Le Voltaire

We had wanted to dine at this restaurant for some time as Voltaire is one of my wife’s favorite authors. When we arrived, the person at the reception took our coats, gloves, etc. and we were directed to a very nice, wide table for two. Service from the moment we arrived until we left was excellent, be that the water, the food, or the wine service. All excellent and precise. The waiters and assistants wear professional attire that aligns with the elegance, décor, and overall quality of the restaurant. We ordered a glass of champagne, and we followed that with a “salade frisée aux lardons,” while I had the “consommé chaud.” The consommé was very flavorful, hot, and delicious. For the salad, my wife would have preferred the egg to be warmer and the “lardons” to be a little thicker, as she felt they were too thin and more like American bacon than French “lardons.” Following that, we had the “carré d’agneau pour deux,” which was terrific in the presentation, as it was brought whole at first for us to see and then plated individually accompanied by a large stuffed tomato. The carré was also accompanied by green beans, matchstick fries, mashed potatoes, and squash. The carré was cooked to perfection. We paired the meal with 2018 Saint-Joseph Mairlant, which was very good and enhanced the lamb. We concluded our meal by sharing a piece of Tarte Tatin that was very generous in size and very delicious as well. Really high marks to the team in the kitchen as well as the serving team!

Delicious traditional French cuisine. Every dish was made to perfection . Great warm service and wonderful traditional atmosphere. I had mushrooms salad and a chicken roti, and creme brulle for dessert. Everything made to taste great. Well done !

We had a fantastic dinner at this Parisian Bistro. The service is impeccable and made for a lovely evening. The food is very well done except we would say that the portion sizes for the main courses are very large, maybe too big but we loved them all. The drink service is excellent as well, with our cocktails matching the excellence of the rest of the evening.

Best service ever in Paris. Don’t normally mention the service before the food but our waiter was amazing. We sat outside in the terrace. I was also surprised at how good the food was. Was not expecting much as I am used to the tourist traps in Paris. But I will definitely come back. The tomato salad was awesome and the prawns were great. Best potato mash! Double thumbs up!

Classic example of a piège a touristes. I’m certain that every single person that has left a positive review is not French. French cuisine is beautifully crafted and full of flavour. What you get here is all the opposite. Huge chunks of bleu in the salad, bread is served toasted but cold, the eggs pochés tasted as horrible as they look. It’s also incredibly overpriced, don’t be a fool, for those prices you can go to great places as cheval Blanc, brasserie Lutetia etc. I’ve left photos, you’ll be the judge.

Me and my wife came to this OldFashioned Paris Bistro to taste some good French food. The ambiance was good, the location is near Orsay Museum. Also the place is near the river. The service was not very fast but it was good. We took Dover Sole was really tasty. There is no free parking around.

On a Monday afternoon it was quite quiet. Food was pretty good. Nothing crazy. Not worth a huge wait if you are there.

The best cocktail I’ve ever had in my lifetime was at Voltaire. Martini was truly delectable! The steak was nice but the sides accompanying it were amazing. Mashed carrots were absolutely wonderful. I also really enjoyed the salad course and crudités that I didn’t realize came with the meal. Delicious. The servers were very professional yet warm. We will be back!

My friend and I stopped here for a couple drinks and a meal. I had a couple of beers, and she ate a meal and had a beer herself. The meal from her perspective was very good, And she was pleased with her meal. The service was pleasant, waitstaff was kind, the restaurant was clean, well-maintained, and the service was prompt. It was a great experience, and I will be back the next time I am in Paris. The location is incredibly convenient.

It's great location is a fun place to plot adventures for the day or even for the evening. While I didn't have any meals, I did pony up to the bar to ask for a flat white coffee. Delivered with perfection.

We had an amazing dining experience here tonight to celebrate my sisters birthday. Food is top notch with out a doubt! Our server Kevin and all of the staff made sure to give us top notch service. I am a server in La at a very upscale steakhouse and I have to say that the team here shows outstanding technical service "with pleasure" and went above and beyond to make sure our night was memorable! Thank you so much for the legendary night!

Talk about quintessential French cuisine. The service was amazing. First off & most importantly the lady opening up the restaurant let me in before opening hours. It was cold outside in late October & I needed to kill time before the Louvre opened for tours. This nice & courteous lady & her staff prepared a true French Omelette for me. Everything was top notch. The food was excellent, the service & staff were very friendly & professional. Talk about a place to people watch...Le Voltaire is right across the Lourve & Seine River! I no longer drink alcohol but what a bar to kick it at! It's like a French Cheers Bar. This is definitely a fine establishment to visit while in town.

