Café de la Paix — Restaurant in La Rochelle

Price regardless, these are the best deserts you'll ever have.

I came here at the urging of a chef friend in Paris. (Do you need a better recommendation?) I was deeply skeptical (and broke.. Europe is expensive). I didn't want to go, but he insisted, and I said farewell to my last hints at a budget.

It's a classy establishment. Obviously. We sat outside (it would have felt odd to eat in the opulent indoor opulent settings when we were having dessert).

The first thing that will strike you is the lack of single digits on the menu. I think even the water was in the high single digits. That will limit most people's options, but it's alright - you should just go for the desserts.

I wasn't familiar with either of the desserts we ordered. The lack of familiarity reset my expectations and allowed me to enjoy the intensely mindblowing flavor. The desserts were sweet yet flaky, cold but not damp, decadent while nuanced. They manage to combine the sugary extreme of traditional desserts with the delicate touch of fine cuisine. The result is...

I enjoyed a delicious lunch here, sitting outside on a sunny afternoon, facing the square. The food and service were excellent.

My français is not great - I’m learning - but the waiter was patient and friendly. We had a discussion about where writer Georges Simenon, a regular guest at the cafe when he’d lived in the area of La Rochelle, had tied up his horse and carriage. The waiter pointed out where the restaurant had installed a ring for this purpose on one of the stone columns facing the street.

I am eating light these days so I ordered a salad and a café au lait. The salad was delicious and the portion large. There were a variety of charcuterie and vegetables chiffonnade, cut in ribbons and layered on top of a bed of mixed lettuces. There were cubes of tangy cheese and the vinaigrette dressing was perfect - neither too much nor too little. The head waiter also came out to say hello and to see if there were anything else I might like. It was a...

Avoid this cafe if you are not Caucasian/White and if you visit with a family... we arrived and had to wait until we decided to go and sit wherever we wanted ourselves as no one was ready to welcome us. First, the look of the waiter was not welcoming at all. We should have left at that moment but decided to stay as it was empty and had plenty of seats for us to have breakfast and follow the distancing. Who would guess during Covid time that waiters would not be welcoming when everyone struggles economically right now? The service was so poor. I am French and should not be so surprised... but since Covid one thing changed, service got better in many places... well not at this place! The location though was a prime location and had a...