Le Bon Georges
Le Bon Georges cooks its Polmard steaks rare or medium-rare and no further, because the house thinks the meat is too good for more.7
Why go
Benoît Duval-Arnould sold food from the agro-industry
as a supermarket owner and distributor before he opened this bistro, his first restaurant, in 2014 in a former pizza parlor in the 9th. He told Wine Spectator why: I believe so much in wanting to connect the best of French products with our guests, and I knew I wanted to offer the largest wine list I could.
Loïc Lobet, who joined as chef two years after the opening, cooks food that doesn't reinvent the wheel,
in the words of Wine Spectator's James Molesworth (Wine Spectator).
Come for the beef. Alexandre Polmard, a sixth-generation butcher, raises the Blonde d'Aquitaine cattle it comes from (Wine Spectator). Emily Monaco of The Infatuation told readers in May 2023 to share the dry-aged entrecôte flavor bomb (avoid the unseasoned €28 tartare)
(The Infatuation). Meg Zimbeck of Paris by Mouth disagreed about the tartare in February 2026 and listed it among the perfectly executed
plates (Paris by Mouth).
The wine list won Wine Spectator's Grand Award in 2025. Frédéric Sénéchal, who poured for Gordon Ramsay, runs a list of about 2,000 wines with up to nine sommeliers on the floor (Wine Spectator). Gilles Pudlowski found the prices on it jump about
(les prix sautillent
) in 2022 (Gilles Pudlowski).
Expect a big bill and a room full of visitors. Monaco called it the Disney ideal of the bistro, so it's no surprise it's packed with tourists who put up with occasionally aloof service
(The Infatuation). Pudlowski ate there on a Sunday in December 2024 and settled it in one line: good, friendly, expensive, admittedly, but worth the price
(bien, sympa, cher, certes, mais valant son prix
) (Gilles Pudlowski). David Toutain, who holds two MICHELIN stars at his own restaurant, named it among his favorite places in Paris in April 2024: It is the type of experience that I expect when I go out to eat: excellent food, wine, and service in a lively, fun place.
(The Relisher)
Order this / avoid
- Order: the dry-aged entrecôte, split between two or more. Emily Monaco, The Infatuation, May 2023.2
- Order: the wild duck with roasted pear, or the tournedos Rossini. Meg Zimbeck, Paris by Mouth, February 2026, called them
showstopping plates like wild duck with roasted pear and tournedos Rossini crowned with foie gras and truffles.
3 - Order: the chocolate and caramel cream tart with sesame ice cream. Gilles Pudlowski, December 2024:
a killer!
(une tuerie!
).4 - Order: the chocolate mousse for the table. David Lebovitz, 2015, tasted
the husky taste of cocoa powder as a backdrop to the bittersweet chocolate.
6 - Avoid: the poulet chasseur (hunter's chicken). Lebovitz found the bird tough in 2015:
It was un peu dur. While some might be fine with that, I'll stick with the beef and fish dishes.
6
What locals & experts say
- James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, June 2025:
Le Bon Georges represents the new pinnacle of the classic French bistro.
1 - Benoît Duval-Arnould, the owner, to Wine Spectator in 2025:
Two times a day, every day, it's a big show.
1 - David Lebovitz, on his favorites page in 2026:
prices have risen quite a bit over the years (too much for some grumblers).
7
Good to know
- Open every day, lunch and dinner.3
- Book on the house's site or on +33 1 48 78 40 30.3
- The steak tartare cost 28 euros in May 2023.2
- Sundays bring the most tourists, Gilles Pudlowski noted in December 2024.4
- Vegetarians, in Meg Zimbeck's words,
will find slim pickings here.
3 - Ask for the chef's table by the kitchen (Wine Spectator). Pudlowski wrote in 2022 that Lobet
cooks in front of you
there (cuisine devant vous
) (Gilles Pudlowski).
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "Lebovitz rec for casual bistro"
Verdict
should-visit — Go with a group, split a rare steak and spend on the wine. The bill is high for a bistro. On Sundays the room belongs to tourists.