In this video, I take you to one of the most iconic crossroads in Paris: Carrefour Vavin, in the heart of Montparnasse.
This is where four legendary Parisian brasseries — Le Dôme, La Rotonde, Le Select, and La Coupole — have shaped over a century of Parisian life, welcoming artists, writers, and intellectuals from around the world.
Today, I’m dining at La Rotonde to see if it still lives up to its reputation. From classic brasserie dishes to atmosphere, service, and value for money — here is my full review.
👉 Is it worth it? Or should you choose La Coupole instead?
📍 Location: Boulevard du Montparnasse, Paris
💬 Have you tried La Rotonde or La Coupole? Let me know your experience in the comments!
👍 If you enjoy discovering Paris like a local, don’t forget to like and subscribe to Paris Top Tips for more restaurant reviews and insider guides.
5 Comments
I’m sure the food at those 4 restaurants is outstanding for traditional French cuisine, what’s changed in nearly 100 years is the Michelin quality restaurants, but if you want authentic French cuisine then these 4 restaurants, I’m sure will meet your expectations!
You both had inexpensive wines so the meals should definitely not have been so much. If you had gotten out of there with an 85 dollar to $100 bill I think that would have been more appropriate and even that seems expensive. 75.00 a piece for lunch is just too much. I guess the good thing is that the tipping culture is different because you would have to put another $20 on top of that if it were here in the United States. That's minimum. You would probably be expected to tip closer to $30 especially if it's a nice restaurant which this clearly is though I did notice some flaws. I don't like that you walk in past a service station that has a rag out on a platter. That isn't what you do at expensive restaurants. Also I don't like the butter being served in a pre-packaged way. On top of that the napkins were not presented uniformly on your table setting. I'm sorry but I worked as a chef for many years and even did a training tour of Montpelier when I was just getting started. I tend to notice front of the house issues a lot in some of these videos. Beef dishes also were very expensive and they didn't seem to have a lower cost option. I almost always look for a beef dish when I'm eating in a restaurant because I don't cook a lot of it at home. I'm solo so a hole steak is going to end up being half leftovers and never as good as when I first cook it. Anyhow I don't think I'm going to ever get back to Paris again but it's nice to see it. A country where the leadership has yet to go insane like ours.
I went in January. The food was delicious.
Thanks! I hope to be able to be in Paris in 2027 …. if the donald doesn't wreck the world even more than he already has.
I just love the Art Deco that you show us throughout Parisian eateries. If I get to Paris, I'll enjoy the ambiance as much or more than the food. Thank you again, for the work you do .