Jules Verne — Restaurant in Paris

Once you're at the base of the Eiffel Tower, look for the tower leg with the Jules Verne entrance. You'll take the elevator, travel diagonally for a portion of the ascent, to the second floor, and then you are ready for fine dining with an amazing view. To take advantage of the daytime view, we opted for the set lunch menu - 105€.

The service was excellent and very thoughtful. It didn't occur to me to request a window table, but we didn't get one and tried to peer around our neighbors to take in the view. Once they exited, our waitress asked if we would like to finish our meal at their table and enjoy the view. She and a couple of busboys moved us over. While we had dessert, we had the pleasure of staring out the window at the beautiful view.

At the start of the meal, they sat us at a very snug table. In front of us lay appetizer forks and knives next to an upside down plate that looks like a series of fault lines. We begin with drinks, cheese sticks, and bread. We ordered a 18€ Invalides and a18€ Saint-Germain, which came with a slice of starfruit. My bread of choice was a flaky, buttery croissant in the form of a muffin. I didn't know cruffins were a thing in France, too. We each received a beautifully plated amouse bouche of salmon, bits of pickled cauliflower, a thin crisp, and furikake.

Fin veloute de chou-fleur, pinces de tourteau (Delicate cauliflower veloute, crab claws): Cold cauliflower mousse, shredded crab meat, and coffee powder sure is interesting, but I can't imagine how the combination came to be. I can't say I love it. It was served with some bread crisps, which added some crunch to this dish.

Foie gras de canard confit, condiment rhubarbe (Preserved duck foie gras, rhubarb condiment): The foie gras had a layer of rhubarb gelee on top. On the side was strawberry preserves (?) with some edible foil on top. This was served with some very buttery toast.

Maigre au four, petits pois et poutargue (Oven-baked meagre, green peas and botargo): A very delicious white fish served with snow peas and a few bites of gnocchi.

Volaille jaune des Landes aux girolles et ail des ours (Corn-fed chicken from Landes and girolles, wild garlic): I almost didn't know what to make of this dish. The chicken was almost transformed into a carrot with the orange-ish sauce and the conical shape of the re-constructed chicken. The dishes on the side were tasty, especially the pearl onions.

L'ecrou croustillant au chocolat de notre Manufacture a Paris (Crispy 'Tower nut,' chocolate from our Manufacture in Paris): I didn't expect much from this and expected it to be just like any other chocolate dessert, but the crispy, crunchy bits added interest to the texture. The chocolate itself was deliciously creamy with a very nice nutty flower. We finished every bite.

Baba imbibe a l'Armagnac, Chantilly peu fouetttee (Baba with Armagnac according to your choice, lightly whipped Chantilly): We didn't know what to expect from our first baba cake. It was presented cut in half. The server douses the cake with rum and adds in a bit of pyrotechnics. Once the fire is out, they add a nice serving of chantilly cream, and voila. I was not expecting the rum to have such a strong alcoholic flavor. The cake was like a sponge, just oozing with rum. The chantilly cream did a good job of toning down the alcoholic taste, and also making the dessert more enjoyable.

Even though we ordered the dessert, we still received the complimentary sweets, which felt like a lot of dessert. There were petit fours, 3 pairs of identical petit fours, miniature chocolate truffles, and marshmallows. I especially loved the creamy chocolate truffles, which seemed to just melt in your mouth.

The food was nice and as much as I liked the service, I'll give Le Jules Verne a 9/10, because the food did not have much of a wow factor. It is unlikely that I will ever return to this restaurant, but the memories here are definitely worth the experience, not to mention a great way to see the view from the Eiffel tower, and the rest...

Response to the reply from Jules Verne below.: We made a reservation three months in advance at Restaurant Jules Verne for August 23rd to celebrate my 30th birthday. Like many, we wanted to enjoy a meal at a 2-star Michelin restaurant while taking in the breathtaking views from the Eiffel Tower. After all, it is the unique view that makes this experience so special. There are several 2-star Michelin restaurants in Paris, but only one offers a panoramic view from the Eiffel Tower.

For this reason, we specifically requested a table by the window when we made our reservation, making it clear that this was a condition for our booking so we could fully enjoy the view. However, when we arrived last night, we were seated at a table that was not by the window. This was the beginning of a very disappointing experience.

We spoke with several staff members, including the manager, to inquire about the table we had reserved. We were told that the window tables are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. This was surprising to hear, especially since we had booked three months in advance. When I asked why we weren't informed that our request for a table by the window could not be fulfilled, they had no proper answer. Instead, they offered a flimsy excuse that they were hoping someone might cancel, allowing us to get a window table. This explanation was completely unsatisfactory and not what one would expect from a 2-star Michelin restaurant. We had every right to be informed in advance about the availability of our desired table.

