Paris, home to some of the greatest museums on earth, is also home to some of the most incredible cuisine in the world. How wonderfully fortuitous when the cultural and food arts can be enjoyed together. And outdoors, at that! So, here is a round-up of a dozen exceptional outdoor cafés and restaurants, some situated in Paris museums you may never have heard of… but, nonetheless, where you can enjoy the artistry on the walls, and then on your plate.
1. Les Ombres & Café Jacques at the Musée Quai Branly
After viewing the 10,000 musical instruments, first-nation Australian art on the walls, and impressive collection of world-culture the museum has to offer, you can then prepare to be wowed by the food, design, and view at either of the two Alain Ducasse restaurants in the Musée Quai Branly’s large garden. On the ground floor, the elegant, modern, glass-enclosed Café Jacques offers surprisingly affordable and very casual fine dining, pastries, and baked goods. The menu of seasonal dishes includes classics such as the croque-monsieur; salmon tartare with cucumber, granny smith apple, and wasabi; and a glorious gazpacho. The stand-out for me was the vegetarian “meat” balls with tzatziki and finely cut vegetables in a light vegetable broth.
What elevates eating on the expansive outdoor patio to a near nirvana experience is the magnificent unobstructed view of the Eiffel Tower, matched only by the one at the sister restaurant, Les Ombres, Ducasse’s white tablecloth marvel on the top floor of the same building. Thanks to Chef Alexandre Semperé’s towering talent, and the staff’s exceptional service, eating at this upscale restaurant is quite an experience. I was treated to a tasting from the lunch menu, with two perfect summer appetizers: a roasted green asparagus with smoked cod roe and coriander, and a fine marinated mackerel from Brittany, with romaine lettuce and black olives. The main course – a grilled sea bass with fried artichokes, seaweed, and garlic flowers – offered up a fine balance of textures and flavors, signaling the work of a true artist in the kitchen.
27, Quai Branly, 7eme, 01 47 53 68 00
2. Le Nélie at the Musée Jacquemart-André
In 1869, as Baron Haussmann was transforming Paris, banker Edouard André and his wife, Nélie, constructed one of the city’s most sumptuous mansions, which now houses their private collection as well as temporary exhibits that make this a world-renowned art-lovers destination. The gilded wood-work walls, paintings, sculpted pieces on period furniture, and ornate marble mantle pieces, frescoes on ceilings overhead, and the creak of the detailed wooden parquet floors below create a truly immersive time-bending experience. The his-and-her bedrooms and the breakfast rooms give a sense of the daily lives of these famous collectors over a century and a half ago.
At the Musée Jacquemart-André‘s Salon de Thé-Restaurant, Le Nélie, you can enjoy a light lunch as well as fantastic pastries (including some from Nina Metayer, named World’s Best Pastry Chef 2024) in a regal café room or its spacious balcony overlooking the courtyard. Main course selection is limited but delicious – I always go for the fluffy quiche. There’s an impressive selection of teas and luscious desserts, which are tantalizingly displayed in a case at the front of the room where you point out your choice to the server. They now also serve brunch and high tea on weekends, and Afterworks du Vendredi, Friday happy hour specials featuring spectacular charcuterie and appetizer boards.
158 Bd Haussmann, 8eme, 01 45 62 11 59
3. Le Grand Café at Le Grand Palais
Le Grand Palais was built for the 1900 Universal Exposition of Paris as a venue for art exhibitions and events, a purpose it still serves. The 790-foot glass and reinforced steel ceiling, which has become one of the city of lights’ major landmarks, continues to offer dynamic natural lighting for events, fashion shows, an annual horse show, and many art exhibitions. Art de la table and natural lighting are also among the assets of the building’s Le Grand Café, which features a wrap-around outdoor arcade with comfortable seating and a lovely view of the Beaux Arts Petit Palais building across the street. It’s rather pricey, but worth stopping in to relax with a spritz before taking on Paris by night.
