La Closerie des Lilas — Restaurant in Paris

We had a 9:30pm reservation for 4 persons made about 4.5 hours in advance with a credit being provided to hold the reservation. Upon arrival there is a welcoming array of foliage; deep, warm colors and the music of a live pianist who will play a tune of your request. There is a unique encasement of a live tree growing through the side/front section of the dining room. We ordered champagne, oysters ( extremely small & salty), salad, lamb Rib and saddle with brown butter sologne caviar artichoke & eggplant puree, 2 hemminway beef filets and tuna with zucchini. The beef dishes had the sauce made table side with a flambè of bourbon (Four Roses), butter and sour cream. The food was - okay, not great for the prestige and expectation. For dessert: 2 crepes suzettes which were also done tableside with a flambè of butter, lemon, Gran Marnier and the absolute star of the entire show....LA Belle Hélène! 😋 It was an absolute piece of art. It looks like a simple raw pear 🍐 when set in front of you, but no... It is an artfully feozen glace painted over the pear to demonstrate imperfections of a natural pear. It's filled with creamy vanilla ice cream and poached pear set in a shallow dish of rich melted chocolate. This is not too sweet with just the right touch after a meal, especially if you're not a sweets/dessert person. The meal was finished with 2 cappuccinos. The bill was a touch over €500. The service was fantastic and your senses will be enticed. However the beef sits whilst a sauce is being made. The crepes are predate and sit while the sauce is being made. The crepes suzettes brown butter sauce was a touch over done with more of a burnt taste to the brown butter rather than a deep nutty butter flavor and the citrus was overdone for our liking. The food was mediocre leaving us all feeling we could have and have had much better quality meals at a less expensive establishment. I would not be back unless it was for drinks...

I had never heard of this restaurant before, but I stumbled upon it on my way back from the Catacombs. Prices looked high but it was my last night in Paris so I decided to go for it. I sat inside and the dining room is simply gorgeous, I haven't been anywhere more quintessentially Parisian. There is an enclosed terrace of sorts with windows on the walls and ceiling, and a comfy couch lining one wall where I sat. My waiter unfortunately didn't speak English, but I did get an English menu and I was able to fumvle my way through ordering.

I had the boiled eggs with mayonnaise, sautéed duck strips, and dame blanche, with a glass of chardonnay and a bottle of mineral water. The eggs I found to be under seasoned, although I've never had this dish before. The duck was delicious! I don't think it's a traditional French preparation, more like an Asian stir-fry. The dame blanche was also delicious, although sadly I didn't have room to finish it. Total for one person was 70.50 euros; I'm no food critic but in my opinion you can get similar quality food for a lot cheaper elsewhere in Paris.

My waiter was very attentive, even stopping by the table multiple times to top off my water. Never had service like that in Paris. It was welcome but a bit jarring.

The pianist was definitely the highlight for me, he started playing just after I got there and stayed on the keys throughout my meal. Definitely spot on for the ambiance.

Towards the end of the meal I finally noticed the table cover with signatures from all the famous guests they've had, then I read these reviews and found out Hemingway, Picasso, and many more frequented this place. So cool! Those guys definitely had taste. I would definitely come back, maybe not for...

Near the end of a three week vacation in the Netherlands and France I wanted to arrange a special dinner for my husband’s 64th birthday in Paris (celebrating a birthday in Paris doesn’t sound so bad). We came upon La Closerie des Lilas on our way to explore the Luxembourg Gardens. Just one look at the place and I thought it would be a great choice for a special occasion. I made a reservation for the next day (very much recommended because La Closerie des Lilas gets very busy).

What can I say? It was an absolutely wonderful experience. The atmosphere was lively and the restaurant and brasserie are beautiful. No wonderful this place was a favourite of Ernest Hemingway. The staff told me they could do a birthday dessert, complete with candle, as well as a happy birthday flourish from the piano player (whose playing was so good). The food and service were fantastic--friendly and incredibly professional. I had hoped for a nice birthday dinner and what I got was, by far, the best dining experience of this vacation. La Closerie des Lilas is such a great restaurant that it’s one of those occasions where I walked out and was pretty much astounded by how wonderful the experience was.

Many, many thanks to the first-rate staff for providing such a great birthday evening. Not just an outstanding dinner experience, but one of the best travel memories I’ll keep of my...