Terrace in Maison Roland’s garden at Shangri-La Paris: the 16th arrondissement’s secret refuge.

The Garden Terrace at Shangri-La Paris reopens for the sunny season, just steps from the Trocadéro. This garden, usually closed to the public, now hosts the Maison Roland bistro, to be enjoyed all summer 2026 for a lovely interlude with the Eiffel Tower in view.

We slip through the gate onto Avenue d'Iéna and soak up the sun. A few metres after the porch, the traffic noise fades away. The garden terrace of the Shangri-La Paris, in the 16th arrondissement, unfolds like one of those green respites you wouldn’t guess from the sidewalk.

The setting hasn’t changed, only the table has. Where Summer by La Bauhinia used to welcome us, it’s now Maison Roland, the palace’s bistro that opened on May 7, 2026, and lays out its white tablecloths beneath the shutters.

A palace garden normally closed to the public

This French-style garden sits on the grounds of the former townhouse of Prince Roland Bonaparte, a geographer and botanist, Napoleon I’s great-nephew, who had the residence built between 1892 and 1896. The building is listed as a Historic Monument, and the garden, hidden from the street, truly opens only on sunny days.

You can lunch there in calm, without the sense of being planted on a sidewalk, with the top of the Eiffel Tower peeking above the greenery. In this Chaillot neighborhood where most terraces overlook busy avenues, the difference is immediately noticeable.

For lovers of discreet addresses, this is precisely the kind of spot you keep in your back pocket. Our guide to restaurants with gardens in Paris features others, but this one sits in a category all its own.

Sunny terrace or sheltered indoor dining — how does it work?

The terrace runs along the building and extends beneath a leafy, flowering pergola. The tables at the back, by the greenery, are the most sought after: that’s where you quickly forget you’re a mere five minutes from the Trocadéro.

When rain showers or sweltering heat hit (summer 2026 gave us a few of those), the restaurant’s indoor dining room takes over in the former stronghold of L’Abeille. Service stays the same; the lighting simply changes.

The overall vibe skews more bourgeois bistro than palace: Gien porcelain, silverware, attentive service, not a hint of stiffness. You can turn up in a blazer or an open-collared shirt, and no one will bat an eye.

What’s on the menu on this garden terrace?

Chefs Simon Havage and Timothy Lam present a lean menu built around French classics. On the starter list, you’ll find mimosa eggs with salmon roe, country terrine with pistachio and foie gras, sardine rillettes, or fine Brittany oysters, all around €18–€21.

The dishes draw on the Parisian bistrot parisien repertoire: beef tartare, peppery onglet, roasted coquelet spatchcock, grilled sea bass fillet and grenobloise-style sole, priced from €29 to €67. Vegetarians aren’t forgotten, with bulgur-stuffed vegetables and Crottin de Chavignol. To lift the menu further, lobster is offered in three preparations at €69, and a selection of caviars rounds out the lineup.

Ice cream and desserts, the true delight of outdoor dining

It's probably at afternoon tea that this garden truly shines. The strawberries with frozen yogurt sundae (€19) remains our summer favorite, fresh and not overly sweet. The pavlova with red berries (€28) is easy to share for two, with a meringue that cracks just right.

The restaurant’s signature floating island (18 €) is well worth a detour, its vanilla-infused crème anglaise reminding us why this dessert keeps crossing trends. Nearby you’ll find a Madagascar vanilla caramel cream (15 €), a chocolate mousse (16 €), and a cheese option with a truffled Burgundy crémeux (19 €).

If you’re into frozen desserts served in elegant glasses, don’t miss Timothy Lam’s creation at the Salons du Prince, the palace’s other marquee dining room. A lemon cup that’s incredibly refreshing, crowned with a quenelle of caviar. We love it.

Our take on this garden terrace in the 16th arrondissement

What we’re here for first and foremost is the setting. The garden does the heavy lifting, the kitchen follows suit without trying to wow anyone: precise execution, solid ingredients, no showmanship. It suits us perfectly for a terrace lunch.

A candid caveat: the bill climbs quickly once you venture into caviar or lobster. If you stay with a classic starter and a bistro-style main course, the experience feels more restrained for a palace in the 16th arrondissement. If you swing by in the afternoon like we did, for an ice-cream sundae, it’s a smart pick at €18.

This garden terrace is for those who want a polished setting without the fuss—whether it’s a quiet business lunch, a romantic dinner, or a sweet break with friends. It’s also a wonderful way to introduce visitors to a slice of Parisian heritage.

The terrace sits inside Shangri-La Paris on Avenue d'Iéna in the 16th arrondissement, accessible from Iéna station (line 9) and Kléber (line 6). Service runs daily from 12:00 to 22:00, Monday through Saturday, and from 18:00 to 22:00 on Sundays. Reservations can be made directly on the palace's website, and are highly recommended if you hope to land a garden-side table when the weather is good.

Want to extend your tour of the hidden garden courtyards of Parisian palaces? We suggest the George V’s hidden terrace and its Italian summer in the 8th arrondissement, as well as the jazz dinner-concert at Melville’s out‑of‑doors performance in Bagatelle Park, still in the 16th. To broaden the pick, our guide to hidden terraces in Paris and Île‑de‑France in 2026 gathers the capital’s most discreet addresses.

Please note that it's been over 4 years since our last visit, so the place and experience may have changed.

This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please let us know.