We admit it: we’re serious foodies at INSPIRELLE. And, since we have strong international connections in our community, always on the hunt for good Asian food. With Chinese New Year kicking off soon, here is a selection of some of our favorite Chinese restaurants in Paris to suit all different budgets and regional tastes.
We’ve chosen only restaurants in different areas around the city that our local Chinese friends have given the thumbs up to. INSPIRELLE TIPS: Chinese restaurants are more fun in a group; eat family-style (i.e. share!) so you can try more dishes. Be adventurous and order the regional or chef’s specialties of each restaurant rather than sticking with the ubiquitous spring rolls (nems) and traditional fried rice. Indulge in new tastes!
ALSO READ: Where to Celebrate Chinese New Year in Paris
RIVE GAUCHE
(the Eiffel Tower side of the Seine River)
Délices de Shandong (13ème) €€€€
Well-known amongst the Chinese community and Sinophiles in Paris, this casual, canteen-like restaurant specializes in authentic Shandong (northern Chinese) regional cuisine. True to its origins, you’ll find a variety of crispy or braised seafood (fish, squid, eel), meat (beef, pork, lamb) and vegetable (braised eggplant) dishes, with rich complex flavors often composed of a blend of vinegar, garlic, ginger, onions and a bit of spicy red pepper.
88, Blvd. de l’Hôpital 75013 Paris. Metro: Campo Formio
Tel: +33(0)1 45 87 23 37, Website: deliceshandong.com
Chinatown Olympiades (13ème) €€€€
Practically an institution since 1985, this festive, family-friendly restaurant in the main Chinatown of Paris serves up tasty traditional dim sum and Cantonese cuisine at reasonable prices. Don’t miss their dim sum and roasted duck. If you’re in a party mood, you can even belt out some karaoké songs during the week, or dance till 2am on weekends.
44, Avenue d’Ivry, 75013 Paris. Metro: Olympiades, Porte d’Ivry
Tel: +33(0)1 4584 7221 Website: www.chinatownolympiades.com
Mirama (5ème) €€€€
Sometimes you just have a taste for a simple bowl of Chinese noodles. Mirama is the place to go for some of the best shrimp wonton noodle soup, roasted duck and BBQ pork in the heart of Paris, just steps away from Notre Dame Cathedral. Open daily till 10:30pm.
17, rue Saint Jacques 75005 Paris. Metro: Cluny-La Sorbonne, Saint-Michel
Tel: +33(0)1 43 54 71 77
Tch’a-La Maison de Thé (6ème) €€€€
A slight departure from your typical Chinese canteen-style restaurant. This cozy, zen, teahouse with 12 tables serves up healthy, traditional Cantonese cuisine, including vegetarian, tofu-based dishes to accompany the star of the house: dozens of varieties of fragrant teas (white, green, yellow and blue).
6, rue du Pont de Lodi, 75006 Paris. Metro: Mabillon, Saint-Michel
Tel: +33(0)1 43 29 61 31. Lunch only.
Tricotin (13ème) €€€€
One of the oldest Chinese canteens in Paris, this family-style restaurant continues to be popular with locals. You come here for quick service and a vast array of soups, dim sum delicacies, BBQ duck and rice plates at a good value. It’s big, noisy and often crowded, but very kid-friendly and perfect for weekend brunch en famille.
15, Avenue Choisy 75013 Paris. Metro: Porte de Choisy
Tel: +33(0)1 45 84 74 44
RIVE DROITE
(the Champs Elysées & Sacre Coeur side of the Seine)
Au Ciel (11ème) €€€€
Au Ciel offers classic Northern Chinese specialties from Peking and Sichuan, such as spicy Sichuanese fish and beef, and shredded Peking-style pork served wrapped in small crèpes. But our favorite is the all-you-can-eat hot pot, where you get your own pot of boullion (choose plain or spicy) that keeps boiling on your personal induction plate. You tick off the ingredients you want from a copious selection and cook them in your own personal pot, reorder when you want more, and you have a tasty soup to drink at the end. Perfect on a cold day!
97, rue de Charonne 75011 Paris. Metro: Charonne.
Tel: +33(0)1 43 72 19 08. Website: auciel.fr
Bistrot de Pékin (8ème) €€€€
Fiery-hot Northern Chinese food, smack in central Paris. Serves mainly Pekingese and Sichuanese regional specialities including soups, dumplings, seafood (marmite of spicy prawns) and poultry (try the crispy spicy chicken and their scrumptious Peking duck), meat dishes like Shanghainese lion’s head, water-cooked beef, and braised pork with vermicelli noodles. Casual atmosphere. Conveniently located near the Champs Elysees.