Have been here a number of times over the past 10 years. First, the service is impeccable... wait people lovely. Lovely ambiance. The food has gotten mediocre. Very expensive Dover sole is not sole! A very large white fish, bland, tasteless maybe flounder family. Omelette was made as requested, baveuse, soft. Excellent French fries.

Completely exquisite experience that I warmly recommend. Our service was impeccable. The food was delectable in the true French tradition. And we throughly enjoyed the ambiance -- in fact, everything about our experience there was lovely.

An amazing place..the staff the food all top shelf..deserving of 10 stars..staff impeccable service. The food was simply the best..if in Omaha this place is a must..congratulations Chef and staff for an overwhelming experience!

Ordered the sole. It was like rubber. Left over half on the plate. On the positive side, the waitstaff were lovely and we were in Paris!

We had a group reservation for a Wednesday night at 9:30. By 10pm we still hadn't been seated. Members of our group who tried to find out when we might sit were treated rudely, one of them being told, 'We are not your employees.' Well obviously. That attitude was not helpful or even meaningful. We finally left after being told to get out of the way. It was just meant to be a pleasant evening out. Why so much drama? If you can't honor reservations better than this, then rethink your strategy.

Always come here for Dover Sole-this trip, not so good. Fish was larger,thicker than past dinners, very white meat, relatively tasteless. Ate enough to satisfy hunger, left half behind. Very disappointing. Service, ambiance always good.

Location and recommendation from a friend sold us on Le Voltaire. It was recommended for dinner but we didn't have the time. Couldn't get them to answer phone for a reservation so we decided to hedge our bets and miss the last couple rooms of the Musee D'Orsay to be there for 12 pm when they opened. We probably could have waited another 30 minutes because we obviously caught them still getting ready for service. Bread service and radishes to start. We did take a little time deciding what to have because my husband wanted everything. Opted for escargot again because we wanted to compare to our last restaurant and they didn't disappoint. They had a problem with the wild boar pate so we upgraded to the foie gras it was considerably more expensive but the snails were so much less than other starters we figured it all even out. Get the pâté, it was really very good. Husband ordered the filet au poivre medium rare and I had the sole meunière. Both excellent choices, we didn't realize all the sides that would be coming along, three kinds of potato plus haricot verts which were one of the highlights to the meal. Bottle of wine and a tarte tatin to finish it off. It was heavy and buttery but my last opportunity to have one in Paris. We asked the server about lunch versus dinner and she said the ambience is completely different at night. Most people we saw seemed like couples meeting for work lunch or larger groups. It was all very old school but we were happy we went, even if it was lunch time.

The highlight of my fourth trip to Paris and I'm reviewing this restaurant while drinking a glass of port in the restaurant! I find Voltaire's books highly entertaining, especially when he starts making fun of authority figures and institutions - no one is immune. Not the monarchy, nor the church, nor government institutions. This restaurant was once a horse stable below Voltaire's apartment, where he put his own life in great danger with his wit and satire (in his writings). Sometime between World War I and II, the stable was converted into this restaurant. All I got over here was a glass of port. It was worth every drop! To Voltaire! P.S. The service was amazing here.

Really lovely food and service... Dover sole and crab salad were from another planet :) :) :) :)

It's almost doubled priced than the other restaurants in the vicinity, but well worth it.If you don't mind paying for an awesome food then I would really recommend this iconic restaurant.

I ordered the mushroom salad the was 24 euro. The description sounded great but what I received was a bowl full of thin sliced raw mushrooms and some cheese, a lemon sliced in half on a separate plate and a bottle of olive oil. For the price I wasn't expecting a DIY salad with no seasoning. Doing the math of cost of ingredients, it was maybe $4-5 worth of ingredients. There are lots of meals that the cost of ingredients are low but the chef creates something yummy. This was not one of those times. I am giving three stars because the service was good.

We were in Paris for 8 days and been to a few restaurant. This is one of the best. We had a duck confit and a French onion soup for lunch. Duck confit is cooked well and meltingly tender. The soup is yummy especially in Winter time. We were seated outside at the beginning because we didn't have reservation. As soon as they have table available, they moved us in. Service was great and attentive.

I almost completely forgot about the restaurant in my attempt to finish off all of my reviews of Paris before the year was up. Anyway, I ended up coming here namely because of the name, and also because we were looking for a place to have something to eat, and the Louvre wasn't an option on the grounds that it was closed. Anyway, despite the fact that this place happens to be on the Sienne (well, not quite because it is across the road), it isn't as pricey as I would've expected. The staff were also quite nice, and the steak went down really, really well. Certainly worth checking out, especially for the steak.

