Nessia Marais — Restaurant in Paris

This was our second visit to Nessia. We also dined here last December. Our return visit did not disappoint. We adore this tiny gem of a restaurant in le Marais.The atmosphere is welcoming and lively and the food is creatively conceived and presented, offering a take on French cuisine combined with flavors and techniques from other countries. We devoured the cauliflower with honey, smoked paprika and chickpea hummus. I am a foie gras connoisseur, and the chef’s take on foie gras, which is marinated in port and served with Moroccan-infused orange chutney, was the best I have ever tasted. I will dream of this foie gras. For our entree, we shared the quasi of confit French veal for two, which was prepared with smoked butter and served with béarnaise sauce and frites. It was tender, plentiful and perfectly cooked. We also enjoyed a fantastic bottle of Chenin Blanc from the Samur region in the Loire Valley, which was recommended by our waiter, the incredible Paul.

Speaking of Paul, he also was our waiter one year ago. He is an absolute treasure. Paul is gregarious, warm and funny and knows the menu and wine list inside and out. He made fantastic suggestions about the menu items, practically choosing our meal for us. And during dinner, the Chef came out to ensure we were enjoying our cuisine. Nessia delivered again, and we cannot wait to return for a third visit. Well done, Chef Thomas and team. And thanks again, Paul, for taking such beautiful care of us. Wish I could...

Second visit in 2024 My first visit indicated a place a with a promise. My second visit was disastrous. We waited for 20 mins outside while our reserved table was getting ready. We were seated downstairs, the heat of the room was unbearable. Two of the waiters they employed were kids that did not really understand the restaurant business and kept us waiting another 20mins before coming and taking the first order. Everything on the menu looked nice so we ordered every appetisers and most main dishes. And everything was disappointingly bland. No seasoning no taste in any of the dishes. I am unfortunately not coming back again. The chef realised how badly we were treated and offered us dessert. Noce gesture but the desserts were very bland as well.

First visit in 2023 Very nice restaurant and a cozy atmosphere. We took an expresso cocktail and a raspberry cocktail both were to die for! The ceviche was great 5/5 really tasty with some great Thai and acidic flavours. The ceccina came with smoked straciatella. The cheese was amazing the ceccina lacked a bit if taste for me 3.5/5 . The main dishes were the yassa chicken with sticky rice and sweet pepper sauce, it was really good 4/5. The cannelloni with veal bacon could have been much better it lacked seasoning and some bold flavours 3.5/5. Service was amazing. They are onto something, I am sure they will get there with a few things...

The food was great, but the service was disappointing enough that I feel compelled to write this review.

I booked a table for one while traveling on business, but upon arrival, the waiter tried to seat me at the bar with the excuse that the restaurant was “overbooked.” This was clearly not the case, as there were plenty of available tables (and even online reservations were still open at the time). It left a poor first impression that set the tone for the evening.

When I finally got a table, things didn’t improve. I asked to taste two red wines, but they mistakenly brought me a white instead. I also requested to substitute the side of fries for a salad—something the waiter agreed to—but fries were served anyway, and I was still charged for them.

The seating arrangement was also very tight, making the atmosphere far less enjoyable than expected for a restaurant in this price range.

Overall, the service and atmosphere fell far short of the reputation and the price point. I had been looking forward to this dining experience after reading such high reviews, but it turned out to be a real disappointment. I would not recommend this place to friends or colleagues, especially given the many other excellent...