Vivienne

Great atmosphere, small and cozy with nice decor. Waiter spoke perfect English and offered us an English menu. I had the steak with fries and recommend it. Might have been my favorite meal while in Paris.

Heard about this place from a tv show and made a reservation for our first dinner in Paris...it's amazing! We ordered escargots, French onion soup, main courses including steak and fries, beef tartar and three desserts and of course a bottle of wine to share. The service was great but the meal was better! Seriously, the best meal we had in Paris and definitely will be coming back next times

Stopped by for an afternoon coffee/tea/dessert. Wonderful spot and very comfortable with plush chairs to relax in. Service was not great. Only 1 server for the room. Which I normally don't complain about. But he just seemed so bitter. Despite speaking with him in French. C'est la vie! Ordered tea, cappuccino and berthillon glacé, coffee flavor! Can never leave without trying their ice cream! My favorite. Wonderful relaxing atmosphere. Did not try the food but otherwise if you need a relaxing spot with very slow slow slow service, this is great.

Perfect rainy day pause. English spoken if needed. Tea, coffee, ice cream. It's part of this 1830's shopping mall.

Had very high hopes for this one. The inside of the restaurant is adorable and the menu looked fantastic. I think it's important to note that 3 stars is still good ("A-OK"), and Bistrot Vivienne was good. It probably could have been better if I ordered something else, but you have to review based on what you got, and this entree was just good. Nothing special. When you don't really know a language, menus can sound so interesting. This one had either an english menu or english translation on the menu, so I knew what I ordered, but it sounded more interesting than it was. Essentially, I got ham macaroni and cheese. It was a small pot filled with macaroni pasta, ham, very finely chopped mushrooms, and Parmesan cheese. Nothing wrong with it. This was a good dish, but that's it. It was just good. Shame, too, because this menu looks awesome. I don't know why I went with this dish, but I guess it called to me, and as usual, the voices in my head were wrong. I should stop listening to them. Doing what the voices tell you to do is a sure sign you've lost your mind. Having voices is fine, as long as you ignore them and don't tell anyone you hear them. On the positive side, my first glass of wine - a Bordeaux - was superb. My second glass was still good but not as good as the first. Service was again, great. Welcoming of us who only have a very limited and basic knowledge of the language (like, 300 words or less basic) and otherwise rely on google translate. Standard Parisian service in that it is slow, but that's just France. Meals are slow - you're supposed to enjoy the experience - not just rush in and out. I also didn't love where we were sat - in the back of the restaurant in a small room or alcove. It was very hot back there - lie the room absorbed the heat and didn't let it escape - and a bit cramped. There was no need to sit us back there either as we had a reservation and the restaurant was half empty. Here's the thing though - I would come back. The menu had a number of very interesting items that sounded fantastic and look great in the yelp and tripadvisor photos. Willing to assume I ordered wrong and should have gotten something else - maybe something that doesn't belong on the kids menu. Oh well. You live and learn.

When you can't stop thinking about a particular dish, you know it's that good and this is the case here. I couldn't stop thinking about the Coquillettes... Macaroni Shell Pasta with summer truffles, ham & Grana Paranoias cheese. The service is quick, friendly and attentive and the seating outside is more than pleasant with large heaters. Also note worthy is the tasty are the free olives.

A lovely and romantic dinner it was here on a rainy night in Paris! Enchanting is their exterior's lighting, awning and lettering of their name! Mesmerizing is the interior's orchids, rich red walls, and mirrors! Luscious and delicious was each and every dish! Classic French bistro fare heightened by their chef's usage of luxurious ingredients! Loved their "French Onion Soup", "Jambon with Truffles", "Duck Breast with Foie Gras Sauce", "Black Beluga Lentils", and "Brioche with Salted Caramel Sauce"! Service was accommodating, welcoming, and non-intrusive! Allowing us to relish all of our senses with this memorable dinner! Je l'aime ici! CHEERS!

This was one of the first meals I had in Paris and I had high hopes based on the reviews and pictures. The meal was mostly forgettable. I know I got a seafood dish, but honestly it was so average, I don't recall if it was shrimp or fish. My boyfriend ordered the pork dish which essential came out as a bowl of ham mac & cheese. And not the impressive kind. Even though we took the time to book a reservation before travelling, we were sat in one of the worst spots of the restaurants. If you are a planner like me, I would email them and request in French, to be sat in a particular room or else be prepared to get stuck near the bathroom.

We had a nice dinner at this restaurant, including the duck and the lamb and the pasta. All were very good. The one miss, however, was the fish. We had a cod (I believe) and the middle was woefully undercooked unfortunately. It was otherwise a very nice meal.

Excellent food, good service, very nice location and interior.

