Cafe Paris - French Café — Restaurant in Lake View Township

AUTHENTIC PARISIAN CAFÉ IN WRIGLEYVILLE

Maison Parisienne, 3307 N. Clark, is a wonderful new café/bakery, which brings authentic French food and atmosphere to Chicago. The café is operated by its three young founders—Erwan Le Nan, CEO, Audrey Naccache, Chef, and Styven Charton, Pastry Chef. The store-front restaurant is beautifully and simply designed to capture the genuine feel and essence of a Parisian bistrot in charming neighborhoods, such as St. Germaine-des-Prés, Le Marais, or Montmartre. The moment we walked in, we could feel the unmistakable French ambience: romantic background music, a sunlit reception area with hardwood floors, wooden coffee tables and inviting chairs, and the lovely Audrey, with her classic chef’s uniform—impeccable white apron and matching toque hat—ushering us to our seats. Maison Parisienne imports its flour and butter from France and one can definitely taste the difference. Their butter and chocolate croissants are rich and exquisite, with the lightest layers of crisp, mouthwatering flavor caressing one’s taste buds. I have been a quiche Lorraine fan since childhood, and as a French cuisine aficionado, it is my signature dish to prepare at home. I have enjoyed quiches and savory tarts in almost every French restaurant in Chicago and in several restaurants in Paris. However, I can honestly say that the tarte a l’oignon we had at Maison Parisienne is by far, the best I have ever tasted, from the light and flaky artisanal crust to the creamy filling, inspired by the sweetness of the caramelized onions, roasted tomatoes and fresh herbs. I asked Erwan why they chose Chicago as the location for their culinary venture. He said the weather and the vastness and beauty of Lake Michigan reminded him of his childhood in Normandy. Spoken like a true Romantic, who immediately perceived and captured the poetic essence of our fair city, and the undeniable affiliation we share with France. I can’t wait to return for a taste of Audrey’s superb Boeuf Bourguignon. Vive la...

A very cute, cozy, and adorably campy vibe to this Parisian cafe.

The employees were very sweet and turnaround for both the coffee & quiche was pretty quick (I was one of the only people in the store at the time so not sure about their turnaround during a rush)

Like others have said, the slice of quiche lorraine I got has to be one of the best quiches I've ever had! The egg curd is light, moist, and tender. It's seasoned simply and seasoned well. In addition to a thin, crisp topping, the cheese blends well without being too overwhelming and the ham adds a little salty, savory bit without too much salt. There's also a sage/lightly herby finish in every bite.

While I personally love a thicker crust, the thin crust is crisp and adds just enough structure to hold the tender egg together. Rich in flavor and a good portion for the price, but still not too decadent.

(I wish I got the $25 combo which includes a slice of quiche, salad, coffee drink, and pastry instead of a la carte)

Such an absolute delight of a quiche! The oat latte was also quite good; the espresso is smooth and on the...

I was super excited that there is a French cafe in my neighborhood and couldn’t wait to check it out. We came here for Sunday brunch. I ordered the croque monsieur with egg (why won’t they just call is a croque madame? But ok), the rose lavender latte and chocolate nutella croissant. My partner ordered the cappuccino and ham and swiss croissant sandwich.

His sandwich was fine, although I doubt the freshness of that croissant. My nutella croissant tasted like it was at least 3 days old..so I didn’t take more than one bite of that.

The croque monsieur was really hard to cut into and the edges of the bread were very crispy (in hind sight, that bread was probably stale) and the egg was cooked on too high heat because the edges were burnt, but the egg whites weren’t completely cooked in the middle, so you get that lovely snot looking substance on your egg. I was willing to forgive all that, but when I cut into the middle and my sandwich was ice cold…that did it for me.

The coffee was good..so maybe just don’t...