Great experience here. This a very classy venue. The service was top notch. The bread was excellent. We had lunch here. I got the French onion soup. My husband got the salmon plate. The food was delicious!

Not sure how this place has a Michelin Star. Service was pretty weak, and the wine list was both limited and way over priced. The meal started out well, as we were seated promptly and quickly were served drinks. After we ordered our waiter literally disappeared. He arrived back with our food, but then was gone again. I actually had to go to the bar to order a glass of wine after we had finished our bottle about 10 minutes earlier. My wife wanted to order dessert, but after waiting over 15 minutes, I found our check and we left. I would not recommend.

Beautiful tiny French restaurant reminiscent of a different age. This should be the restaurant you go to on your trip to Paris to INDULGE! This is near both the Orsay and the Louvre and makes for a decadent lunch at the end of a long museum haul. You will be treated like honored guests- but! Make a reservation beforehand if you can. Here is what we had: we started with the avocado and grapefruit salad, and the green bean, artichoke heart and fois gras plate-hidden in the handwritten menu in french. The fois gras was a thick generous slice, well season with cognac, served cold with hot toast points. Oh my god. Worth the price, high quality, worth the indulgence! The avocado and grapefruit salad was stunning and fresh and perfect in its simplicity. For our plat principal, we ordered the salmon and a poussin- a little roast chicken. These came served with mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, vegetables, Bernaise sauce, and.....frites!!!! The waiter made our wine selection for us and it was perfect- one glass each...nice to have someone else make the decision! The salmon was a perfectly seared steak about 1.5 inches thick, the poussin was tender served with a delicious tarragon gravy. The frites were the best I have ever had, honest. They were a surprise and just fun! Dessert and coffee came, with a bowl of cookies to die for, and we tried the Tarte Tatin, served with creme fraiche- perfect! This is a bit pricy and decadent and should be saved for a time to really indulge and enjoy a traditional Parisian meal! Merci Le Voltaire! PS: They took my credit card no problem!

This was my favorite place for lunch during our stay in Paris. It's a lovely bistro right on the river. Everything about it is traditional French, from the decor, to the menu, and the service. My husband had the grapefruit and avocado salad, and I had the duck confit. Both delicious. And it's also very close to The Louvre. So if you've been at The Louvre all morning this restaurant is a great place to eat and rest your legs. P.S. Euros only. No credit cards.

Restaurant Voltaire is excellent. It is just across from Le Louvre and Musee D'Orsay, which is to say you would expect it to be overpriced and food of marginal quality. Instead, the opposite is true. The food is spectacular and the price is right. The croque monsieur I had was outstanding, laid atop a fresh green salad with the most delicious dressing. The staff and friendly and attent

As French as it gets. I had snails sitting on the terrace in the sun, with a good glass of wine, finishing it off with the best espresso I've had in Paris yet. This place is the real thing, in looks and substance.

To start, as mentioned by others, the welcome was quite unexpectedly cold. We we're recommended this spot for lunch in between tours and when we arrived we we're seated in a nearly empty restaurant. There was a lot of staring, eye rolling and huffing as we attempted to decipher the cursive print French menu. Questions were answered very curtly and all in all we were made to feel quite unwelcome. My fiancee nearly walked out before ordering. After being treated so well at so many other French restaurants, I suppose this met our required stereotypical experience. Now to the food...I had filet ordered medium rare. It came medium well to well done....only saved by copious amounts of bearnaise sauce. The pomme frites were about average. My fiancee ordered a Turbot mousse that was quite tasty. The prices were exorbitant for the quality of food. In all, not a place I would revisit on my next trip to Paris.

We stumbled upon this gem on our way to Musee D'Orsay. Will return for dinner on our next trip to Paris.

Charming! Very, very charming. A proper bistro on the river, this place had traditional French everything. We stopped for a light lunch, and were delighted with both the food and the service. From my grapefruit and avocado salad to her duck confit, we came there hungry and left happy. Added bonus - it's across the river from Le Louvre. Was surprised that they didn't take credit cards. Was so happy with the food that I didn't much care.

We had a very good time with my family and girlfriend, on our way back from the louvre and right before heading to the Eiffel Tower! Great way to enjoy escargots and delicious croque-monsieurs that fills you up and fulfills your tastebuds! Not mentioning it's at the place where the great Voltaire died, which adds to the history of the place! I definitely recommend it!

