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Café Varenne

4.4 (127 reviews)
ModerateFrench, Bars
Open • 7:00 am - 11:00 pm

Café Varenne Photos

CAFÉ VARENNE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Outdoor seating
Good for groups

Recommended Reviews - Café Varenne

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Reviews With Photos

Tartare
Alex R.

Varenne is a classic establishment that has clearly a local following. Quite a few tables were occupied by locals or at least not tourists. The editors were welcoming and attentive unlike many places where you have to beg for attention. The decor is warm and comfortable with classic brasserie feel. Loads of classic dishes to be had where opted for onion soup to start, which was superb. Btw the complimentary baguette and butter were delicious as well. I opted for beef tartare which was very well seasoned and went well with the baguette. My friend ordered the steak and fries, which he also enjoyed. The meal was a welcome break from all the neighborhood walking and shopping. And nearby loads of other options for tea, coffee and sweets

Roast chicken, fries, salad
Sara Z.

Everything here was so delicious, and it really felt like a local spot. I don't think you need a reservation but we made one and I'm glad we did. The servers were very friendly and spoke English. The menu is in French but they have an English version on their website. I got a glass of chablis and the roast chicken that came with crispy fries and salad. The chicken was insanely tender and fell off the bone. It was covered in roasted onions which added a lot of flavor. The fries were so good!! The server brought me a pot of mustard, mayonnaise and ketchup to dip. The mustard was spicy but really delicious, and I think the mayo was house made. It was so good! Then I couldn't resist ordering pot de crème chocolate for dessert. It was one of the best I've ever had. My rule is if that item is on a menu, I'm ordering it, so I've tried it a lot. This was so rich, and had little bits of chocolate spread throughout. I loved it, highly recommend if you love chocolate!

50ml wine
Leah S.

Great little spot in a bustling neighborhood. Didn't require a reservation, but I would imagine you need one on busier days. Menu has a good variety with daily specials. Wine choices were top notch and I LOVED the cheese plate. Sad I didn't save room for dessert, but I'll just have to go back. Also, I've seen other reviews mention this place doesn't have a restroom, but they do on the lower level.

Duck confit
Makiko N.

This was on Ina Garten's fav list so I had to give it a try this trip. Not too far from St Germain, it's pretty easy to find. Upon arrival it's a very traditional cafe, just as pictured on their website. Very cute interior and outdoor dining are. Staff was very friendly, even for me who doesn't speak French. The menu on hand is in French, but you can access the English menu on their website. I ended up trying the duck confit, which was delicious. Duck cooked to perfection - meat just fell off the bone and was full of flavor. The sides hit the spot as well. They do have quite the variety so I'll likely be back next trip to try something different.

Baguette
Amanda H.

SO glad we visited Café Varenne on our trip. I loved the views from the patio, the coffee, and being able to have conversations and people-watch with good food. It's also within walking distance to Le Bon Marché if you are interested in shopping afterward. Very tourist-friendly while also popular with the locals, and we didn't need a reservation. They don't start serving food until after 11am (drinks only before then). We ordered the steak & frites and creme ravioli. If you're getting the ravioli, definitely get the small since it is very filling. Escargot was my favorite dish that we ordered. If you're looking for a nice cafe for people watching, I highly recommend Café Varenne.

Bloody Steak with Bernaise.  Yum!

Wonderful lunch near Bon Marché. Service was warm and efficient. Food classic bistro cuisine. Delicious steak tartare and fries. Prices on the slightly higher side, but it's the 7th in Paris!

Amazing Dijon Mustard
J E.

We stopped in for lunch on a weekday without reservations and they immediately sat us. But within 15 minutes the place was packed! So, make reservations if possible. We enjoyed all the offerings in the menu and the items we opted for were quite tasty. The only issue was the chicken being too dry in their French Chicken entrée. The rest was excellent, including the petit cheese board. Their petit ravioli dish was INCREDIBLE! Very tasty and rich too! Service was great and they spoke adequate English, so ordering went perfectly smooth. Overall, it's a nice quaint French Café with very nice food. We can see why it's so popular.

The duck Confit. Solid. Great French fries.
Alex N.

This place is very popular with the locals and was quite packed when we came there for lunch. Service is friendly, like local neighborhood pub. We stumbled upon this place after visiting the hotel Invalides and making our way to Jaques Genin to pick up some of the best chocolates and caramels in the world. The place was packed and we waited about 15 minutes to get a table. There is an English menu so that was good. The duck confit was the best I had on any visit I've had in France. It's not touristy and a good place to stop for a bite

Tonya G.

I am not opposed to a place over run with Americans, as I am one of them! This restaurant had great reviews. It was simply one of the worst meals I have ever encountered. The portions were large, but the food did not have any flavor. The prices were twice as high as the place down the street. We quite possibly ordered the wrong food, we had French onion soup, beef tartar, and salmon tartar. The salmon was fishy, fortunately it did not make us sick. The service was good. I honestly would recommend that you pass on this restaurant and pop into an unknown place.

Guy H.

Parisians don't typically eat dinner until 8 or later. So,as an American this could get difficult. So we started poping in places for some wine,bread,meat,cheese. You know, lite plates to hold you over. These guys did a great job of killing my appetite but not too much. The house wine was better than what I usually drink at home.

Pot de crème
Torie B.

