Paris dining can seem intimidating and expensive, but there’s a simple trick that lets you enjoy top-level French gastronomy without breaking the bank: weekday lunch menus.
In this video, I put the hack to the test at one of Paris’s most famous Michelin-starred restaurants: L’Atelier Robuchon Étoile.
I show you my full lunch experience — from starters to desserts — all for just €55, compared to €220 for the signature dinner menu!
🍴 What you’ll see in this video:
The secret of Paris weekday lunch menus
How to enjoy Michelin-starred food for less
My full lunch experience at L’Atelier Robuchon (menu, dishes, pricing, review)
Tips to book and make the most of your meal
🎥 Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
01:00 – The concept of the “Formule déjeuner”
01:53 – Why chefs offer cheaper lunches
02:31 – How big is the price difference?
03:13 – What you actually get
03:48 – Not just for Michelin stars
04:22 – When and how to find the best lunch deals?
04:58 – Why this is the ultimate Paris food hack?
05:41 – PART II – The Atelier Robuchon Experience
12:58 – The Atelier Robuchon review
13:34 – Conclusion: The Lunch Formule Tip
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22 Comments
Thanks for this great informations. Love your channel ❤
Bonjour. Thanks for sharing this tip. Merci encore. 💙🤍❤️
I always went to the original location across from Rue du Bac. Always fantastic food and service. I don’t remember a lunch menu.
Merci bien, Alain! I'll add this restaurant to my list for my next trip to Paris ❤
I always enjoy a little adventure with you and ( Charlotte).
We often times go out for lunch with good intentions, but typically succumb to gluttony. As for Atelier, it is one of our favorite restaurants and been at least a dozen times — always for a three hour dinner. Always have the stuffed quail and the jambon; and, and, and…
Merci beaucoup!😊
Awesome info….
Great video! Maybe think about putting together restaurant guides as do Les Frenchies. I think they make good money from their guides.
Love those deals, like the US blue plate special, but in Paris I doubt you would find meatloaf. 😂
Having these kind of tips eases people’s anxiety on how to have a great French meal and not feel overwhelmed.
Thanks so much for this video. Its great for those coming to Paris from countries where the currency exchange reduces our buying power. I love how you have included a range of authentic local options for us on your channel. I have been depressed watching other channels aimed at rich US boomers, where nearly every restaurant bill for 2 is $200 euros.
What does the menu notation (suppl. 15 E) mean? Is it an additional cost added to the bill? Merci pour cette video?
I often make lunch the main meal of the day after a heavy morning swim. The deals are great and I feel I can dress more casually. I also can’t eat so much at night. I agree that chefs are more rested and relaxed for lunch. I actually walked into that store, but didn’t know such a great restaurant was below. I’ll try it!
Of course Paris is wonderful, but the style of your video’s, the calm attention to detail is just right. You have quickly become my favorite guide to my favorite city. Thank you.
We do this already. Since I have a small appetite and dont like lengthy meals, we always book Michelin 1 8:29 star restaurants for lunch. We actually met and had a conversation with M. Joel Robuchon at his Champs-Élysées Atelier once.
Rapport qualité-prix imbattable.
♥
Lucas Carton used to have a €50-55 lunch menu but there have been changes there. Now alongside the historic restaurant is Petit Lucas, a bistro-style offering at €39 entrée-plat-dessert du jour. Around €75-85 à la carte. Highly recommend. Place de la Madeleine.
Another restaurant added to our Paris trip!
Bonjour, Alain! What a treat! I've never seen a food video like this on any YT channel! Simply wonderful, my friend! What great value! I go to lunch all the time because of my vision problems, but I'd never find something like L'Atelier Robuchon in Sydney. That meal embodied the very idea of 'sufficiency'! I couldn't eat more than that. Thank you & all the best !
Nice video, very accurate conclusion, although L’Atelier Robuchon is not high on my list.
I find this video very interesting and at the same time very Elegant,because of the Music,it’s as though I’m sitting at the Restaurant right now,but I’m French trained,living and working in NYC,but there are a lot of French Chef’s here in the city and throughout the United States,but French Restaurants are Not cheap by any stretch of the imagination,like going to a Japanese restaurant,Petit Portions and Gigantic Prices,enough to Break Your Wallet, Oh,My Gosh,Wow What,that’s why many French Restaurants have lowered their prices,to make it easier to enjoy French Cuisine,for the Mass Public,the other alternative is to go to your favorite Chinese Restaurant,which are all over the place,I did a Term Paper on the subject when I was in Culinary School,it’s a very interesting subject matter,up for debate.
Outstanding. As a New Yorker, I’ve long known about the value of a lunch menu at top restraunts. But this shows specific menu comparisons and includes a dining experience at JR. Formidable!