Fouquets, Paris

The splendid service at the table - the attendant who collected and stowed our luggage as we arrived directly from the train - the chocolate mousse - our miniature Spitz who was served his own chopped meat entree and saucer of milk - watching the "Stars" give interviews to the press - this was, in my experience, Fouquet's in the early 1980s. Today there is still the great location. The food is not as special as I remember, but perhaps that is because Fouquet's is where I first fell in love. Be aware, the restaurant is very expensive, but it still has a certain mystique.

Occupying a strategic corner at les Champs-Elysées and avenue Georges V, le Fouquet's has been a Paris icon since it opened its doors in 1899. It was recently renovated by the renowned Paris designer, Jacques Garcia. Le Fouquet's serves excellent French brasserie food during meal hours, otherwise, it is another café where wealthy Parisians and tourists linger to see and be seen. Beware, it is not cheap, but probably worth the experience.

Erm... if you have 100 euros to spend per person then Fouquets might be for you! I read the menu and even went inside, but after I saw what the food was actually like I decided not to eat here. Simply put this is the kind of place you might want to go with a lady friend. Not my scene im afraid.

Favorite Dish: No idea.. i didnt eat here - too expensive for what it is.

I am afraid I could not recommend Fouquets's having been charged 81euro not including the tip (plus two glasses of a wine and a bottle of water ) for what was a most unsatisfaactory meal.

I stopped at Fouquetet's hoping for a real culimnary treat and I was prepared to pay for it however was i surprised when the meal actully arrived ! I ordered their beef and some French fries as an accompaniment - while the beef was good it was no better than what one might expect in any good restraunt - in other words it was not exceprtional byn any means - and the portions were tiny. The meal came with a few leaves of lettuce and a small portion of fries . For desert I had the profiteroles which again in my opinion were nothing exceptional.

While the waiters were very friendly and the location was superb I feel that it was simply far too expensive for what I had. It would be ok to stop and have a coffee but I would not recommend it for a meal .

I first ate at Fouquet's in 1964 as a tourist just out of graduate school. I spoke no French; I was intimidated by the French and their culture -- but determined not to show it.

Understanding almost nothing on the menu, I confidently ordered Champillons.*

"Champillons . . . entree?," asked the astonished waiter.

"Oui! Oui!," I replied.

When my mushrooms arrived I swallowed my pride and as many of the little knobs as I could.

On two of many subsequent visits to Paris I've dined at Fouquet's only three times -- in 1974, 1994, and 2004 (each time because a companion was eager to try the place).

My overall judgment:

1. The seating is uncomfortable, with hard chairs and low tables packed too closely together.

2. The service varies with the amiability and energy of the waiter: some are very helpful and good, others are contemptuous of their mostly tourist patrons.

3. The food is inferior to what one can find in any number of bistros throughout Paris. On my last visit I ordered a roast duckling that Alain Ducasse might -- just might -- have fed to his cat.

4. The very high prices reflect more the restaurant's superb location, on the Champs, than the quality of the food.

* Only once on my first two visits, ordering items I didn't know, did I luck out. At Lucas Carton (now Senderens) I ordered fraises des bois. My companion ordered bananas flambe. When our desserts arrived I was terribly disappointed. Hers looked scrumptious while I looked at a dozen small berries. I asked the waiter if cream or something ought not to come with my berries.

"Non!," he exclaimed.

I shovelled four or five of the little things into my mouth.

They were fraises des bois -- wild strawberries -- the most delicious food I had ever or have ever tasted. I ate the rest of them a berry at a time.

My good luck ordering of fraises des bois more than made up for my bad luck ordering of champillons a decade earlier.

Favorite Dish: None.

The restaurant is in Avenue des Champs Elysees. The food is great, and the service is helpful and informative. Our server recommended a great bottle of wine for us. It was a busy August night, and we didn't have to wait for a table at all. We dined outside so that we could people watch at the same time and savour our very last night in this magical city.

Favorite Dish: The desserts are amazing!

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This restaurant has a brasserie and a main dining room. I walked in one late evening without a reservation and was a bit under-dressed. Still, the service was professional and friendly. I had a 3-course dinner for 75 Euro - fois gras terrine, lamb chop and mille feuille. They were all excellent! With a half bottle of wine, the tab came out to be 115 Euro. Definitely beyond my budget but it was worth it.

Well, I don't know if I should put Fouquet's restaurant in "tourist traps" or in "restaurant". .. This a very old fashioned place with old fashioned clientele and the food is barely average level, whereas the price is not ! In addition, the chairs are really unconfortable.