Au Bourguignon du Marais — Restaurant in Paris

Au Bourguignon du Marais is a venerable establishment that everyone in the quartier seems to know and like. It’s “the place” for boeuf (beef) Bourguignon (of Burgundy), if that’s to your taste. (I suggest travelling to Dijon or thereabouts for the real thing, if you’re a real aficionado, but you probably don’t need me to tell you that, if so).

Our audio tour guide on Voicemap, Annie Sargent (highly recommended!) told us about the restaurant in her Marais tour (don’t miss it!). So did an eighty-something gentleman we met by a local fountain. As I say, Au Bourguignon du Marais is well known and fondly recommended.

The restaurant is well-run and the service is remarkably (for France) friendly. Everything is on point — except the dragon lady who guards the restaurant’s bathroom from being exploited by non-clients. She needs to take a chill pill (or figure out who the clients actually are).

The food is good. I say this pointedly, for I would not consider the food here to be extraordinary. How could it be, when the menu doesn’t really change much year to year, and probably hasn’t for decades. But it is good, and if you really like beef Bourguignon and similar hearty fare, you will be quite satisfied. I also recommend the escargot, which are just a little bit salty but still quite delectable. The burgers are fine. The kids burgers are an excellent deal, if you have kids. The gazpacho is good, if not outstanding. Everything is good, even if nothing stands out as being particularly amazing.

Except the service. Once again, let me reiterate that the service is excellent. Very kind, very prompt, and very helpful. Overall a good local experience.

Be sure to make a reservation online via Google Maps or The Fork, rather than showing up at lunchtime, when you will probably...

Visit details: Group of 5, Tuesday, 8:30 PM No reservation Main goal: try the Boeuf Bourguignon

First impression: Called ahead but told, no tables were available. On-site, we were politely but firmly told the same. However, the waiter offered to try and make something work if we had patience. After ~20 mins and a glass of wine next door at a different place, he personally came to pick us up. Impressive effort and hospitality.

Service: Highly professional and well-trained staff Friendly, attentive, proactive (e.g. wine/water refills without asking) Felt like frequent visitors/regulars by the end of the night despite first visit Service was the clear highlight of the experience

The Food: The Boeuf Bourguignon was outstanding: tender, apparently slow-cooked for 24 hours, and easily portioned with a spoon - no knife needed at all. Flavors were deep and well-balanced, served piping hot in a cast-iron pot. The portion was generous, complemented by soft, fresh baguette.

For dessert, the Crème Brûlée was really good as well, crispy top, smooth inside, nothing to critique.

Wine pairing was on point. The waiter recommended a 2021 Domaine Ragot — more refined than the house wine and perfectly matched to the dish. At ~€60 per bottle and cheaper than ordering by the glass (told by the waiter itself). I felt their focus was on enhancing the guest experience, not upselling.

Overall takeaway: One of the more authentic, fairly priced and well-run bistros in central Paris. The food is high quality, but the service elevated the experience and made it memorable. Book in advance as walk-ins are rarely successful, even midweek, and the place fills up fast. From our side: a strong...

I usually don’t leave poor reviews of restaurants, but this one really disappointed us. Despite the positive things we heard about this spot, our own experience was very disappointing. While we were seated right away, we were left waiting for 25 mins before a waiter finally came to take our order. At this point it was already 230pm so the restaurant wasn’t that busy. This was after I had caught the attention of a waiter two times, but it still took them time to come. When one did finally come over to us, I let her know we were ready to order to which she sarcastically replied “she knew that already, otherwise why would she be there talking to us”. After this remark, we waited for our food to come and while it did taste fine, the portions were small relative to the cost of the food (~30 euros each). At this point I noticed that while all other tables were served bread right away before beginning their meals, our waiter did not bring our bread until after we had almost finished our meal. This treatment seemed unique to us as tourists as customers (locals) who came in after us were served bread right away. The service was so terrible that we elected to leave right away instead of ordering dessert as we had planned. Our waitress also only smiled when it came time for us to pay. Otherwise, she had an almost arrogant, snooty facade while we were there. It was such a disappointing experience and the worst restaurant we went to during our 5 day trip in France. All other places treated us with the highest level of hospitality. If not for the decent food, I would give this restaurant a 1 Star for how awful it treats its customers. Do not dine here - there are much better...