Paris’ most delicious Japanese food
When I go out to eat in Paris, I’m usually eating something Japanese. There are very strong cultural links between France and Japan, and chefs in both countries are constantly taking inspiration from one another. From Michelin starred restaurants, to mochi making classes, to a Japanese afternoon tea, these are all my favorite places to experience Japanese cuisine in Paris!
Restaurants
Sōma is one of my favorite restaurants in Paris, period! I love practically every dish - the spicy tuna sushi, the spinach with sesame cream, the beef tataki - it’s all so flavorful and delicious. They also do very good cocktails and desserts, and the overall vibe is warm and cozy. They have two locations but my favorite is the one in the Marais. They also have a sandwich shop called Sōma Sando that does amazing sando sandwiches and corn dogs, located by the Jardin du Luxembourg.
I have been coming to this udon restaurant since my student days, and while the prices have gone up significantly since then, the udon remains some of the best in Paris! There is always a long line outside and they don’t take reservations, but usually it moves fast and it’s definitely worth the wait. It’s also located in an amazing Japanese neighborhood by the Pyramides metro stop, which has tons of great restaurants and boba spots, so needless to say I come here a lot.
There is always a line at Kodawari Ramen, probably because the interior is just so cool and Instagrammable, but also because the ramen is objectively delicious! Designed to look like a Tokyo fish market (with very realistic fake fish I must say!), this place serves really good fish ramen and other seafood starters, making it a bit different from the other ramen places in Paris. It’s better to arrive early since space is limited (the seating is not the most comfortable, but you really do feel like you’re eating in market!)
My husband and I waited in line on a freezing cold day in December to try this tiny restaurant (which has maybe 10 chairs) and we were rewarded with some mouthwatering (and thankfully very hot) Japanese curry - one of my favorites! If you’re willing to stand in line, the food is 100% worth it, and it is in a prime location in the Marais.
Pastries and afternoon tea
TOMO is one of my favorite pastry shops in all of Paris! I love how they bring together classic French pastries and Japanese flavors; for example, their Baba au rhum is made with Japanese whisky! Their specialty is dorayaki pancakes with red bean, matcha, strawberry and other seasonal fillings, which are incredibly tasty. You can get your pastries to go or sit in the tea room, and they also offer mochi and dorayaki making classes! I gifted a mochi (or more accurately, daifuku) class to my husband for Christmas one year, and we had the best time learning about how the sticky rice dough is made and how to shape it into perfectly round mochi. It’s a lot harder than it looks but the instructor said he would hire me, which I thought was a big compliment! :) TOMO also has a more casual matcha cafe called Le Renard Café that does amazing drinks and has a really cute bookstore-like interior.
For a special occasion, I highly recommend afternoon tea at OGATA SABŌ - the tea salon linked to the OGATA restaurant and very stylish boutique. The space is stunning and very serene, and the server truly takes you on a culinary journey, allowing you to experience three Japanese teas (which you can pick out yourself) that have wildly different flavors. I really like how they steep the tea several times to show you how the flavors evolve (although if you are sensitive to caffeine, you may want to try them just once). The tea is served with a tower of sweet and salty snacks (ochauke and wagashi) that are extremely delicious and marry perfectly with the flavors of the tea. It is a bit expensive but well worth it in my opinion for the amount of food and drinks you get (they even start you off with a little cocktail!) You can buy the teas, wagashi and some gorgeous Japanese ceramics in the boutique, and I’m dying to try the restaurant some day…
Michelin starred restaurants
Now, if you want something extra fancy, Sola is a 1-star Michelin restaurant that serves incredible Japanese cuisine, with a French touch. Their dishes are so complex and unexpected - they use a lot of smoke and fermentation - and the wine and alcohol pairings they come up with are really out of this world. Part of the restaurant is located in the cellars and they give you Japanese slippers to wear, which is really fun. I did find the cellars to be a bit humid though, so on our second visit (to celebrate our engagement!) we sat on the ground floor, which is beautiful as well. During COVID, they actually provided their full set menu to go, with everything vacuum sealed (we just had to boil them in water), accompanied by little videos to show you how to plate the dishes. They also gave us wine pairings in little glass bottles! It was so well thought out and really allowed to have a special experience during the COVID lockdown.
L’Abysse holds a special place in my heart because my husband took me here to celebrate my 30th birthday! This 2-star Michelin restaurant is seriously luxurious and they serve amazingly high quality Japanese dishes, with a focus on sushi. The flavors are more pure and simple than at Sola, and the dinning environment is very bright, artistic, yet comfortable. The service was also fantastic; while I don’t recommend it, my husband actually lost his credit card on the way to the restaurant, and they let him return the next day to pay for our meal! So I would say it’s two stars are well deserved. ;)
As always, I have a full list of all my favorite Japanese restaurants on Google Maps!
