Le Voltaire - Paris 7e Arrondissement

We had not booked for lunch on a wet Tuesday in March. We just wandered in after visiting the glorious Musee d'Orsay, nearby, before heading to Gare du Nord for our Eurostar home. It was empty when we arrived at 12.15 but by 1.30, every table was full, with the quiet hum of a busy well run restaurant serving seriously good food to locals who appreciated it. Because we had not booked, we also had not realised it was rather expensive, but it was worth it for such a memorable final meal, before heading back to England. The Carre d'Agneau and the Rognons au Moutarde were both fabulous but the dish I am still thinking about was my dessert, a Milles Feuilles. Such crisp, caramelised pastry layers and such a fabulous creme patisserie in between. It sounds boring but it wasn't! We would love to come back again for another special meal, next time we are in Paris.

Classic French fare for visiting tourists Lipp 5* Voltaire 2 We are French living in paris and wanted to experience the highly rated la brasserie « Voltaire ». We had recently been so satisfied with another iconic « lipp ». Let me tell how much of a disappointment it was at Voltaire. Let me start with the positives. The setting is more intimate than Lipp. There is a more up market but pompous atmosphere. The pessac leognan La Louvière at 95€ Was delicious and pricing okay. The food prices are exorbitant. I chose a pate en croute for €30. My fiancée the snails which were delicious despite lacking a little garlic. Then I chose the the poussin which comes with mash potatoes and butternut. My fiancée chose the dorade royale. Both dishes were disappointing. Poussin « baby chicken » was in a sweet sauce, and the butternut was overly sweet too. The dorade was over cooked, floury. They changed it for a new one but the same. Conclusions We feel « le Voltaire » has adapted its French cooking to the mostly international clientele ie sweet sauce with chicken, overcooked fish. The dorade royale was kindly taken off the bill. Lipp 5* Voltaire 2*

I had food poisoning at this restaurant ordering a steak tartare. I called them the next day informing them of what had happened (to prevent someone else from becoming sick) and wasn’t even offered an apology; only a “thank you for informing us”. Incredible.

The service was terrible. A racist place where the lady treat us very horrible. I wouldn’t recommend this place for anyone travelling with kids.

I so thoroughly enjoyed my visit here that I wanted it to be my last meal while in Paris. Sadly, a reservation was not available. If you are comfortable in high end dining environments, book this now it will feel special and oh so French! This is traditional, glamorous Paris. They offer the classic French entree of radishes with butter before the meal. Heaven! Don’t forget to put your bread directly on the table. If you remotely enjoy mushrooms, you MUST order the mushroom salad. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever had and beyond delicious. I’m sad I didn’t get to have more than one! The accoutrements served with the sole meunière were so impressive my favorite part was the haricot verts they had unbelievable flavor. Order a glass of champagne or champagne cocktail the stemware is fabulous! This is a popular visit for trendy Parisians, those in the fashion industry and locals who love good food. However, while I was there there were also Americans, Spanish, Italians and English dining. I recommend adding Le Voltaire to your must do list. Extra credit if you find the photo in D’Orsay featuring dinnerware that may or may not be the same that you use in Le Voltaire. Haha! (see photo)