38, Rue de Ponthieu, 75008 Paris. Metro: Franklin Roosevelt
Tel: +33(0)1 42 56 50 86
Exquis d’Asie (19ème) €€€€
A large, banquet hall-style restaurant offering a wide range of traditional Chinese dishes, from classic seafood and meat courses to gastronomic specialties such as abalone, sea cucumber and traditional soups. Consider going in a group of 10 to 12 persons and dine banquet style with 10 courses starting with appetizers and building up to a crescendo with lobster and whole steamed fish before ending with Chinese sweets.
159, ave de Flandre 75019. Metro: Corentin Cariou
Tel: +33(0) 1 4489 88 88. Website: www.jiahao.fr
La Belle Chine (16ème) €€€€
La Belle Chine offers authentic Chinese food with a northern influence…they’ve been serving for over 30 years! They serve a decent varied dim sum, but their main courses featuring more refined flavors from Beijing are the real delicacies. Order in advance for their succulent braised pork, which is marinated for up to several days in a delicious marinade. Your palette will discover new flavors!
29 rue Copernic 75116 Paris. Metro: Victor Hugo.
Tel: + 33(0)1 45 00 6219 Website: http://www.labellechine.fr
LiLi at the Peninsula Paris (16 ème) €€€€
Elaborate Chinese opera costumes welcome you upon entering this stunning temple of Cantonese cuisine. Dim sum offerings are limited but delicious and creative, incorporating seasonal French twists such as a steamed dumpling with scallops from Port-en-Bessin and black truffle. A variety of sophisticated main courses range from line-caught Brittany codfish braised in a claypot with lotus root to deep-fried frog legs coated with home-made chili sauce, or fried rice with Cantonese-style barbecued foie gras, minced beef and rice crisps. For the best deals, try their set menus starting at 52€ for lunch or dinner at 90€.
19, avenue Kleber 75116 Paris. Metro: Kléber, Boissière.
Tel: + 33(0)1 5812 6605 Website: http://www.peninsula.com/paris
Opera Mandarin (2ème) €€€€
Craving an authentic Peking duck? The crispy skin duck (order in advance) is served here over three courses: starting with the duck skin you wrap with a plum sauce in thin rice pancakes, then as a main course sautéed with vegetables, and finally as a delicious soup. It also has a decent dim sum (Chinese dumplings and hors d’oeuvres) menu, available for lunch and dinner.
23, Boulevard des Capucines, 75002 Paris. Metro: Opéra
Tel: +33(0)1 47 42 49 56
Palais du Bonheur (16ème) €€€€
Known for its crispy Peking Duck served over several courses, the Palais du Bonheur, sports a traditional decoration, with black furniture and green columns. Your taste buds will enjoy the typical grilled and steamed Chinese flavors all for a reasonable price with a welcoming smile!
131 Rue Michel Ange, 75016 Paris. Metro: Porte de St Cloud.
Tel: + 33(0)1 46 51 4668 Website: http://palaisdubonheur.com
Royal Tching Tao (12ème) €€€€
Authentic Northern Chinese cuisine in a brasserie-type atmosphere. Avoid the Thai-influenced dishes on the copious menu and go for the more authentic specialities such as eggplants sauteéed in soy sauce, Squirrel Mandarin Fish (poisson en écureuil), and shredded Peking-style pork served with little pancakes.
8, Avenue du Bel Air 75012 Paris. Metro: Nation
Tel: +33(0)1 43 07 28 98
Shang Palace at the Shangri-La Paris (16ème) €€€€
Set inside the luxurious Shangri-La Paris Hotel (in the former residence of Napoleon Bonaparte’s grandnephew) it’s the first Chinese restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star in France. Consider this for special occasions when you want to splurge on fine Cantonese cuisine in a refined, elegant setting. Some of the chef’s recommendations are: BBQ Iberian pork with honey, fresh sole filet flavored with XO sauce, sautéed Angus beef tenderloin with porcini mushrooms, and lobster prepared any one of eight ways. We love their dim sum lunch, with two set menus for 58€ or 78€. Savor every morsel.
10, avenue d’Iéna 75116 Paris. Metro: Iéna.
Tel: + 33(0)1 5367 1992 Website: http://www.shangri-la.com/paris
Trois Fois Plus de Piment (3ème)
Spice up your lunch or dinner with a traditional Sichuanese noodles and dumplings in this modern Chinese bistro with a street stall ambiance. You know they’re serious about their spiciness when you can choose your level of spice on a scale of 0 to 5! No reservations accepted.
184 Rue Saint-Martin, 75003 Paris Metro: Rambuteau, Étienne Marcel
Tel: + 33(0)6 5266 7531 Website: https://troisfoisplusdepiment.fr