We spent about 20 minutes discussing the situation with various staff members when a young man with dark blonde hair and blue eyes made a sarcastic remark, suggesting that if we just lifted our heads, we could still see the view from our table. This is absolutely not the way to speak to guests in a 2-star Michelin restaurant. Our mood was entirely ruined, and we no longer felt like staying. We wanted to cancel our reservation and leave.

To our astonishment, we were told that if we left, the €500 deposit we had made would not be refunded. This was truly unbelievable. Due to their lack of communication (not informing us that a window table was not guaranteed), my 30th birthday turned out to be a huge disappointment. Instead of offering an apology or acknowledging their poor customer service, we were simply told we could leave but would not get our money back.

In conclusion, Restaurant Jules Verne failed to live up to the expectations of a 2-star Michelin experience. The service was subpar, the staff was unprofessional, and the communication was extremely lacking. For a restaurant renowned for its location and reputation, this was a huge disappointment. I would certainly not recommend it to others, especially for a special occasion. Response to the reply from Jules Verne below. - I’m disappointed by your response to our experience at Le Jules Verne on August 23rd, 2024. You attributed the lack of a window table to the timing of our reservation, but this doesn’t excuse the failure to inform us that our request couldn’t be honored. As a 2-star Michelin restaurant, clear communication is expected. If we had known, we might have reconsidered our reservation. Isn’t it your responsibility to notify guests when their requests can’t be met? Your suggestion that the experience should focus solely on the food, not the view, is puzzling. If the view isn’t important, why is the restaurant located in the Eiffel Tower? The view is part of the experience, and your remark diminishes that. Moving us to a window table for dessert was too late to salvage the evening. By then, it was dark, and the gesture felt superficial. Mentioning the complimentary cake doesn’t address the real issue: the evening was marred by poor communication and handling of our request. Your response, which deflects blame and fails to acknowledge your shortcomings, falls short of Michelin standards. I hope this feedback encourages...

My wife and I were on the final evening of a 3-week vacation through the Greek Islands which ended in Paris for 4 nights. Both of our birthdays are in October as well as our anniversary so we typically celebrate in big ways this month. This year happened to be my 50th birthday.

I knew that there was a dinner reservation planned for our final night in Paris, but I did not know where. My wife had made it 3 months in advance (which is recommended if you want a window seat to view the city). She pretty well pulled it off and kept it a surprise right up to the dinner evening as we rolled up in our Uber ride there :-)

We have eaten at several Michelin-star restaurants in various parts of the world. Our experience at Le Jules Vern was absolutely top-notch. We opted to enjoy the entire 7-course tasting menu which was a whimsical journey through culinary creativity with some extremely unique dishes and flavor profiles. My wife and I love to dine and revel in the creations of the Chef and their flavors, pairing them with sips of wine.

From the moment we entered this space, the staff was impeccable. two people at all times approached the table to bring and clear things in unison. The description of the dishes and the inspiration for them was very well educated. The training in the "process" of this restaurant is truly incredible to watch as they pay attention to every move a customer makes. When I got up from the table to use the restroom, the closest person to me offered a hand and guided me down the hall to the next person who opened the door, where I entered the waiting area where someone was standing to ensure the area stayed clean and inviting.

No crumb remains on your table. Every service setting is placed with precision upon every menu selection. The tone and delivery of the language and communication at the table is soothing and "luxurious". The attentiveness at this restaurant is quite simply unbelievable.

I always try to educate a little bit in my reviews on Michelin Star restaurants because I see bad reviews from people who do not know what to expect. The table is likely yours for the night - they don't intend to turn it. Your experience should take 3-4 hours and be something that you will remember for weeks and months to come. This isn't a place to expect a large dish of "stuff" that is more than enough to feed a group. It's a journey through the eyes of the Chef and restauranteur's vision of what a culinary fantasy should be. The beauty of restaurants of this caliber is that every single one will be completely different. I would go as far as to say the only thing you'll find in common among all Michelin-star restaurants and that you'll sit at a table. From there, wonderment awaits you and it becomes an addictive mentality to be racking up stars on your journeys.

We enjoyed two different wines during our dinner that were beautiful selections by their sommelier. We did find it interesting when asking about a testing verticle to match the tasting menu, that they did not offer that. They move you to a bottle of wine using some humor about over-drinking a glass of wine with every serving. We've had other Michelin experiences where each serving comes with a small pour of wine, hand-selected from specific regions to go with the dishes. Le Jules Vern didn't offer that but we enjoyed the bottle they selected for us none-the-less.

The overall cost of this dinner was the highest we've ever had by several hundred dollars, so you will need to be prepared for that here. But if you're a foodie, you love to dine, and you place value on unique experiences in your life when you travel, this place must go to the top of your list.

The service and overall experience at Le Jules Vern is nothing short of...