Where to Eat and Drink in Paris: Grands Boulevards Hotel

Don’t cast aside hotels when deciding where to eat and drink in Paris. The Grands Boulevards Hotel Restaurant and Rooftop Bar has a unique scene and is one of the best hotels for foodies in Paris.

I don’t know why, but I’ve always been skeptical when it comes to dining at hotel restaurants. I always envision low-quality meals with no flavor. But my recent adventures have completely turned my opinion around. Hotels are now focusing on exceptional culinary and cocktail experiences, turning the experience of staying at hotels into destinations themselves. Grands Boulevards Hotel Restaurant and Rooftop Bar, the Shed, is one of the best hotels for foodies when it comes to where to eat and drink in Paris. With two bars, a restaurant, and 24-hour room service, you can literally eat and drink around the clock at Grands Boulevards Hotel.

Grands Boulevards Hotel is the product of Experimental Cocktail Group, known for bringing cocktail bar culture to Paris among other cities. The hotel is located in an 18th-century townhouse in the center of Paris’ 2nd arrondissement. The Shell Cocktail bar is located on the ground floor next to the Grands Boulevards Hotel Restaurant. The restaurant’s showpiece is its glass canopy, bar wrapped in plants, ivy, and flowers, red terra cotta floors and faded blue tiling. It was once a secret garden which is why you feel like you’re in a greenhouse once inside. The Shed Rooftop Bar is located on the top floor.

1. The Shell Cocktail Bar

The evening begins at The Shell cocktail bar for drinks. A large white shell at the entrance of Grands Boulevards Hotel welcomes you to the enclave. During the 18th century, shells were a frequently used motif on walls, furniture, and even in garments in France. Shells were considered a high-value status symbol back in the day, since rare shells were hard to come by and wealthy people had large collections of them. The atmosphere is very intimate here, particularly after dark. Imagine dark blue velvet low armchairs and stools, with red walls, and a steel or aluminum bar with round bulbs hanging from the ceiling like pearls in an oyster. The drink menu from here is short, but on point, and you can’t go wrong with any cocktail you choose.

2. Where to Eat and Drink in Paris: Grands Boulevards Hotel Restaurant

Chef Giovanni Passerini and Chef Sho Ashizawa are behind the Grands Boulevards Hotel Restaurant. The Roman chef Chef Giovanni Passerini is known for his infamous restaurant Rino, that sent shock waves in the Parisian foodie community when it came to Italian food. His new projects now include collaborating with Grands Boulevards Hotel Restaurant on the menu, where he’s continued to influence the menu with his French-Italian country cuisine. The menu then gets executed by Chef Sho Ashizawa. There’s a gastronomic turning point happening within the Parisian culinary scene at the moment and Italian cuisine is at the helm of it alongside Chef Giovanni Passerini. When it comes to where to eat and drink in Paris, Grands Boulevards Hotel Restaurant and Rooftop is a must-visit in order to be at the beating heart of this gastronomic turning point in French cuisine. The French fare comes from the locally sourced regional ingredients the restaurant uses, so you’re guaranteed a taste of the French region no matter what you order.

Lamb Chops (Côtelettes D’agneau)

Patrick and I were craving two very separate meals, so got to experience the best of both worlds (literally French and Italian) at the Grands Boulevards Hotel Restaurant. Pat ordered the lamb chops with a pea pure and greens. Lamb is something that Pat and I order very frequently when out. It’s one of those meals we don’t make at home so always enjoy when out. We’ve had our fair share of lamb, and we’ve ranked the restaurants we claim have had the best lamb. That’s why I was surprised when Pat said that his “lamb rankings” had been changed by Grands Boulevards Hotels côtelettes d’agneau. To this day, he claims that Grands Boulevards Hotel Restaurant reserves the spot as the number one best lamb chops he’s had in the world. Now that’s quite a statement, but like I said, Pat has had his fair share…so I stand by his claim! To this day he can’t explain to me why it’s the best, he is at a loss for words, that’s how good the meal was!

Pasta of the Day (Pâtes du Jour)

Having had my fair share of real Italian pasta–the type that is made old school in Sicily and still tastes al dente because its made using a specific and old school type of grain–I know when pasta is good. The pasta of the day when I was at Grands Boulevards Hotel was fusilli with baby tomatoes and ricotta, very plain and simple, the way Italian meals should be. When it arrived the pâtes du jour was served hot and al dente, just like in Italy. The pasta tasted handmade, which could very possibly be since Chef Giovanni Passerini is known for more than just his restaurant. Chef Giovanni Passerini also owns a fresh pasta store in Paris. The pasta was some of the best and most simple pasta I’ve had in a restaurant, let alone a hotel restaurant.

Tuile with Mousse

Of course we couldn’t end our meal without dessert. Patrick and I decided to split a tuile with vanilla and chocolate mousse. It was so delicate it crushed upon impact as you can see from my video of Pat above. It was the perfect balance of rich and creamy and light. It was not a dessert that would sit in your tummy for hours after. It was light and easy!

3. The Shed Rooftop Bar

We decided to finish off the night with a nightcap at the Grands Boulevards Hotel rooftop bar The Shed. The setting is stunning during the day and a very cool place to hang at night. The rooftop surrounds the glass restaurant below and plays classy yet nouveau French music all day long. There is no food served on the roof, so make sure to come with an already full belly. In the colder winter months, space heaters surround the rooftop making the temperature bearable. I have to say, this is one of my favorite things about France. They are so civil and smart when it comes to enjoying outdoor spaces, the rest of the world should implement outdoor space heaters as well!

Still hungry after all this? The 2nd arrondissement in which Grands Boulevards Hotel is located is chock-full of beautiful and unique cafes, passages with quaint old-school restaurants, and a variety of global restaurants (more to come on all this…).

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