Anthony Bourdain's Favorite Places To Eat In France

It's been six years since the passing of chef, author, and travel documentarian Anthony Bourdain, but for many of his fans (and beyond), his influence lives on. Whatever Bourdain touched or mentioned was a guaranteed great place to eat, and much of his popularity was based on his egalitarian approach to good food. It wasn't always about fine-dining, trendy, or fancy places. In fact, he often loved the casual, humble, or classic places. He wasn't scared to try anything and his dark humor and brutal honesty were often what made him such a refreshing voice. It was always about the simple pleasures for Bourdain, and part of his love for French cuisine is evident in that. This maverick of food and travel had a soft spot for France, and Paris is particular. On an episode of "No Reservations" set in Paris, he remarks how a ham sandwich and coffee on a Parisian sidewalk were part of life's simple pleasures.  

As an expat living in France, I can attest to the fact that France's restaurants are so numerous that it can be overwhelming to know where to eat, and it's difficult to make any meaningful "best of" list when there is an abundance of good food in every corner. Whether you're a first or 10th time visitor, it's always good to get advice on where to dine. Making a Bourdain "pilgrimage" to his favorite spots around the country is an incredible way to go about it. Here are some of Anthony Bourdain's favorite places to eat in France.

First on this list has got to be Le Dôme Café, a seafood restaurant that Anthony Bourdain called a must-visit in Paris, second only to the Eiffel Tower. This restaurant was featured on the Paris episode of "The Layover," and it received very high praise from Bourdain. Situated in the eclectic theater district of Montparnasse, this high-end bistro is a must visit, and having tried it myself, I can attest that it's still great two decades later. As Bourdain says in the episode, "It's an old classic, and I mean classic with a capital C." While it is pricier than the average Parisian brasserie, I find that it's relatively good value compared to other luxurious Paris restaurants, as it's in the medium range for the high-end fare it offers, especially if you opt for the "menu of the day."

Bourdain ordered a seafood tower at Le Dôme Café, and this included everything from oysters, crab, shrimp, langoustine, periwinkle, clams, and whelks. He got his hands messy, and remarked that even with all the tools you're given, it's the only way to truly enjoy the meal. You have plenty of other options to order at Le Dôme, and you don't have to go all out with a seafood tower to enjoy what the restaurant has to offer. The restaurant makes a cracking Bouillabaisse Marseillaise, or you could go for a traditional sole meunière, a lobster tagliolini, or even have a steak if you're more meat inclined.

restaurant-ledome.com

108 Boulevard du Montparnasse, 75014, Paris

+33 1 43 35 25 81

Bistrot Paul Bert is one of the classic institutions of Parisian dining, and it's the best of both worlds between traditional and modern. Anthony Bourdain visited Bistrot Paul Bert on "The Layover," and ordered steak au poivre, one of the Bistrot's signature dishes. This Bistrot staple may sound simple, but a perfectly cooked steak, drenched in a creamy peppercorn sauce is really all you need to experience the glory of French cuisine. Good ingredients, cooked with care, and you have one tasty dish. Bourdain also enjoyed the asparagus and mushroom omelet.

Bistrot Paul Bert's menu is often changing according to what's in season, but you'll always find the classic steak au poivre. If you need any other reason to trust this is an excellent place to dine, it's also made Ina Garten's list of 14 spots to eat in Paris. With the thumbs up from two food legends, there's no doubt that Bistrot Paul Bert is worth a visit.

bistrotpaulbert.fr

18 Rue Paul Bert, 75011, Paris

+33 1 43 72 24 01

While it's evident that Anthony Bourdain loved Paris, that didn't mean he didn't travel elsewhere in France. Bourdain visits Marseille along with his friend, French chef Eric Ripert, on Season 6 of "Parts Unknown." Here, he and Ripert explore this Mediterranean city, including getting to learn about its largely North African immigrant community. Visiting an iconic Algerian restaurant, Restaurant Le Fémina, they dine on a feast of couscous, chicken, meatballs, vegetables, and merguez sausage. Le Fémina was founded by a family from the Kabylia region of Algeria, and the restaurant recently celebrated its 100 year anniversary.

