Le Second Empire — Restaurant in Paris

We stopped at Le Second Empire on Sunday, 3 August 2025.

We both ordered the Poulet fermier rôti. Serving was quite generous and came with mashed potatoes (purée de pomme de terre) and salad.

The chicken was genuinely farm raised (fermier): firm but not tough, roasted to a golden color and still juicy; it was delicious. The mashed potatoes were savory, it had the consistency of being made from actual potatoes, with a nice buttery flavor. Salad was just as good. We did compliment the two cooks.

Initially, we would have ordered a separate salad but the waiter advised us that it was not necessary since the poulet came with its own. He was right!

For dessert we had one “boule” of chocolate ice-cream. It proved to be the richest dark chocolate ice cream-cream we ever had! It had firmness that had nothing to do with hard freezing, similar to cheese cake, and a sinfully potent chocolate taste! Fantastic!

The waiter was helpful in his advice, attentive, very congenial and friendly. He didn’t try to extort additional tips as 2 other restaurants do in Paris with foreigners. In France, by law, service is always already included. The bill was absolutely straightforward.

The Second Empire’s ambiance is quiet, friendly and respectful. Interior decoration is beautiful and reflects the historical period of the name. A very interesting white bust of an enigmatic be-medalled senior staff army officer from the late 1800’s overlooks the dining room. He seems to supervise the whole place and can truly be proud of the excellent job done by all under his...

We (a group of 8 people of color), visited this restaurant on the afternoon of July 24th, 2022. The food and the ambiance were ok. The service and drinks have room for a lot of improvement. Our waiter, Toman, barley checked on the table (we observed him check on the tables around ours), he served us virgin mojitos although we ordered alcohol mojitos, then charged us for mojitos with alcohol and charged us for a drink we didn’t order. We brought the billing error to the waiter’s attention and he literally would not budge on it, even though another waiter, William (shout out to William for the lovely service and for answering our questions when no one was attending to us) had previously confirmed that we received virgin mojitos and mentioned that adding alcohol would be an up charge, which we declined. We managed to convince Toman to change the bill for the drink we never ordered/received (I guess that was easier to prove?). There honestly wasn’t a huge monetary difference in the bill, it was just handled in a very...

I recently had the most unexpectedly delightful bathroom experience at a charming café in France. The moment I stepped inside, soft instrumental music floated through the air, instantly setting a relaxed mood. The walls were painted in a deep, lush green, almost like stepping into a miniature forest. An open window let in a gentle breeze, carrying faint scents of fresh pastries and the distant aroma of coffee. The combination of fresh air and soothing sounds made the whole setting feel almost spa-like. Everything was spotless, from the polished sink to the neatly folded hand towels. Even the toilet paper was thick and luxurious, a small detail that didn’t go unnoticed. It was such a peaceful and pleasant place to, well, take care of business, that I almost didn’t want to leave. Overall, 10/10 — quite possibly the finest pooping...