Where To Eat In Montparnasse

For most people visiting Paris, Montparnasse is an overlooked neighborhood. Most travelers will first look at spots like Le Marais, known for the nightlife, and the Seventh Arrondissement with the Eiffel Tower, or the Eighth Arondissement with the Champs Elysees. If you're looking for something that keeps you close to all of the action but pulls you just outside of the tourist traffic, Montparnasse is a perfect home base.

Located in the heart of everything – a five-minute walk to Luxembourg Gardens, a 20-minute walk to Notre Dame and 30-minute walk to the Rodin Museum – it's a way to experience Paris the way locals do. We made a visit recently to focus on the foodie spots in and around the neighborhood. If you're visiting Montparnasse, here are the places to put on your edible itinerary.

La Cabane A Huitres

La Cabane a Huitres is one of the classic spots in Paris to get oysters. Run by a fifth-generation oyster farmer, Francis Dubourg, this is a sweet spot for shuck lovers. Everyone who visits signs up for a dozen oysters, so be sure that's your thing before you enter. Their menus are all fixed and each starts off with 12, almost always coming from Dubourg's farm in Arcachon on the Atlantic Coast.

The rustic space is quite small, seating roughly 20 people. If you're planning to go, make sure you call ahead to reserve a spot.

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Invictus

Located a stone's throw from the Luxembourg Gardens, Invictus is one of Montparnasse's dining gems. Inside you'll find a cozy and classy setting with white table cloths and elegant plate ware. It's not haughty or too formal, though, so you can be casually dressed.

The food and wine list are the star of the show here as the execution is really on-point. If the plating was a bit cleaner and fancier, they might be able to find themselves in the Michelin guide as a recommendation. As it stands, you're still bound to have a great meal here.

Pierre Herme

Pierre Herme is one of the most famous outlets for chocolates and pastries in Paris. He began his career at the young age of 14 but his incredible dedication has led to him opening shops in 13 different countries.

Awarded the title of World's Best Pastry Chef in 2016 by the World's 50 Best Restaurants, you have to pop into his boutiques if you're ever near one – even if it's just to have a peak. Conveniently, there's one in Montparnasse on Rue Bonaparte. Buy a few treats and then make the five-minute walk to the Luxembourg Gardens. That's the ideal site to enjoy your sweet bite.

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Les Fables De La Fontaine

If you're looking for an experience that's a cut above in Montparnasse, the Michelin guide would point you in the direction of Les Fables de la Fontaine. This restaurant is a short walk from Jardin du Luxembourg and right in front of the Fontaine de Mars.

Inside you'll find an elegant setting where chef David Bottreau cooks seafood to perfection. Dishes like the red beets with smoked eel, horseradish mousse, ginger, shizo and the crispy cod in cuttelfish ink, black olives, sweet peppers and quinoa illustrate why he's earned a Michelin star.

Garance

Located by the Esplanade des Invalides, Garance is another one Michelin star restaurant in the neighborhood. Guillaume Muller (front of house) and Guillaume Iskandar (kitchen) know exactly what they're doing. They're alumni from Arpege, a three-Michelin star restaurant in Paris. The execution along with the high-quality ingredients are the highlight at this contemporary bistro, including the vegetables they use from their own garden.

Pro tip: the lunch set menu is good value. You can get a starter-main-dessert for around 42 Euros. Most entrees on the a la carte menu are around that price.

Le Bistrot Des Augustins

On a cold and rainy day, Le Bistrot des Augustins is the ideal spot to find something to warm you up from the inside. This little restaurant on the bank of the Canal Saint-Martin is best know for their ooey-gooey gratins. They usually have six or seven each day with variations ranging from chicken-potato-herb to lardon-egg-herbs de Provence. And all arrive to the table hot with the cheeses still bubbling.

Du Pain Et Des Idées

This fine home for breads is run by Chrisophe Vasseur, a fashion-executive-turned-baker. Since the days of his childhood, he had always felt that baking – working with raw ingredients and your hands – was a way to communicate and convey emotions. As he went to work in the fashion industry, he had lost touch with that feeling. When he turned 30, he came back to his roots and opened a bakery. He's done alright for himself, once even being named the best baker in Paris (in 2008 by Gault & Millau).

Croissants here are near perfection and Le Pain des Amis is perfect for sandwiches. However, if you want to live like a local, grab one of his signature chocolate and pistachio escargots and walk a block to eat it on the bank of the Canal Saint-Martin.

À La Duchesse Anne

A la Duchesse Anne is a fantastic bakery where you'll find perfect croissants, airy madeleines and crisp baguettes. However, the consensus seems to be that the best bet here are the crepes. Their little secret is that they add some orange zest to the batter, which adds a citrus note to brighten up the crepe.

Where To Stay: Niepce Paris Hotel Curio Collection by Hilton

Since you're in an art district, stick with the theme and stay in the art-inspired Niepce Paris Hotel Curio Collection by Hilton. A lot of other accommodations are a bit dated in the area but this is a modern, elegant setting to rest your head in the City of Lights.

Inside the hotel, the inspiration is drawn from journalist and artist Janine Niepce, who is a French humanist photographer. She's even a distant relative of Nicéphore Niépce, who is mostly credited with inventing photography. The rooms are quite chic with tones of colors brass, brown and gold being emphasized.

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