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
Casual
Trois Fois Plus de Piment (multiple locations)
Spice up your lunch or dinner with 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 (when you no longer feel your tongue hot)! It’s so popular they now have six locations around Paris. They also offer takeaway and home delivery. No reservations accepted.
Beaubourg: 184 Rue Saint-Martin, 75003
Saint-Germain: 17 Rue Frédéric Sauton, 75005
Haussmann: 58 Rue des Mathurins, 75008
Montmartre: 9 Rue Rodier, 75009
Alésia: 27 Rue Mouton-Duvernet, 75014
Levallois: 117 Rue de Tocqueville, 75017
Website: troisfoisplusdepiment.fr
XiaoLongKan Chinese Hot Pot (2ème)
For an authentic Sichuanese hotpot experience conveniently located in the center of Paris, XiaoLongKan is our go-to. We love this convivial way of everyone cooking for themselves by dipping their food into a big pot of boiling broth. You can choose to split your pot and try both spicy and non-spicy broths, then order the meat, fish, veggies, noodles, etc… that you want to cook. There’s also a sauce bar, where you get to fill up your own dipping bowl. To cool down your palate, we recommend the bing su dessert, a cup of shaved coconut ice flakes topped with condensed milk and fresh mango cubes.
8 rue Saint Marc, 75002 Paris
Tel: +331 4260 8714 Website: xiaolongkan-hotpot.fr
Diamant Rose (6ème)
161 Boulevard Montparnesse, 75006 Paris
Tel: +331 4354 5615 Website: diamantrose.fr
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: +331 4584 7221 Website: 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: +331 43 54 71 77 Website: mirama.fr
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 the star is the all-you-can-eat hot pot, where you get your own pot of bouillon (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: +331 4372 1908 Website: auciel.fr
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: +331 4489 8888 Website: exquisdasie.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: +331 4307 2898
Upscale/Award-Winning
Imperial Treasure (8ème)
If you crave an authentic Peking Duck (matured for an average of 40 days) like they serve it in China, look no further. Here, thin slices of ultra-crispy duck skin and meat are expertly carved at your table and served with a stack of paper thin wrappers and individual plates of accompaniments. Impeccable service coupled with a wide variety of refined classic Chinese dishes and scrumptious dim sum make this one of our favourite splurge restaurants. Other must-tries include: “Chang Fen” crispy shrimp rice rolls, glazed eggplant with crispy rice & shredded dried pork, caramelised black cod with Shanghainese sauce. Opened in 2020, it’s part of the award-winning Imperial Treasure group which owns 22 restaurants, mainly in China and Singapore.
44, rue de Bassano, 75008 Paris (inside Hotel La Clef Champs-Elysées Paris)
Tel: + 331 5856 2913 Website: imperialtreasure.com/france
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. Savor every morsel.
10, avenue d’Iéna 75116 Paris Metro: Iéna.
Tel: + 331 5367 1992 Website: shangri-la.com/paris
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 homemade chili sauce, or fried rice with Cantonese-style barbecued foie gras, minced beef and rice crisps.
19, avenue Kleber 75116 Paris. Metro: Kléber, Boissière.
Tel: + 331 5812 6605 Website: peninsula.com/paris
