La Palette

I don't know about the others, but my experience is totally different from the reviews in the past. When I get in, the staff asked if we're here for drinks or lunch with a smile. I've seen someone else going for the drinks and they're totally fine about it. I requested for a table with the couch, they even spontaneously tried to offer the Taylor Swift table. I'm quite sure that I could sit there for my meal if it wasn't already occupied by someone else. Still, I got to sit right opposite to the Taylor table and already felt very satisfied. The decor is stunning and soft remixes of pop songs that fits my taste are played. The food tasted better than expected. Waiter speaks fluent English and makes friendly chitchat with other English-speaking customers. Service is quick. Overall it was a very nice experience.

Stopped by La Palette for an early drink. The bar area and patio are charming, with a nice atmosphere that feels classically Parisian — but overall, the experience was just okay. Drinks were fine, nothing standout, and the service could definitely use improvement. Staff seemed a bit disinterested, and the overall energy lacked warmth or attentiveness. It’s a decent place for a casual stop, but not somewhere I’d go out of my way to visit again. A good backdrop, but the substance didn’t quite match the setting.

It’s a beautiful cafe, with good service and lovely decoration. I do think the menu is too small for such a nice place, wish they had more variety. Still, I highly recommend it!

The coffee was good but WAY TOO expensive for what it is (8€ a coffee). But the place is really cute, Taylor swift shot a music video there. So they played some musics of her.

I visit this restaurant quite frequently and each time is better than the next. The food, the atmosphere, the drinks are all exceptional! However, the one thing that kept me coming back and recommending to friends is the service. Specifically, Ricardo, he always makes our experience phenomenal! He’s funny, charming, charismatic, and not to mention a fantastic server! He has become the reason I keep coming back so often. If you visit (which I strongly suggest you do) I recommend sitting in his section, you won’t regret it!

I had a wonderful relaxing drink at La Palette on a sunny afternoon. Very well looked after by my waiter Ricardo with quick, attentive and warm service in perfect English. I'll be recommending this place to anyone in search of refreshment on the Rive Gauche!

Nice historic cafe with small cozy terrasse. Slow service.

An outstanding bistro in the heart of Paris, the food here was superb. They were very accommodating on a hot lunchtime in Paris, sitting us inside and supplying us with plenty of cold drinks and ice. The menu is limited but the standard of food was very good, I had the duck confit and it was exceptional. The staff were very friendly and they took the time to go through the menu and spoke to us in English despite my attempts at broken French. The place was very busy which is a good sign. I would highly recommend searching this bistro out for something to eat or even just a drink and watch the world go by

Traveling with the wife and it was our first time in Paris. I discovered La Palette upon doing some research in planning this trip and what a great choice. It's down the block from much of the high foot traffic (touristy) areas so it wasn't busy at all. We were seated and proceeded with ordering a couple cappuccinos while we browsed the menu a bit more. We decided on two French staples -- Quiche Lorraine and Croque Madame. The quiche was sizable, full of flavor, and incredibly fluffy. It was definitely one of the best quiches I've ever had anywhere. The Croque Madame was prepared in a way I had not seen before, but I loved it. The egg was cooked to absolute perfection. Both were accompanied by lightly dressed greens which was a nice balance to the main features. Overall, the service was average (nothing overwhelmingly negative or positive) and the food was about as good as it can get. I would definitely come back here again even if it was only for the quiche and croque.

Service was slow. Don't ask for a recommendation because "everything is fine." Was our first night here, so I get the theatrical rudeness, but just isn't necessary. Shrimp were good! So was the buffalo mozzarella.

DELICIOUS!! Such a great location in the middle of a neighborhood. We sat outside and just took it all in! This is our first meal in Paris, and it did not disappoint!!

this is known as the infamous Begin Again, café in swiftie world. Taylor Swift filmed her Begin Again, music video here. so of course I went. During off peak hours, but got a drink and took so many pictures the staff were amazing for letting us sneak over to where Taylor shot her music video. The bathroom is also comically small. Honestly my favorite place I've ever been.

