A brief history of Paris's great restaurants: Au Petit Riche, Belle Epoque table de terroir

Nestled on rue Le Peletier in Paris's 9th arrondissement, Au Petit Riche has embodied the soul of the great Parisian brasseries since 1854. This Belle Époque restaurant seduces with its preserved decor, its roots in the city's history and its traditional cuisine based on the Loire Valley terroirs.

An institution born in the heart of the Second Empire

Au Petit Riche opened its doors in 1854, under the reign of Napoleon III. At the time, the district was booming with the construction of theOpéra Le Peletier (predecessor of theOpéra Garnier), and the restaurant quickly became a popular canteen for coachmen, journalists and opera employees. The name itself seems to play on the social contrasts of the time: a"petit riche" is the image of the upwardly mobile Parisian bourgeois, a lover of good food but still accessible. As time went by, the establishment gained in notoriety and crossed the decades without a hitch.

Belle Époque decor intact

The charm of the Belle Époque begins as soon as you enter. Carved woodwork, beveled mirrors, red velvet banquettes, molded ceilings: everything here evokes a timeless atmosphere. We dine in a Paris frozen in its turn-of-the-20ᵉ century splendor. The restaurant boasts four private salons welcoming breakfasts, business meals and family events. A cellar dedicated to Loire wines, dug beneath the establishment, completes the experience.

• To be read
• A brief history of the great restaurants of Paris: La Rotonde, the hustle and bustle of the Belle Epoque
• A brief history of Paris's great restaurants: La Mère Catherine, a Montmartre institution
• The story of Paris's great restaurants: La Fermette Marbeuf, now Beefbar

Generous cuisine inspired by the Loire Valley

On the plate, the restaurant gives pride of place to local produce from the Loire Valley. The cuisine is simple, tasty and authentic: pan-fried sweetbreads, andouillette, fillet of beef in wine sauce, pike-perch in beurre blanc, Touraine cheeses, traditional desserts and carefully selected Anjou and Saumur wines. The menu evolves with the seasons, always faithful to the spirit of bourgeois French cuisine, served in period surroundings by staff in white jackets and black aprons.

A loyal clientele, between memory and modernity

If the place seduced coachmen and artists in the 19th century, today it attracts tourists and regulars alike. The mix of audiences perpetuates the vocation of a restaurant that is both accessible and elegant, popular without being ordinary. Between tradition and conviviality, Au Petit Riche remains an essential address in historic Paris, a living testimony to a bygone era.

Our review of Au Petit Riche:

Au Petit Riche, bourgeois French cuisine without a wrinkle
Since it opened in 1854, Au Petit Riche has been delighting the Parisian elite with its bourgeois French cuisine. [Read more]