A pleasant surprise. We stopped here for lunch and I was expecting a lunch menu with sandwiches and quiches, etc., which they did not offer...just their regular menu. No problem, we were still able to find dishes on the daily menu that were not only acceptable, they were exquisite. I never imagined that a simple omelette would be so amazing, but it was simply divine. Next time I am in Paris I will definitely return here for dinner. It is also very convenient to the Louvre and the Musée de Orsay, which is another plus.

Although this restaurant sits on a main road overlooking the Seine and the louvre it is very enjoyable for out door seating. Food and service are very good for a tourists plagued area. Staff is English friendly and very accommodating

We really liked this place although it was pretty expensive for lunch. The atmosphere was very nice. There was more elbow room than most places in Paris which was nice. Easy walking distance from Musée D'Orsay, but had many locals. Server spoke very little English, but she was great. We got by. She gave us plenty of time to figure out what we wanted to order. Wine prices are weird. We ordered rose wine. A bottle (75cl) was 35 euro, but two 50cl pichets was 34 euro. We went for the croque monsieurs that I saw in other reviews, but they weren't on the menu. I had the onion soup (mediocre) (9.5 euro) and the duck confit (very good) (21). My husband had the Caesar salad (18) which was huge and did have chicken. He liked it. Overall, 4 stars. The place was very nice on the inside and the food was good.

This was a poor experience in a previously excellent restaurant. I've eaten here a number of times over the years, but this time we entered with a backpack and it was raining and were escorted to the right into the bar table area. There were still tables in the dining room, although, there may have been reservations for them. I don't know. We were seated two small round tables down the banquette from a women in her 70's or so that reeked from urine. I moved two tables down to get away from her and frankly should have gotten up and left. My MISTAKE. In NY we would have asked the woman to leave, but they didn't and kept seating people next to her who were freaking out. I ordered fish soup and Bourgingoin boeuf and my friend had just the beef. She was done before I had to chase down the manager and have him actually get my order started. We saw many people standing waiting to pay, which is unheard of. So, they were completely understaffed with only two waiters and thirty tables and we all suffered except the house. We both had a large glass of house Bordeaux, which really was tasty. The potage poissonnière was clean, clear and intense and the boef was deep rich and plentiful. In all a very good $25 euro meal. My friend had a chocolate creme and we got outta Dodge two hours after we got into town. Unfortunately, within an hour she became ill. Can't tell if it was the rich dessert, but SHE BECAME ILL. Maybe, it was a problem with the restaurant. Sad on all accounts. I liked this place for years. I don't think I'll go back again.

I don't know about others, but we paid with a credit card this week for our lunch. We ate in the restaurant and not the bar next door. The service was friendly and attentive. The ambiance traditional cozy French ... tables literally touching each other ... thankfully it wasn't crowded so I had some personal space. I realize that Americans are used to much more personal space ... it just takes getting used to each time I'm seated nearly on top of my neighboring table-mates (as I was at the Village Vanguard in NYC when seeing Brad Mehldau). We started with a bottle of Taittinger Rose Champagne and a venison pate that was just fantastic -- moist texture, not too gamey (but still "wild") and peppery seasoning -- and served with a jar of cournishons, baby white onions, shallots, carrot slices and garlic cloves in a pickling liquid and soft white and toasted/crispy dark bread slices. My husband enjoyed his Filet au Poivre (filet in a pepper cream sauce) -- cooked perfectly to medium-rare. Our friend loved his Filet Moutarde (filet in a mustard cream sauce) - his was also cooked perfectly medium-rare. My Entrecote (ribeye) was overcooked (I ordered it rare and it came between medium-rare and medium) and not well seasoned. Didn't send it back though -- just "toughed it out" with the Bearnaise Sauce (a little too thick and tarragony for my liking). This was the only miss as far as I'm concerned. We also had frites -- hot, crisp and delicious - and flavorful green beans. We finished by sharing the chocolate mousse and profiteroles. The chocolate mousse (made in the traditional, richer, manner) was possibly the best I've had in terms of texture and dark chocolate flavor. The profiteroles were good, but I am still not a fan of standard profiterole dough ... if someone would make them with puff pastry dough (I know, that's more like an ice cream eclair) I'd be all over them! We would definitely come back -- very centrally located for river-related tourist activities. The bar next door is even smaller and very cute.

One of my favorite places to stop any time of the day or night. The welcome is prompt and seating is quick, menus and waiters soon after. Lovely cuisine, excellently sourced and prepared. Never an off taste. Each and every dish we've enjoyed for the past decade plus has been a delight, to the eye and the palate. Heartily recommended. Enjoy! C'es tres bien!