Located right in the heart of the buzzing North African neighborhood of Noailles, this restaurant is a Marseille institution. What makes Le Fémina's couscous unique is that it's made with barley, and not wheat, unlike most couscous restaurants in Marseille. Couscous, and North African cuisine in general, has become part of French food culture over the years since France's brutal colonial reign in Algeria. If you're new to Algerian couscous, Le Fémina is a good place to be introduced to it.

instagram.com/mustaphakachetel

1 Rue du Musée, 13001 Marseille

+33 4 91 54 03 56

In Episode 24 of Season 6 of "No Reservations," (which was also the 100th episode of the show) Anthony Bourdain visits the Parisian bistro, Le Comptoir, saying that it's harder to get a reservation here than some of the best fine-dining places in the city. In an interview with owner of Le Comptoir, Yves Camdeborde, Bourdain discovers that chef Camdeborde wanted to make fine food accessible in a more casual setting, without all the fuss, stiffness, and the hefty price tag of haute cuisine dining. In Camdeborde's words, "Eating well should not be reserved for the elite."

At Le Comptoir, you can eat food of the same excellence, while being at ease. Here Bourdain eats, along with other things, an amuse bouche of foie gras, a dish of crab and fish eggs with spring vegetables in a foie gras geleé, and then a blood sausage ravioli, which Bourdain says in the episode is the best thing he's tasted all year.

Le Comptoir doesn't take reservations, which is why it's not as easy to get a table there. However, if you get lucky, you'll be treated to an ever-changing, prix fixe menu of some of the best seasonal fare. You can also visit L'Avant Comptoir, a standing wine bar right next door that also serves delicious small bites.

hotel-paris-relais-saint-germain.com/restaurant-le-comptoir

9 Carr de l'Odéon, 75006 Paris

+33 1 44 27 07 50

When Anthony Bourdain visited Lyon in the 3rd episode of the 3rd season of "Parts Unknown," the historically gastronomic capital of France, it was no surprise that he visited the restaurant of one of the forefathers of French cuisine. It's difficult to talk about French cuisine without mentioning Paul Bocuse, one of its definers. He was part of the group of chefs who studied under Eugénie Brazier, the formidable chef who was the first woman to earn three Michelin stars. Later, Paul Bocuse and the other chefs of the movement of "nouvelle cuisine"created their own new techniques and ways of cooking. This highly celebrated chef started his own culinary institute, and passed his teachings onto hundreds of chefs around the world.

Bourdain visited Restaurant Paul Bocuse while Bocuse was still alive (he passed in 2018), shared an extravagant meal of dishes like black truffle soup, pastry-covered sea bass, and roasted hare with Bocuse, and even got to visit in his home in the countryside. Restaurant Paul Bocuse became Bocuse's playground, a formal, fine dining establishment where you can experience his cuisine for yourself. Located outside of Lyon, in Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or, you can expect the finest food and a luxurious dining experience that harkens back to the golden era of French gastronomy. Expect to pay more than $100 per person, and to have an experience of a lifetime.

bocuse.fr

40 Rue de la Plage, 69660 Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or

+33 4 72 42 90 90

Established by the Troisgros family, Maison Troisgros houses the Le Bois sans Feuilles, a three-Michelin star restaurant in Ouches, just outside Roanne. (However, in my experience, it's still commonly referred to as Maison Troisgros). This place is more than just a restaurant, and it represents a history of French gastronomy. The Troisgros name is just as famous as Paul Bocuse, and they've been a part of the fine dining scene for 53 years, with four generations of the Troisgros chefs having worked there.

They have made their ancestral home the base for an incredible restaurant that Anthony Bourdain visited in "Parts Unknown." This is where he ate their iconic salmon in sorrel dish, which he explains was a revolutionary way of cooking fish at the time it was created in the 1960s. A slightly translucent piece of salmon is laid upon a creamy sauce, in which a few leaves of sorrel had been just cooked through in. Other dishes on the menu include langoustines draped in pressed caviar, blackened rack of lamb, hare with wild herbs, and desserts like almond soufflé and plum millefeuille.

troisgros.fr

728 Route de Villerest, 42155 Ouches

+33 4 77 71 66 97

Perhaps one wouldn't expect an ice-cream place to have made it on a show about Paris, (gelato in Rome makes more sense), but a tea room named Berthillon was featured on the Paris episode of "The Layover," where Anthony Bourdain eats a cone with a scoop of cherry and salted caramel. Bourdain calls it one of the institutions of Paris, and he's right, as its remarkable ice creams and sorbets have made it a Paris favorite for 70 years.

It's been rated the best ice cream in Paris numerous times, and it couldn't be more central. Located on the Île Saint Louis, it's in walking distance from the Notre Dame or the Seine River. Indulge in a scoop of chocolat noir (dark chocolate), marron glacé (candied chestnut), or a refreshing pear sorbet, there are plenty of both classic and exciting flavors to try. Berthillon doesn't offer any tastings of their luxurious scoops, but it's very unlikely that you won't love whatever flavor you choose.

berthillon.fr

31 Rue Saint Louis en l'Île, 75004, Paris

+33 1 43 54 31 61

Exploring the diversity that Paris has to offer, Anthony Bourdain takes a break from French food to eat a Kurdish kebab at Urfa Dürüm in an episode of "The Layover." European take out in general is defined by Turkish kebab, but Kurdish kebab has become popular in Paris thanks to places like Urfa Dürüm in Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis.