This was our first restaurant dining experience during our recent trip to Paris. We were a family of four; two adults and two children ages 3 and 4. Our children are at the age where they can be a bit picky about what they eat, or perhaps just less adventurous than older children and adults often are. We arrived to the restaurant with umbrella strollers and very little knowledge of French language. We were warmly greeted, and our strollers were kept near the front doors by the coat rack. We sat indoors, and our waiter knew enough English to help us navigate the menu and forgive us for the very little French we knew. Our children requested chicken nuggets, which of course is not something you're likely to find outside of the USA. The waiter instead offered what seemed to be a thin sautéed or stewed chicken breast and a large plate of French fries. I'm pretty sure my kids sustained themselves on fries and croissants during our five days in Paris. :) The plates that my husband and I ordered weren't particularly memorable but we enjoyed them nonetheless. For dessert, we shared a pot de creme, which was a first for all but me. Now THAT was yummy. The staff adored my children once they showed off their best "au revoir"!

Duck confit with fries and salad.

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2 months ago

Neighborhood cafe with a homey feel. Excellent food and fantastic service. Our favorite meal in Paris over our 7 days. Hidden Gem.

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6 months ago

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5 months ago

Cocktails , wine, food, atmosphere. Everything else stunk...LOL. Seriously, if you're in Paris, this is a really great place.

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6 months ago

Had the Onion soup and the Beef Bourguignon - delicious. The place has a great "Paris" atmosphere and the service was friendly.

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1 year ago

Beautiful area and such a cute cafe right in the center of it all! Wonderful food and fantastic service.

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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1 year ago

Amazing locals restaurant. The food was fantastic as was the service. Highly recommended.

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4 years ago

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Café Varenne Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - Café Varenne

“One of the best cafes in Paris on one of the best streets in Paris (Rue du Bac).”

Mentioned in 3 reviews

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People searched for French 356 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

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L'Éclair - Crepes with raspberry jam and smoked salmon plate

L'Éclair

4.0(108 reviews)
1.3 km•7ème, Tour Eiffel/Champ de Mars
•€€

A Lovely Late Lunch in Paris! Came here for the first time…read morewith friends for a late lunch after exploring the town in search of the famous "I LOVE YOU" wall. We didn't have reservations, but the restaurant was able to accommodate our party of five with only a short wait. What a pleasant surprise! Our waitress was friendly, attentive, and helpful. She also took the time to guide me toward gluten-free options, which I really appreciated! We started with the escargot appetizer, and wow--it was packed with flavor and surprisingly delicious! Of course, there was a little learning curve figuring out how to get the snails out of their shells, but that just made the experience even more fun! Two of us ordered the fish special, which came with soft, creamy mashed potatoes seasoned with olive oil and herbs. Both the fish and potatoes were delicious, and the fish was cooked to perfection! One friend ordered the avocado toast with salmon and said she enjoyed it. The other dishes at our table were the Croque Madame and the coquillettes with white ham, Parmesan cream, and truffle flavor. Overall, we had a lovely lunch with friendly service, delicious food, and a relaxed atmosphere. It was a great spot to recharge after exploring Paris with friends. Definitely worth considering if you're in the area!

A very cute little spot on rue Cler with friendly service, good wine, and tasty food.read more

Photos
L'Éclair
L'Éclair
L'Éclair - Outdoor vibes

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Outdoor vibes

O'Brien's - Happy hour starts at 5pm

O'Brien's

3.7(36 reviews)
1.3 km•7ème, Tour Eiffel/Champ de Mars
•€€

Like Yelpers before me have noted, this is a traditional Irish pub with lots of Anglo-speakers for…read morethose who feel more comfortable conversing in this language. The space is quite tight but it makes for a fun time with all the people merrily eating, drinking, laughing, talking (or even arguing about controversial topics), and watching sports matches (during my time here, our group watched with some interest a rugby game). I didn't eat anything here nor did I drink anything other than water but I was in the company of others who drank beer and whiskey. While I don't know much about these, the people with me have extensive experience in drinking their preferred poisons and everyone was extremely pleased with the selection and prices. As some of you know, AT is an avid whiskey/whisky enjoyer and he found the choices to be fairly impressive--enough so to try two different types. Regarding food, it seems that things may have changed because I found the food menu to be quite large, including bar/pub usual suspects (burgers, steak and fries, brownies, etc.). Many groups were there eating full meals, so don't worry about not being able to get stuff to soak up some of that alcohol that you'll be throwing back. I was tempted because I saw the names scrawled on a blackboard as I walked from the front door to the back area, but I didn't end up ordering coffee drinks. This could be an option for those who don't share in the love of booze but want to still come hang out. Friendly service by the two people serving our party, one guy running like mad between all the tables in the back section and a female bartender. Fast delivery of whatever you order, which is nice. Compared to some other pubs that I have tried, this place may not quite compare but I give it an additional star for being entirely smoke-free! Yes, this was an amazing discovery for me, because it seems that while Parisian restaurants do not permit smoking indoors, they usually have a patio area where people are puffing 2 packs per minute. On top of that, the front doors are usually left open, to allow the free movement of servers running back and forth from the kitchen and the outside. This means that you may as well sit with the smokers, because all of the smoke and smell waft inside. With my asthma, this made for some slightly unpleasant dining experiences. Rest assured that you will not encounter any cigarette smell or effect from frequenting O'Brien's, which makes it awesome in my book.

Good food and staft is nice recommendations Fish and chips and a Pilsner beer to go with.read more

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O'Brien's - Good food and staft is nice recommendations Fish and chips and a Pilsner beer to go with.

Good food and staft is nice recommendations Fish and chips and a Pilsner beer to go with.

O'Brien's
O'Brien's

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Café Varenne - french - Updated October 2026

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