I give Cafe la Palette five stars for ambience and as a scenic place to have a drink. I didn't order any food. The outdoor seating area looks fantastic in the spring, with umbrellas, a flowering tree, and heat lamps to warm up the chilly evenings. However, I chose to sit in the bar area, which oozes history with its wood paneling and copper-bordered bar. I was able to snag the small table by the window, which is great for people-watching. Seeking to channel the great artists of the past, I ordered the absinthe traditionnel. The bartender returned with a glass of pale green liquid, a glass container of ice water with a tap, and a metal grate with a sugar cube. He doused the sugar in absinthe, lit it on fire, then started an ice water drip. The sugar cube was dissolved into the absinthe-ice water mixture, and voila - a delicious apertif.

EXPENSIVE...!!! (and not worth it). I wanted to come here because I read it was artsy, and a place Simone de Beauvoir used to hang out. I was interested in the nature of it and the history. I had a dish which was literally just a can of sardines with some toasted bread and chives and onions, maybe shallots. It was $23. Plus we had two mocktails that were each almost $11 a piece. This place is way overpriced, and not worth it. I will not return.

always always one of my favorite to go to hangouts. have loved La Palette for over 25 years. I love the salads and the wines. The owner has always been very kind and generous to me. Richard Rollins

The quality of the food has deteriorated since we last ate here. My husband was given the wrong meal & thought perhaps what he received was what they now served as charcuterie. He had eaten half of it when the waitress discovered her mistake & corrected it. The charcuterie they then gave him was hard & dried out. Very disappointing!

Great place to hang out with friends! Very local! Their meat plate has great variety and awesome quality. I wish I could stay in Paris longer and visit there again. The paints there are from many famous local artist. Of course they have more great food choice, but meat plate was good enough for 2 people!

WARNING: highly disappointing. While preparing to visit Paris for a week, we watched travel videos for recommended bistros from some of our favorite food experts. This location was recommended by Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern. While we love them both, La Palette was highly disappointing. The food is overpriced, nothing special and the service was horrible. Yes, I know we are in Europe, but this was especially bad. Seriously. The water was filled with filth, the waiter was inattentive and again, food was nothing special. We ordered the Croque Monsieur. It is highly recommended here. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. It was 11euro and came with nothing. Around the corner, you can find bistros selling the same dish for less and it comes with fries and salad. Stay away.

Already a taste of scheming in the reviews, select the one star reviews then compare with the 5 star reviews !! These are mostly written by a traveler who is on his first published review ... he was able to make the comparison !!!! In fact still badly received, the change of owner has changed absolutely nothing or even amplified the reception !!! Tiny and dirty toilet, small kitchen which was maybe good for sandwiches and cold cuts but when you start cooking it becomes a disaster, duck breasts, Angus flank steak with shallot Beef tartare, Duck confit, Steak on horseback coming out of the freezer like the unfortunate fillet of sea bass formatted to the gram by the manufacturers of the fast food restaurant. Moreover, when you enter the brasserie, there is no smell of cooking, it is already fishy: a restaurant without the smell of cooking, as also at certain bakers ditto, it is reheating ... or cooking prepared or bought from the industrial ... In short, not to mention the reception, smoking sores or galliéristes who play it by typing the cardboard, throwing their butts of these cigarettes or their cigars on the sidewalk, blocking tables "reserved" for the year from morning to night depending on the mood of the cerberus placier who maintains the legend of sending his customers to graze and mistreating them (in fact the sores love it with a feeling of masochism ... There are so many other cafes in the neighborhood with a direction presents who works to be kind to their clients.

This place was a surprise for us, one of our favorite meals in Paris. We came here on a rainy afternoon and opted to sit inside near the window versus the covered terrace area that looked very crowded. The decor is very classic Parisian bistro and likely hasn't been updated in decades, which I loved. We weren't super hungry so we shared the duck confit - it was amazing. If you come here order that, you will not be disappointed. We each finished with coffee that was delicious as well. The service was a little dis-interested in us, but we didn't mind. It was nice to get out of the cold rain and enjoy looking out the window in this quaint cafe.

