Au Moulin à Vent

In Paris, nothing hits quite like entering an old vintage bistro and immersing yourself with the mood of the people, the almost dimness of the lights, and the oversaturated walls. The food was on point, literally, on exquisite point. I cannot think of anything bad to say about the Poitrine de Veau — the sauce was mindblowing —, and cannot choose a favorite between the desserts because the Mousse au Chocolate was smooth, the Profiterole crunchy and its stuffed vanilla ice cream blended extraordinarily well with the chocolate, and the Crème Brûlée was exceptional since the cooks had the brilliant idea to add lemon juice or lemon zest. The waiters and waitress were very welcoming, but I loved the latter the most because she's extremely energetic and firmly organized.

We had high hopes for Au Moulin à Vent, given its inclusion in Timeout’s recent piece on the best bistros of Paris. The place was less than half full at lunchtime which made our reservation probably unnecessary however David our wonderful server who’s probably the manager told us it gets much busier in the evening. We love the intact decor of vintage 1946 vibes, which includes red banquettes, wine barrel light fixtures and rows upon rows of wine bottle gracing the room. For starters we had veloute of courgette and ouefs mayonnaise, both startlingly underseasoned to the extent that I felt self-conscious with my over use of the salt shaker. In spite of the lack of salt of both dishes, I could tell that there was good quality ingredients involved. I love the mustard of the mayonnaise and the shower of spring onions and parsley on the eggs as well as something crunchy that could be fried onion. Our mains were bouef bourguignon and magret canard, the latter which was a beautiful duck breast cooked to perfection, yielding juicy red meat with deep flavor. Rather than potatoes, Jules chose sautéed veg and mushrooms, which were a perfect and fresh accompaniment to the meat. My beef oddly lacked the rosy hue that one would expect from having been stewed for hours in bourguignon. In spite of that detail the beef was fairly tender, and the mushrooms cooked with it were delightful however as with the soup and the eggs, a healthy sprinkling, and then re-sprinkling and another re-sprinkling of salt were necessary to enhance the flavor of the meat and its accompanying sauce. While I would’ve preferred mash, the rice was actually a really gentle and appropriate bed for the stew. We ended our meal with the highly praised profiterole dessert which was quite good with a warm and very light chocolate sauce poured over the ice cream filled choux. All in all we enjoyed our meal, the good service and the vintage ambience of Au Moulin à Vent.

I’ve been dining at “Le Moulin à Vent” every time I visit Paris with my girlfriend for the past eight years, and it never disappoints. Last night was no exception. The “plat du jour” was a shoulder of lamb, which we decided to try, and it was absolutely exquisite. Our Italian waiter, fluent in several languages, made the experience even more special—he was incredibly friendly, welcoming, and had an impressive knowledge of wine. This place isn’t your typical pretentious French restaurant; the atmosphere was vibrant and lively. Highly recommended!

Typical Paris brasserie with delicious food and vibrant atmosphere. I’d definitely go back. The frog legs were delicious.

Super local, cozy place with amazing food to match, definitely get the veal, snails and eggs mayo!! The tartare was a bit off though as it had lots of sinews and was tough to chew but everything else was perfect.

We had a lovely lunch here, all the food was delicious, great wine selection, and the staff were really friendly and welcoming- definitely a highlight. Can’t wait to go back!

We always enjoy Au Moulin A Vent and tonight was no exception! All 3 sauces accompanying our Cote de Boeuf, Bernaise, Blue Cheese and Poivre were refined and excellent!

Excellent French food in Paris. The veal was great. The atmosphere and the staff are so charming. The pate was one of the best in town. It's very difficult to get a reservation.

English: We spent our New Year's Eve at this restaurant. There were two Americans, a German, a Taiwanese, and a Frenchman. The dishes were all exceptional. The service, both considerate and pleasant, also deserves praise. 100%, highly recommended. This restaurant truly honors the French culinary heritage. Long live France Français: Nous avons passé notre soirée de la Saint-Sylvestre dans ce restaurant. Nous étions deux Américaines, un Allemand, une Taïwanaise et un Français. Les mets étaient tous exceptionnels. Le service, à la fois compréhensif et agréable, mérite également d'être souligné. 20/20, mention très bien. Ce restaurant rend honneur à notre patrimoine culinaire. Vive la France

Your quintessential French brasserie. Start with the bone marrow, follow with the frog legs... casual atmosphere, you will not be disappointed! Extensive wine list too.

