovers. With its red leather banquettes, zinc bar and endless parade of steak tartare and entrecôte, the place feels like classic Paris. Add to that a thoughtful selection of competitively priced classic wines, selected by Bernet himself.

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    KNOWN FOR

    • cheap date
    • full menu
    • low wine markups
    • vintage wine
    • natural wine
  • 8

    Passage 53

    Japanese chef Shinichi Sato’s Passage 53, a tiny space tucked away under one of Paris’s oldest passageways, has been an under-the-radar favorite of some of the world’s most discerning winemakers for years. The restaurant is no longer a secret, but the Burgundy selection is especially deep, and wine markups pleasantly low. Close friendships with some of Burgundy’s most estimable producers means you’re likely to find back-vintages of wines that came direct from the domaine.

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    KNOWN FOR

    • good wine
    • full menu
    • Champagne
    • low wine markups
    • vintage wine
  • 9

    Septime

    Equal parts Copenhagen cool and French countryside charming, Septime has been on nearly every must-eat list since it opened in 2011. Chef Bertrand Grébaut's modern food paired with Théo Pourriat's spirited selection of natural wines from around the globe has made this one of the most coveted reservations in town. If you can't snag a reservation, head to Pourriat’s wine bar-slash-wine shop, Septime Cave.

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    KNOWN FOR

    • natural wine
    • full menu
    • low wine markups
    • champagne