Another great Anthony Bourdain recommendation! We stopped in to enjoy the sights and sounds of Paris and couldn't have been happier with our decision. It is located on the corner of a bustling shopping and arts neighborhood and enjoyed the comings and goings of locals and tourists alike. We had the soup and charcuterie and it was a perfect midday feast. It was delicious, and we took our time to enjoy every bite. If you are looking for French basics, the complexity of the simple, then make time to stop at La Palette. The building is historic and offers quite a bit of tradition, while the food tasted modern and fresh. Our server was amazing, friendly and funny. I'm excited to go back on my next visit to Paris.

Bad service. Expensive. Food is just okay. Not worth the time or money. You're better off going somewhere else.

Very good food, fair price, good, friendly service and great atmosphere. My 9 year old says, "not kid friendly," and there was nothing on the menu he wanted, but the grown ups were happy. Overall, it was très agréable!

When I lived in Paris I loved this. You can smoke a cigar, have a wine, etc etc. now I'm on an foreign salary - holy crap it's expensive. ;-) Have the meat platter (charcuterie)

Love La Palette. Even though it's dead center of tourist St.-Germain, this idyllic sidewalk cafe retains its Frenchness, and French clientèle. This is a place to meet friends for an afternoon drink on the terrace - maybe not so much for the food, although the salads are solid.

We've been to Paris many times and have always been on the hunt for the best Madame in Paris this is one of the best. Seating is a little small but what a great experience

I found this cafe to be a perfect Parisian cafe. The service was friendly but slow. Our food was delicious and great portions. It has a lovely history and is in a great place for people watching. Nice lunch in the area.

Stumbled upon this lovely outdoor cafe walking home one day and came back to try for dinner. There is not much in the way of food - mostly a drinks place. But we got a cheese plate for 23 euro that came with plenty of cheese and some wine and enjoyed the scene of being among all the people (half French half tourist i would say) sitting outside in cramped tables.

À éviter à tout prix, service abominable. Don't waste your time here with these unprofessional and unfriendly waiters, head towards the other cafes on nearby rue de Buci instead.

An artsy café that Mr. Steves recommended. Stopped here for a hangover espresso. Seemed like a cool place that stands the test of time and tourists alike.

Fabulous, hip- happening place, mostly locals that seem to know each other but were friendly none-the less. Great cheese board!!

This place is ALL about atmosphere. Don't go if you are hungry but DO go if you want to people watch and have an apero outside. It's always fantastic people watching, good crowd, decent drinks and the waiters are sweet. Also a great place to bring visitors!

La palette used to be a cool hang out with great food and good atmosphere ... now you can find the empty back room at 9 pm , and an equally reduced menu on the board. the waiter has placed " reserved " signs on the best tables on the terrace so you can go seat next to chinese tourists with loud manners despite a kind request to a better option. Perhaps hoping to bring in a crowd with a sight of a full row on the terrace... Sadly the reserved tables you were denied will never fill throughout the evening, hoping to maybe get a starlet or some hipster...meanwhile loosing a repeat customer to this game... La Palette , I had over a hundred meals there.... but no more ... so long you are now a tourist spot at best ... ciao ...Anthony should have seen this place when it was a real item worth a good write up ... it is now below mediocre ...

This place, while being reasonable at night, turns into a really bad variety of tourist trap during the day, serving $2 canned sardines for 22 euros. Enough said. They can be great at night, but I will boycott them from now on.

Great corner spot to watch the world go by but man, it is pricey! A pint of beer is almost €10.

another perfect afternoon at la palette charcuterie and cornichon, good bread, good wine, decent café creme service was efficient and friendly we ate and drank heavily for several hours our bill was €70. leisurely, charming, an original... an old world oasis in the midst of the bustling 6eme.

Surprisingly this quite upscale café of the rue de Seine has changed much in several decades. Some other cafés, like the most famous on the Boulevard Saint-Germain are not visited by writers or philosophes like before but La Palette still has this old charm. Maybe it's because it is "classé", which means the place is protected by the French state and cannot be renovated. That's why the counter has this old patina and the room behind remains as small as it used to be. The presence of students of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts nearby perhaps has an influence on the prices. Filling snacks and wines by the glass are not as expensive as in the cafés (Flore and others) I was talking about. Nevertheless, the price of the real estate might be responsible of that, an important part of the clientele comes here to see and be seen. I must say it's a remarkable place for people-watching. And it's full of beautiful "parisiennes" if you know what I mean. I'm talking to you, guys. But the opposite also is correct.