This Kurdish kebab joint doesn't use a rotisserie like many kebab places do. Instead, they individually skewer the meat and grill them over a wood fired grill, giving the meat their signature smoky taste. They also make their own lavash, the flatbread that is then wrapped around the meat, forming a succulent, hand held kebab roll that you can eat on the go, or seated at their casual tables on the sidewalk. Bourdain eats a lamb kebab, but they also serve chicken, beef, and vegetarian kebabs, as well. It's a cheap eat that's well worth a visit.

facebook.com/urfadurumparis

58 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, 75010 Paris

+33 1 48 24 12 84

While Anthony Bourdain was visiting Marseille with Eric Ripert, they enjoyed an elaborate meal at Le Petit Nice Passedat, Chef Gérald Passedat's three-Michelin star restaurant. Breathtakingly located right on the rocky coast of Marseille, on "Le Corniche," this restaurant celebrates the seafood of the Mediterranean. Bourdain and Ripert enjoyed the city's famous seafood soup, which is a bouillabaisse but in a deconstructed form. They were first served a carpaccio of raw mussels and clams, followed by a lobster dish, then some freshly caught daurade, and finally, the famous rich and complex bouillabaisse broth.

While an authentic bouillabaisse is a must try if you visit Marseille, it will cost you quite a bit in most of the city's restaurants. This one will likely be one of the most expensive. However, it's sure to be an incredible experience, sitting right on the water's edge with guaranteed fresh fish.

passedat.fr

17 Rue des Braves Anse de Maldormé, 156 Cor Président John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 13007 Marseille

+33 4 91 59 25 92

What Anthony Bourdain fans might not be aware of is that a single fresh oyster ignited his love for food. It helped him find the bravery to try an unfamiliar-to-him food, and this opened up the possibility of so much more to him. This was the beginning of trying all kinds of foods all over the world, and whether he did it intentionally or not, his show would teach people to be open to trying all kinds of foods they might not usually try. At Robert et Louise in Paris, Bourdain dines on steak, blood sausage (one of his favorite foods), and fromage de tête, a dish which literally means "head cheese" and is made of meat from the head of a pig, set in aspic. The dish looks like a slice of meat jelly, and Bourdain devours it with pleasure.

With a visit to Robert et Louise, an unassuming restaurant from the outside, Bourdain invites visitors to look beyond tourist hot spots and eat where a real local would, even if the place might look intimidating. In the first episode of Season 1 of "No Reservations," he says, "Dark street, no big sign, curtains drawn out in front. Step inside, you're in another world. I mean, this is the way to eat. It's about food. Sometimes you see the uninviting door and just have to go through it."

robertetlouise.com

64 Rue Vieille du Temple, 75003 Paris

+33 1 42 78 55 89

Much of Anthony Bourdain's restaurant visits in France highlight the lack of women in the professional kitchen world. While this is slowly changing, French restaurants are still highly dominated by male chefs. During a Season 6 episode of "Parts Unknown," Bourdain visits Chez Georgiana in Marseille, along with some of the city's women chefs. This restaurant run by Chef Georgiana Viou served seasonal, innovative takes on traditional French cuisine.

Here, Bourdain eats fresh seafood tartare, and one of his favorite Provence dishes, pied paquets, a pork dish of stuffed sheep's tripe with onions and parsley in a white sauce. Along with the delicious meal they converse about the state of gender equality in the chef world, making for an informative discussion. Sadly, Chez Georgiana has since closed down.

You can't talk about France without mentioning pastries and Anthony Bourdain didn't forget about them either. Now, pastry shops in Paris are abundant, and it's easy to find incredible pastries everywhere. However, Bourdain recommends Du Pain et des Idées as being one of the best. Nicely situated in the Canal Saint-Martin area, the now trendy neighborhood along a small canal, this pastry shop is a favorite place for locals and visitors alike for artisanal bread and delicately made, buttery pastries.

Bourdain munches down on some freshly baked bread and an escargot cerise pistache (a cherry pistachio escargot) in an episode of "The Layover." Don't worry, escargot in this case isn't actual snails, it's the name of a pastry with a spiral shape like a snail's shell. Along with the more innovative pastries they have, you can also find the old classics like croissants and pain au chocolat.

dupainetdesidees.com

34 Rue Yves Toudic, 75010 Paris

+33 1 42 40 44 52