This is the true Paris experience. Great food. Great people working there. Great ambiance. And check this video of the dessert.

Well now maybe all is explained...we met our American friends again last night for dinner (see Le Vaudeville)...they had the misfortune to come here a few days ago during their trip...and...it was absolutely terrible, the food, "service", never mind the 45 minute wait to be served... Answer, the place had been sold!!! So there we go; shame, but.... The previous owners / chefs have moved to Le Petit Pergolese in the 16th near Maillot. Our friends are going there next Tuesday so it will interesting to hear what their new place is like...we will check it out in due course and report back

I love this place. Classic bistro right along the Seine with just the basics. I came on a Friday evening at 9:30, and there was no wait. The restaurant feels so classic and traditional, with traditional flavors and menu. I got the frog's legs to start and chateaubriand done medium rare, with morels sauce and the potato gratin as the side. Nothing negative to say about it. Frog's legs were incredible. Steak was perfect. Sauces were amazing. Service was attentive and warm, without being overbearing. We also got a bottle of wine and were charged by how much of it we drank, which came out to €20. I think this was my ideal meal - meat, potatoes and wine with no frills. Wish I could come here everyday, but heart disease is real, F.

I booked a reservation for New Year's Eve at this restaurant out of all the restaurants in Paris weeks ago. I'm in Paris for New Year's alone celebrating my beating breast cancer in a battle that's been waging for 18 months. At present I am the victor and I'm celebrating by spending Christmas in London and New Years in Paris. Today, three days before New Years they cancelled my reservation without so much as a phone call. Just deleted it like so much trash. This is not the way American restaurants treat their customers. And anyone planning a special event here (even if it is just special to you - like ushering in the new year cancer free) may want to plan with a restaurant who is more reliable in honoring confirmed reservations.

Our evening at Au Moulin a Vent Chez Henri was excellent in every respect. The food was prepared to perfection, the wine, atmospherem and service topped off the entire experience with excellence.

We have dined at this restaurant for over twenty-five years, beginning when it was called Chez Henri, and continuing through the years with Alexandra Dumas after she purchased the restaurant. It was always a very special restaurant. Alas, the restaurant was sold at the beginning of 2019. What a disaster. We ordered wine and waited 45 minutes before it was served. The people at the table next to us order the Cote de Boeuf and it was virtually raw. (We well understand that the French serve beef much less well done than do Americans, but this beef was raw.) Then they were never served their side dishes until they had finished their Cote de Boeuf). Our steaks also arrived raw and again we had to ask for the potatoes which should have been served with the steaks. In the past, the dining room service was handled with exceptional competence by three people on a busy Saturday night. The evening we were their the servers were completely confused and we watched as nothing came out of the kitchen for extended periods. A complete train wreck. Most disappointing, the salad frisee aux lardons, which was always the best in all of Paris, was greatly reduced in size and arrived with an ice cold egg. Even the fois de veau was only a shadow of its former self. It is with great regret that after being faithful customers for 25 years we will not be returning.

This hole-in-the-wall restaurant is a hidden gem. The service is amazing and the food is extraordinary. They claim to have the best frogs legs in France, and they may just be right. Make sure you have the sautéed mushrooms and save room for dessert.

Fantastic local dinner spot. Classic French menu. Family owned and operated. All fresh ingredients. We ate there two nights in a row. The chateaubriand - not to be missed; the frog's legs -surprisingly delicious; the house fried potatoes -amazing. My wife and i had the lamb chops the first night and we were hooked. Save room for the desserts! Our children enjoyed everything.

Like the other reviewers mentioned it is very traditional French restaurant. The food was fantastic as well as the entire experience. Not touristy but they do have English menus and a nice website. Can't wait to go back for another fantastic meal. PS Order a Irish coffee and watch them make it. Quite a show!

We are French and have been going to this restaurant for years. We reserved from New York 10 days before the dinner. The day of, we called to say that we would be 10 minutes late, and a woman responded "it's your problem, you will have to be finished by 9:15pm". Not a particularly kind response. Upon arrival, we were happy to see same group of waiters. The food, however, was very disappointing. Both the leeks starter and the coq au vin entrée were tasteless. Coq au vin normally has a wonderful wine sauce, whereas this seemed to be sitting in water. Since this restaurant is in many American guidebooks we were wondering whether they have taken things for granted, and stopped making an effort to serve real French bistro food.