I love pate and they had a simple French baguette with lettuce and pate. It was cheap and an very fulfilling lunch

A lovely meal in a romantic locale was a nice way to top off our vacation. I would say the food is excellent with service to match, though I might agree that the staff is a bit pretentious and unwelcoming as other Yelpers have remarked. In fact, I might have rated the place 5 stars but for the maitre d'hotel who treated us as if we were carrying Ebola into the dining room: He wouldn't even allow us to step inside the dining room to survey the restaurant with the excuse of full-booking for the evening. We didn't mind, and, in fact, preferred eating on the terrace, but his attitude and interpersonal skills were condescending and rude, at best. With a clientele that is heavily tourist-based one would think he might do better.

Food was great, service eceptional,but the price was out of control. 10 euro for a bottle of water. Should have checked the menu and prices before I went there, but it was a recommendation, from someone I will never take a recommendation from again.

Small place with ridiculously good food. Great spot for lunch if you're going to D'orsay or L'Orangerie for the afternoon. Get ready to share your elbow room(this is something I enjoy, but Americans despise), it's definitely worth it. Fresh baked pastries and delicious quiche. We were treated impeccably even with our lackluster French.

Seems very stuffy and unfriendly at first.. but don't be turned off because the food is awesome. They have the most incredible French fries you'll eat in your life and they seem to come with every meal, but I'm not sure. They taste like they're actually fried in butter, which they might actually be. Definitely go here.. also the beat and avocado salad is to die for

Amazing food, impeccable service. This restaurant reminds me of why I love Paris so much.

From an American in Paris- Staff was beyond friendly even though we speak zero french. Every single thing we ate was devine. Salads to desert. Quiche was out of this world. Highly recommended!!!

My 12-year-old daughter said that this is the best restaurant she had ever been to. That is good enough for me. We had the most amazing lunch... potato soup, fresh quiche, and amazing bowl of muscles, and a baguette that was to die for. And, we had three different delicious homemade desserts. Lemon meringue, a strawberry tart , and a chocolate mousse. it's in a great location, right next to the musee d'orsay. It is rather cramped inside, but well worth a visit.

We arrived before anyone else and were seated next to kitchen and bathroom. No one else was seated in this room for 45 minutes, then one other uncomfortable looking couple. Waited 50 minutes with no explanation for food, while the few in back room were being served. All entrees seemed to come with mashed potatoes and soggy French fries and some steamed vegetables, cost 55 euro for chicken. Unfriendly aloof and unapologetic, worst dining experience in memory.

Superb food. Luxury at a price. An elegant restaurant with exceptional food. If not known to the establishment, one will likely be seated in the smaller, front room. However, the food there is just as good, and the service very good. The air is that of a genteel, luxurious restaurant with an upper class clientele. All at a rather stiff price.

A delightful lunch. Authentic , delicious and a friendly staff. Close to the museums and definitely worth a try

From another American in Paris - this is the stuff legends are made. We walked into this completely empty restaurant on a dark and rainy night. We couldn't read the menu outside because it was dark and the menu was covered in rain. We walked in and asked nicely if the waiter spoke English (never assume!). He asked if we had a reservation, we said no and asked if we may see a menu. The menus were right at the stand next to us. He said "no, there's a menu outside." Really!?! We promptly walked out.

This place is pretty cute and is in a great location, right by the river (too bad there is no view of the river). The waitress we had was super nice and helpful. We ordered an omelette with cheese, which was around $13. It is a bit pricey but considering its location, I think this cafe charges reasonable prices. The menu is limited though.

My sister and I ate here--outside- on a lovely June day in 2015--Had my first Crocque Monsieur--it was great--we had a lovely conversation with a couple from Australia while waiting for lunch--service was great--highly recommend if you are headed to the Orsay as we were--can't go wrong.

I like to eat dinner early so I stopped in just as they opened. The restaurant was totally empty but I had to have a reservation. I was willing to eat outside and being American I don't spend hours in a café. I was also travelling alone so I don't take up much room but I wasn't allowed to stay. Luckily this is Paris and there is always another café with nicer waiters just waiting to serve you. I think this restaurant is trying to be "exclusive" because people say they have good steak frites. But again there is great food all over Paris so they can keep their snooty café.

Wonderful family-run place. Very beautiful inside. We had breakfast and coffee, which included home-made jam from their farm outside Paris. Owned by the same family for 30 years.