Amarante

In February 2026 Emily Monaco of The Infatuation reckoned that Amarante's plate of veal sweetbreads and mashed potatoes held a whole stick of butter.2

Why go

Christophe Philippe, who cooked under Éric Briffard and Anne-Sophie Pic, works almost alone in the kitchen of this bistro near Bastille and puts offal at the front of the menu (Gilles Pudlowski). He tells you on his own site who the food is for: If you like your meat a little fatty, meat and fish not overcooked, if you like butter, if you have a good appetite (Si vous aimez les viandes un peu grasses, si vous aimez les viandes et les poissons pas trop cuits, si vous aimez le beurre, si vous avez un bon appétit) (Amarante).

Emily Monaco of The Infatuation took him at his word in February 2026: The pigs' trotter is cooked until irresistibly crispy on the outside, and a fan of thinly sliced veal's tongue is paired with rich mayonnaise. She saved her strongest line for the pork: The juicy, charred-crusted Kintoa pork is quite simply the best chop you'll ever eat. (The Infatuation)

Alexander Lobrano of Eater says a proper meal here ends with the best chocolate mousse in Paris, made with the chocolate that the Italian Claudio Corallo produces on São Tomé and Príncipe (Eater). Gault&Millau found the fondant made from the same chocolate confusing, almost maritime in 2025 (Gault&Millau).

Skip it if you want vegetables. Meg Zimbeck of Paris by Mouth wrote in 2023, You won't find any herbs, acidity or brightness on these plates. Both the food and the ambiance are decidedly heavy. (Paris by Mouth) Monaco found the answer at the end of the meal: the barely-sweetened lemon crème brûlée is a perfectly puckery way to end such a rich meal. (The Infatuation)

Order this / avoid

Order: the veal sweetbreads with mash, the dish most people order, according to Emily Monaco in February 2026.2
Order: the Kintoa pork chop. Monaco, February 2026.2
Order: the pig's trotter. Monaco, February 2026.2
Order: the Loire eels, boned and roasted in butter. Gilles Pudlowski, August 2023: melting (fondantes).6
Order: the chocolate mousse. Alexander Lobrano, Eater, 2026: Unctuous, funky, deep, this dark fluff will leave you with a craving you'll never escape.3
Order: the lemon crème brûlée to finish. Monaco, February 2026.2
Drink: natural wine. Le Fooding counted more than ninety French bottles in 2022 and listed a Mas Foulaquier grenache at 8 euros a glass.7

What locals & experts say

Gault&Millau, 2025: Christophe Philippe cooks as if recounting a memory. And on the floor: The restrained service prefers efficiency to bending over backwards.5

Good to know

Book by text on 07 67 33 21 25, at any hour, or by e-mail to contact@amarante.paris. A foreign number books in writing on WhatsApp. Tables take one to six.1
Shut Wednesday and Thursday. Paris by Mouth listed lunch and dinner Friday to Tuesday in 2023.4
Arrive at the start of the service. The house takes arrivals only in the first half hour or so of lunch and of dinner. There is one sitting at each meal and one waiter.1 2
Order enough. The house asks each diner for at least two starters or a main, or charges 20 euros. Service is included, though the house says a tip is strongly welcome (pourboire fortement admis).1
Don't bring children. The house calls its cooking not suitable for children! (ne convient pas aux enfants!).1
Go at lunch for the price. Pudlowski called the 29-euro worker's menu a bargain (une aubaine) in August 2023. On the carte in 2025, Gault&Millau listed the pigeon at 34 euros and desserts at 10.6 5
Take the rest home. The house packs leftovers to go.2

Jeff's take (his words)

Note: "Local tongue, trad bistro offal focused"

Verdict

should-visit — Bring an appetite for offal and butter and leave the vegetarians at home. The food is as rich as the cook warns. The pork chop and the chocolate mousse have both been called the best of their kind. Book by text, and order enough to clear his minimum.

Amarante.