[Paris] Best one Michelin star restaurant?

Have a trip coming up and trying to decide between several options: Virtus, Septime, Omar Dhiab (not starred yet), and Pantagruel. Any other options are welcome. Thanks!

For me either Granite or Pages.

I love Septime although it’s a tough reservation to get.

Pantagruel was great (I am still here, and actually trying to finish my write up on it!).

Of all the restaurants I went to when I was in Paris in May (one stars or just very good restaurants) or on past trips, I adored Mosuke (which I also need to write up). I thought the flavor combinations were absolutely outstanding. It was exciting, and you could see the French, Japanese and African influences, and they all work very well together.

I do not have any trips to Paris planned for 2023 (trying to plan out my travel now, which I am trying to go to only new places), but might pop over for a weekend after a work trip to London/Geneva later on in the year.

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Hands down Pantagruel.

An impossible question. Who among us has been to all or even many of the 90+ one-star restos in Paris to be able to judge which is best ? The “best” will be diminished to not more than a handful of places that posters happen to know. Eeny meeny miney moe will be just as efficient.

For myself, I rate restaurants by the total experience and enjoyment as much as by the quality of cuisine. For total (and very subjective) enjoyment and adding my own meeny or miney or moe to the mix, I would suggest Bellefeuille in the Saint James Hotel off avenue Foch in the 16th. And, because of the St James’s fabulous outdoor spaces, even more enjoyable in good weather.

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The lunch is reserved for guests of the hotel ONLY. So, unless you want to go for dinner this is not a possible choice.

Oops. I’m a trespasser without knowing it. Been twice for lunch (reservations made the day before by telephone) and each time they forgot to tell me that it’s hotel guests only.

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Thank you. That is good to know.

Have now eaten at the three one-starred restaurants awarded to three very young chefs last year (Granite, Pantagruel and Nicholas Flammel). I still cannot understand why the latter has a star!

Ate at Granite for the first time last night, and will include it in my current Paris thoughts from this trip, but my friend and I had an amazing time there. The food was exceptional, but it was the warm welcome of everyone who served us, and indeed the chef (and his sous chefs) kibbitzing with us throughout that just made it extra special. We were walking past the open kitchen to be seated, and I saw there was an empty hightop table by the kitchen and asked if we could have that table…“Sure” was the answer.

This friend of mine was with me at the other two restaurants, and we would be hard-pressed to choose between Pantagruel and Granite, but I think for sheer creative cooking, Granite has the edge. We ate our way through the long menu, but it wasn’t over the top, and I loved every dish. My friend thought the scallop, though good, was not as creative a presentation as the rest. I happen to love scallops, and I therefore will not criticize this, but the chef seemed to agree with my friend’s assessment.

But what he did with an oyster, endive, and a gnocci stuffed full of fish eggs (these were three different dishes) was indescribably stunning. I will try to write it up while it is still fresh in my mind. It’s a restaurant, though, that I wish I could experience for the first time like that again, and I only left last night!

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Granite and Pantegruel are both great. Nicolas Flamel has received from very bad reviews from “real people” so my husband and I have avoided it.
Restaurant Alliance is a one star that is divine. The lunch is well priced as is the wine list. We went twice during our last trip in September and it is on the top of our list for next October.

My favorite restaurant anywhere.

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@bcc and @Tucsonbabe, how does Alliance compare with, say, my 1-star faves Condesa, Granite, MoSuke, Jacques Faussat, Virtus, La Scène Thélème, etc etc etc ? Or comparing apples with apples, what makes it stand out in the large field of often very similar, starred, Japanese-cheffed, modern French restaurants like Nakatani, AT, ERH, ES, Automne, Pertinence, Neige d’Eté, etc etc ?

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It might be a matter of personal perfernce. Once several years ago we dined for 5 nights straight at japanese chef Paris restaurants in a row except with La Condesa in the middle of that week. Loved them all (Sola, Montee, Pages, Virtus, etc) but I reflected that all were quite different in food and vibe. Some were more “french” while others were more “japanese” in food and mood. Wine lists varied as well. I tend to favor more seafood, for example.

The question you ask is exrtremly difficult to answer. Of the places you have mentioned, we have been to Condesa, Virtus, and Neige d’Eté, The food at Neige d’Eté was quite good, as I recall, but the atmosphere was a bit cool. We loved Sola a few years back, but have not been back since it reopened. The food at Condesa was quite good, but when we were there one course had to be a dessert. I am not a dessert lover. But we did love Virtus.

At Alliance and Montée, our second favorite, everything just seems to fall into place. It is clear to me that my statements are more about me than they are about the restaurants, but these are the places I continually wish to return to.

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I’m chiming in rather late here, and curious where you ended up going. Having been to many one-star restaurants, my favorite on our fall 2022 trip was Sergent Recruteur. Everything about it was just wonderful.