L'Ambroisie
At lunch in November 2025, L'Ambroisie's signature, langoustines under a wafer-thin sesame tuile with a curry sauce, cost 145 euros.3
Why go
Bernard and Danièle Pacaud opened L'Ambroisie in 1981, meaning it as a bistro for friends. They moved it to the place des Vosges at the end of 1986 (L'Ambroisie). It became the oldest three-star restaurant in Paris (Affiches Parisiennes). In June 2025 the house named Shintaro Awa, who had spent twelve years with Éric Frechon at Le Bristol, to take over from Pacaud (Gault&Millau). Pacaud left in August 2025 (L'Ambroisie).
The MICHELIN Guide took away the third star in March 2026. Affiches Parisiennes reported the guide's reason: this demotion reflects a transition phase, the new chef still making an emblematic house his own
(cette rétrogradation reflète une phase de transition, le nouveau chef étant encore en train de s'approprier une maison emblématique
) (Affiches Parisiennes). Gault&Millau kept its five gold toques for 2026 (Gault&Millau).
Awa says he wants to carry the house forward: My cuisine is resolutely alive. I interpret a culinary heritage with sincerity, rigor, and passion.
(L'Ambroisie) William Herbert of The Fine Dining Journal ate lunch under him in November 2025 and found the transition has been managed to preserve the house style, with continuity rather than reinvention,
adding that the cooking is not dusty; it is lucid
(The Fine Dining Journal). Meg Zimbeck of Paris by Mouth saw the same continuity in February 2026: the same langoustines with curry, the same roasted lobster with rosemary, the same celebrated chocolate tart
(Paris by Mouth).
Both of them winced at the bill. Herbert called it extremely expensive for lunch, even by Paris standards
and found the service exacting and notably stiff, more ceremony than chat
(The Fine Dining Journal). Take Zimbeck's advice: Reserve L'Ambroisie for milestone celebrations where budget is genuinely irrelevant.
(Paris by Mouth) Her February 2026 review opens on the whole case: Still here. Still ruinously expensive. Still good.
(Paris by Mouth)
Order this / avoid
The carte is the only way to eat here, and lunch costs what dinner does.34
- Order: the langoustine feuillantine with sesame and curry sauce. William Herbert, November 2025:
the langoustine is perfectly just-set, that narrow window between translucence and chalk. The curry is aromatic rather than hot.
3 - Order: the turbot meunière with Kampot pepper, 155 euros. Herbert:
the beurre noisette was clean and lifted, Kampot pepper warming rather than stinging.
3 - Order: the fine bitter-cocoa tart with Bourbon vanilla ice cream, 48 euros. Herbert:
A slender, bitter-edged tart with crisp sablé and cool Bourbon vanilla.
3 - Avoid: the cheese at 45 euros. Herbert:
the selection felt narrower than expected at this level.
3 - Drink: ask Marion Cirino, whom Gault&Millau named Sommelier of the Year for 2026. Since 2023 she has built
a wine list featuring vibrant and distinctive wines from small producers.
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What locals & experts say
- Meg Zimbeck, Paris by Mouth, February 2026:
Expect cream, butter, and luxury ingredients throughout,
andtruffles appear generously, sometimes excessively.
4 - The MICHELIN inspectors, after the handover:
The Japanese chef is committed to perpetuating the master's philosophy,
whileinfusing it with his own style.
8 - Shintaro Awa, on the house site:
Evolution does not oppose tradition; it gives it breath and continuity.
1
Good to know
- Days: Tuesday to Saturday, lunch and dinner. Shut Sunday and Monday. Gault&Millau lists no Tuesday lunch, so check that one.4
- Book online or on +33 1 42 78 51 45.4
- The room: antique mirrors, a huge tapestry and black-and-white marble floors, in the MICHELIN inspectors' words.8
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "Iconic Fancy tasting menu"
Verdict
could-visit — Keep it for a celebration you would pay anything for. Shintaro Awa cooks the Pacaud classics carefully and has changed little. Savory dishes at lunch cost 145 to 155 euros in November 2025. Michelin cut it to two stars in 2026 while he settles in.