Le Colimaçon — Restaurant in Paris

This was a tough one to write. But after seeing the other reviews, I felt it was important to share a bit more color here.

First, I want to say the staff is delightful, so kind, attentive, and willing to help. I gave five stars for the service, without hesitation.

That said, I do have to share that the food fell below all standards, as did the overall authenticity of the space.

It’s located in the heart of the Marais, and when I visited a few years ago during my studies in Paris, there was still a healthy mix of locals and tourists. This time (2025), it was 100% tourists. Nothing negative about tourists but it always is a tell tell sign when you see 0 locals. There’s now this concept of iPads at the tables, which some might not mind, but for me it gives off a “let’s get you in and out” kind of energy.

As for the food, it was just fine, but that’s part of the problem. I read some very positive reviews, so I feel bad sharing this, but the meat dishes were overcooked. That could be due to the ingredients not being fresh, or maybe just a default toward more cooked dishes based on diner preferences, I’m not sure. We ordered the two duck specials. Both were overcooked. The confit had a typical glazed skin but that slid right off, which is never a good sign. I was too hungry to send mine back, so I just ate it. The magret we sent back, and it came back nearly raw. Maybe they were making a point, but I don’t think so, in any case, it is what it is.

The gazpacho was solid, and tomatoes felt fairly fresh.

The foie gras had no flavor. I saw comments from the restaurant about everything being fresh, and maybe that’s true, but I’ve had foie gras dozens of times so feel comfortable commenting and this lacked all complexity and depth of taste.

It’s hard for me to leave a review like this because again, the staff was so kind and clearly working hard. But it feels like this restaurant has sadly slipped into a place where it’s no longer striving for authenticity or excellence in the food but complacent and defensiveness on the two or three poor reviews seen. Perhaps the clientele doesn’t mind, or it’s no longer a priority for most guests. Still, it’s important for me to share this as someone who returns to Paris often to visit family and who makes a point of seeking out authentic and delicious places to eat.

I hope Le Colimaçon can take some steps to return to the lovely, genuine experience it once offered, it has so much potential.

I’m happy to discuss this with the owners if it would be helpful. This feedback is shared with honesty and respect, not to harm the brand or reputation in any way. The servers truly were...

In order to make a reservation they ask for your bank details so that in case of no-show or cancellation very close to your reservation they will charge you 150 euros. Although this is already in very bad taste, I decided to make a reservation because I thought the place was worth a try. I was surprised when arriving at the time of my reservation (9 PM), the waitress told us without much attention that our table was not ready, that it would be ready in 10 minutes and turned away (customers have 15 minutes of tolerance or their reservation would be cancelled). We were standing at the entrance of the restaurant and did not want to wait outside because it was raining, it was cold and there was a free table at the entrance where we thought we could wait. We asked the waitress for permission and she answered with very little interest that we could have a seat but that if the reservation for that table arrived she was going to take us away... After 15 minutes they gave us a table. The food is good, but the price is too high for the bad service and the ambiance. The place is very small and you practically share a table with other diners. We were upstairs and it was very hot between 9 and 11 pm (All the customers were sweating). The ambiance is nothing special. There are much nicer places in Paris. Additionally, the waiter who served our table seemed to be in a hurry to get us to order, pushing us to decide as quickly as possible, but the dishes take a long time to come out. The only positive point is the kitchen, which does an excellent job in flavor and presentation of the dishes. However, consider that the dishes are small. Overall, not worth it, would not go back and would not recommend it. There is enough choice of French...

Sooo good. I went here with my parents. It was our first time in Paris and the best place we ate at. You definitely need a reservation. When you enter it seems a bit small but they have an upstairs where most people are seated. It was a little crowded so I ended up sitting close to a stranger but not a big deal for me though I know some people don't like that. The place is so cute and quaint! Upstairs there a window that overlooks the street. There is a table right in front of it, but I think you need to request it. Onto the food. Amazing. Delicious. Unique. The escargot chips were great as a starter dish. For the main my mom got the scallops which were served still in the shell! It was so cool, really fresh, and she ate all of it. I got pluma which was chef's kiss, absolutely delicious. It was stuffed with dried apricots and prunes. It came with cauliflower mashed (?) It looked like mashed potatoes and was perfect. I've never had pluma before but it seemed perfectly cooked. I also ate everything on my plate. Portion sizes were perfect too. For dessert we got sorbet and barely cooked chocolate. The sorbet was what you would expect sorbet to be. The chocolate was amazing though. Sort of like a lava cake/pudding. I'm not sure how to describe it. It came with caramel and vanilla ice cream on the side. Even if you don't like caramel, try it with the ice cream and chocolate in one bite. The flavors mix so well. The service was great. The servers spoke English pretty well. They spaced the courses out perfectly. I would recommend...