Shitty attitude! There are way too many great places in Paris to have a cafe, tea or wine, don't waist your time here.

Relaxed restaurant with great music, good breakfast and nice service. Great experience.

Love This Place. It's Awesome. Classic French Bistro. Great ambiance and wonderful Bistro Classics at Great Prices. A must do when in Paree.

The food was great, but beware: this is an expensive area. I ordered soup du jour and a cappuccino after lunch and my total came to a whopping €18,70--the cappuccino was €6,20 alone! It was delicious, but pricey! I left very satisfied.

I only came here after walking all around the Saint-Germain-des-Pres and was hungry for a bite to eat. Turns out they do not serve sandwiches or real food after 5pm. I saw this as a recommended stop in Fodor's book as it was a scene in the movie "Midnight in Paris." It is really expensive - I had a darjeeling tea in the smallest cup of hot water and it was €5.90 which is ridiculous. However, it is what it is - as part of the cafe culture, don't expect fast service, expect a teeny tiny bathroom, and expect a lot of locals drinking some coffee or wine and chilling with their friends.

We stopped here for a snack, based on Anthony Bourdain's suggestions. The Guillotine, bread with cured meat, was ok, but the bread wasn't very flavorful.

I've never managed to get a table on the terrasse of this must-see-and-be-seen bar amongst the chic art galleries of Saint Germain. Elbow your way through the chic Parisian boys and girls picking at the plates of Tapas you can order at the bar.

Wonderful atmosphere. Even better food! I had the exact opposite experience from the aforementioned people. I was looking for a table they grabbed me and gave me the last one. Promptly made excellent recommendations and were very attentive. Either way- its a 'must try'. It's on my list of favorites and places I want to make a regular spot. ESP traveling alone. Xo

Pretty let down by this spot. The nerdy big-headed Bizarre Foods guy recommended this spot for their Croque Moseur but we got there around 10:45 and they had switched to a pared down late night menu. So they only had a toast version of the dish, the server seemed annoyed by our presence and the place was filled with drunk Brits.

Just complete d-bags here for waiters. Don't give them a dime or waste your time. Worst I've ever seen in all my travels and I do not go off easily. The most arrogant service of all time and in Paris that is saying something. Do. Not. Go.

La Palette gives good Paris cafes a bad name. The service we received here for a Sunday lunch was terrible. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on the quality of their food. We gave up and asked for the bill after drinking most of the bottle of wine we purchased waiting on two sandwiches for over an hour. We enjoy leisurely French dining but being ignored by our waiter and our concerns dismissed by management made this one of the worst dining experiences we have had in four trips to Paris. Don't take a chance.

Have to agree with many posters, the serving staff is rude and inattentive. they scurry around and seem to work hard, but.... My waitress spent a lot of time petting a dog and talking to the owners, did not wash her hands and then served my food. Good thing I am a dog lover. The charcuterie was awesome, not in a good environment.

My husband and I tried this place after seeing it on Bizzare Foods Delicious Destinations. We ordered the croque madam and it was spectacular! Very flavourful and very filling. Service was excellent too! Definitely recommended!

Pretty bad place. I walked at midnight needing to find some food. I ordered 2 dishes and they kept on asking if I wanted a drink. I said 'no'. The manager asked me again. I said a glass of water to which he reacted by saying 'no, you don't order a glass of water, you order a bottle'. Actually, it is a law in France to serve water for free in a restaurant and it is not incorrect to ask for a glass of water. The manager proceeded to bring over and open a bottle of Evian. I knew something was up and when the bill came, I told the water I had a problem with the water on the bill (it was charged at Euro 6.50) cause I wasn't a tourist; I lived in France. The waiter proceeded to talk to the manager for about 8-9 minutes. The manager came over and asked me what the problem was. I told him that I didn't order bottled mineral water. He said 'here at La Palette, each person is obligated to order 1 drink'. I didn't want to argue with him at midnight so I paid. When I left, they started joking in French about what a sucker I was though they knew not I speak French (somewhat). They say its a famous restaurant but the experience was terrible. Will proceed to write this review in French on another website.