1 Pl. Clemenceau, 8eme, 01 40 13 48 00
4. Café Mulot at the Victor Hugo House
Places des Vosges, with its covered and columned arcades, is the oldest planned square in Paris, little changed since the time depicted in Les Misérables, and where you’ll find its author’s, Victor Hugo’s, house. Now it’s a museum, the Maison de Victor Hugo, with his memorabilia as well as his own masterful artwork. (Interestingly enough, he never exhibited or sold his artworks, but made them for his own pleasure and to share with friends and family.) After a visit, you can enjoy the pleasures offered by the lovely Café Mulot in the museum’s airy and tree-lined courtyard. Cheick, a particularly knowledgeable and gracious server, introduced me to some of Chef Rouillard’s divine desserts, pastries, and snacks. There’s an assortment of flaky quiches and sandwiches with fillings like the smoked fish, cream cheese and salmon eggs, which are all are served on elegant pain au lait rolls, as is the tarama tartine. But the sweet pastries are truly exceptional: a lime mousse and jelly confection with pistachio crème brûlée, and a standout chocolate mousse with caramelized hazelnut sandwiched between a chocolate-almond and a fruit cookie, called the magie noir. The entire experience is magical. Check the café’s website for outdoor music and author readings, as well as neighborhood art and food tours they host.
6 Pl. des Vosges, 4eme, 01 82 83 03 80
5. Fabula at Musée Carnavalet
To best appreciate Paris, it’s worth a visit to the Musée Carnavalet, the museum of the history of Paris. There are several galleries of old hanging shop signs, a basement filled with early and pre-historic archeological artifacts, and the third floor has an unparalleled collection of revolutionary and Napoleonic memorabilia.
The expansive graveled courtyard is spotted with plants and seating for outdoor eating, serving a local and earth-friendly menu of snacks and sweets at Fabula. After being immersed in Parisian history, you’ll find forward leaning and not-at-all Parisian dishes, like a poached egg in a Greek yogurt base with grilled eggplant and infused oil, or a zucchini carpaccio with feta and punchy condiments, and a Kefta vegetarian hot dog with peanut and coconut sauce. Chocolate fudge cake with puffed rice and creamed sarrasin (buckwheat), and the chocolate chip and hazelnut big cookie round out the offerings.
23 Rue de Sévigné, 3eme, 01 44 59 58 58
6. Loulou at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs
The Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Museum of Decorative Arts) occupies the western wing of the Louvre complex, where you’ll find spectacular collections and exhibitions of graphic design, photography, furniture, fashion, jewelry and an array of decorative artworks. In the sprawling garden just outside the museum is restaurant Loulou, an elegant white-tablecloth restaurant serving Italian cuisine, with a view of the magnificent Louvre palace on three sides. Ideal for a special occasion meal with an only-in-Paris location, the setting is fit for royalty (with prices to match). Appetizers average 25€ each, and pasta dishes come in at around 28€.
107 Rue de Rivoli, 1er, 01 42 60 41 96
7. Le Café at Maison de Balzac
In the 2100 square-foot terrace garden of Maison de Balzac, which is built into the side of a hill, you’d think you were in the country, and in fact when Balzac lived here between 1840-1847, Passy (now a neighborhood in the tony 16th arrondissement) was in fact the countryside to Paris. The café is run by Rose Bakery, which I’ve gushed about before and am glad to do so again. A glimpse at (and taste of) their heaping bowls of healthy salads, hot main dishes, and platters brimming with delicious desserts will make clear why they are taking over so many other museum café concessions.
In addition to half a dozen picnic tables grouped by an ivy covered wall, there are small tables spread throughout the garden, with trees and shrubbery sectioning off a number of serene hidey-holes. I came upon one where Fanny was setting up a birthday party for her 28-year-old daughter, Victoria (who wanted to celebrate “someplace really special”). You really can’t go wrong with anything from Rose Bakery’s rotating menu items. Soups are 10€, Quiches are 9.50€, Brownies 7€, and Cheesecake 8€. (Lucky is the person who stops by when they have the brownie-cheesecake!)
47 Rue Raynouard, 16eme, 01 55 74 41 80
8. Le Café des Amis at Musée de Cluny
Le Musée de Cluny, Paris’ Middle Ages Museum, is best known for housing the spectacular ruins of Gallo-Roman baths and its world-famous unicorn tapestry collection. Less well-known is the Café des Amis in the back courtyard of this 15th century former home to Benedictine Abbots. A quiet terrace surrounded by Gothic architecture is the perfect place to take a contemplative moment and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and a pastry while you plan your next stop before heading back into the bustling 20th century via Boulevard Saint Michel. Check out the Reine de Saba chocolate cake and the tarte massepain (marzipan tart), both made from medieval-inspired recipes and sold for 3.30€. The Café is run by La Table de Cana, an organization founded in 1985 by Jesuit priest Franck Chaigneau to employ economically disadvantaged and socially excluded individuals.
28 Rue Du Sommerard, 5eme, 01 53 73 37 80
9. Corail at the Musée d’Art Moderne
Few will argue that the charm of Paris rests in large part with the splendidly preserved architecture from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, when Baron Haussmann gave Paris the look we associate it with today. But let’s not forget the City of Light’s Art Deco masterpieces. Among these I’d include Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris (The Paris Modern Art Museum) and its companion building, Palais de Tokyo (which houses rotating exhibitions from emerging artists). Nestled in the open courtyard between these two is the casual yet elegant Restaurant Corail. The Mediterranean-focused menu includes starters to share such as house-made tarama (15€) and clams in white wine (26€), as well as an ample selection of main dishes (average price 26€), and summer salads like one with string bean, fennel, ricotta and pistachio.
11 Ave. du Prèsident Wilson, 16eme, 01 84 25 12 22
10. Café-Restaurant L’Augustine at Musée Rodin
Imagine a magnificent French mansion surrounded by a seven-acre manicured garden with flowers, topiary, sculptures by Rodin—including The Thinker—and a glass-enclosed café with outdoor seating beneath two rows of towering chestnut trees. You won’t have to think very hard to decide to eat at L’Augustine after a visit to this “must-see” Paris museum. A prix-fixe breakfast menu offers one viennoiserie (plain or chocolate croissant, cinnamon swirl, etc.), fresh squeezed juice, and a hot beverage for 9.90€. For lunch there are two prix-fixe menus, one for 20€, the other for 23€. You can also order à la carte from a selection of savory tarts, salads, and hot dishes, with average prices around 17€.
77 Rue de Varenne, 7eme, 01 45 55 84 39
11. Rose Bakery at Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF) Richelieu
In the heart of the first arrondissement, one of the oldest and most historically significant neighborhoods in Paris, just a few blocks from where Molière lived (40 rue de Richelieu) and worked (Comédie Française) you’ll find the BNF Richelieu. Renovated and reopened in 2022, this outpost of France’s national library is home to an extraordinary glass-domed oval library which houses 20,000 books, 9,000 of which are Bandes Dessinées (French comics). The building exhibits some of France’s rarest and most prized cultural artifacts, including maps, documents, seals, coins, artwork, archeological artifacts, original musical scores (such as Mozart’s “Don Giovani”), and manuscripts (like Marcel Proust’s original draft of In Search of Lost Time). A great collection deserves great food and pastries, and the Rose Bakery Tea Room meets the challenge. The tea room’s terrace is in this 17th century mansion’s courtyard, planted with trees from around the world that were historically used in the making of writing and printing materials.
5 Rue de Vivienne, 2eme, 01 40 36 01 25
12. Les Petites Mains at Palais Galliera
As you might expect, Paris, the world’s fashion capital and the place where la mode (fashion) was born under Louis XIV, should have a museum dedicated to style—aka the Palais Galliera, Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris. Just as fashion changes every year, so does the chef, pastry chef, mixologist, and menu of the museum’s seasonal summer outdoor café, Les Petites Mains (“The Little Hands”). The ten thousand square foot eatery in the courtyard of the neo-renaissance mansion is open for lunch and dinner. For good taste, good style, and a really good deal, check out the Prix Fixe lunch menu of appetizer and main dish plus dessert for 31€, or a three course meal for 41€.
10 Av. Pierre 1er de Serbie, 16eme, 01 56 52 86 00
Philip Ruskin is an External Lecturer (ESSEC Bus. School), Consultant (food & travel marketing), writer, drummer and regular contributor to Frenchly. He loves to bike around his adopted hometown of Paris. Find him here, on Instagram. (All photos by the author, except where indicated.)