My family was so jet lagged, we slept for 12 hours and woke up in time to search for dinner. Many places were closed or closing. Bistrot Vivienne was one of the few still open on New Year Day. We were seated immediately outside with a perfect view for people watching. There was a light drizzle of rain, the street was quiet, couples walked by hand in hand. It was an enchanting evening. The servers were attentive without being intrusive. The food was divine! I had the scallop carpaccio starter that was light, refreshing, with a touch of umami. For our main, we had a perfect steak with foi gras. It came with green beans that I swear I would return to Paris for. Just the green beans. For American visitors, I recommend you sit back and enjoy socializing with your friends and family. Meal time is a lingering affair in Paris, I've been told. It took me a couple of dinners to get used to the pace, but I love it now. Bistrot Vivienne, pour me a glass of port and bring me dessert whenever you get around to it. I'm going to snuggle under this blanket and enjoy the view.

It's wonderful Lovely French Great I would say go Very French very old traditional really a must for a first visit to paris

Stopped here for lunch and truly enjoyed this place. Friendly service and and a bunch of seasonal "special" menu items to choose from. Started with the foie gras and had veal topped with arugula, a caper mayo and shaved cheese- so delicious! There's sidewalk dining with an awning for sunny days.

Great restaurant for a nice romantic meal in Paris. We had a wonderful time here, the staff was very friendly. Our food was perfect from appetizers to the banana chocolate dessert . The decor is very nice and cozy.

I visited this restaurant in December and had a wonderful waitress and really enjoyed the atmosphere (was in the room to the right). As a result, when I came back to Paris with my family, I made a reservation and was so excited to bring them. This visit was unfortunately the exact opposite of what I had experienced before. My mother in law was injured, and the host refused to give us a more comfortable table when we arrived (all of the tables in the area requested sat empty the rest of the night). Our waitress apparently went off duty around 8pm without telling us. We had no service after food was served and sat without drinks, an offer of dessert or any confirmation that dinner was ok. When we asked her for a check, the waitress (red head) who was throwing back glasses of wine said that she was "obviously" off service. And the food was less than mediocre. Very disappointing as I love this city and was surprised to experience such a sad cliche when visiting this restaurant for the second time. I would highly recommend avoiding it.

We stumbled on this Bistro for lunch and it was the best meal I had in Paris! I had the duck leg and it was absolutely delicious. Fast and courteous service! Would be going again ! However, the menu is very "french" so if you are an American who don't really like French food probably not for you . Great for me !

Went to this restaurent one night for dinner. Our hotel recommended some good places for close by. The restaurent is split between two buildings...you can sit either inside (in either building), outside between the buildings, or infrot of the restaurent. The inside of the restaurent is very nice with bookshelfs, a fireplace, and alcohal. For dinner I ordered one of their specials which was a cooked sausage (it came with a delicious sauce that I can't remember what it was called), mashed potatoes and grilled veggies...hmmm. It was all very good. For dessert I had the blood orange sorbet. Would definately recomened this restaurent....good food & service and not too expensive.

This was our first Parisian meal that was recommended to us by our hotel. The food was good, I think this is the perfect spot for a light snack and drink, I enjoyed the pasta with truffles, my husband felt that his carpaccio was slightly under seasoned but generally we enjoyed everything and sat outside in the beautiful weather. Don't think I'd necessarily return but overall it wasn't bad.

This is a great place to have a quiet drink at the end of the day, or a nice meal in the midst of it. Sitting at the entrance to the Galerie Vivienne, the Bistrot provides a welcoming retreat with friendly servers and warm woods to give you that "Paris cafe" vibe you want. And not too pricey for being where it is, too!

From my most experiences in Paris, wait staffs were generally from plain assholes to unenthusiastic sad bastards which plummeted my hope for good dining experience. But this restaurant? God damn, the waiter was pleasantly(not overwhelmingly) enthusiastic, proactive and polite.(He even brought me menu in Japanese) Foods were great. Meat was juicy and tender. But great customer service alone is worthy to dine here.

Great experience! The place was very quaint (although the upstairs goes for more of a bordello vibe). I had great service and the "scotch" steak (a lower end cut) was delicious, as were the garlic potatoes. And don't miss the chocolate mousse.

Excellent dinner here. Despite being with a large group, the food was amazing and the service was good. Not great, but I blame the size of our party. The salmon was very good, and the vegetarian dishes were all excellent. Save room for desert, I tried three different ones and would have been happy with any of them.

This is our favorite bistrot in all of Paris. Always tasty, sometimes divine. The dishes change seasonally so I never get bored. There is enough room you're not sitting in your neighbor's lap. Charming décor. The wait staff prefer to speak French but all speak English. This is our go-to place for friends visiting Paris from home, it's the full French experience minus the headaches.

I've eaten at Bistrot Vivienne about half a dozen times over the years and I really like this place. It's reliably good in terms of food and service. The menu changes around a bit. I usually look for the canard - confit if available. + On my most recent visit we told our server what we were looking for in terms of wine and she brought us a couple of options to sample - a bit beyond what was expected...Thanks F! + There is enough room here and you can usually be seated - even at 9-10 PM on Friday or Saturday. This is a huge plus when you've lingered at the before-dinner bar a bit too long. + They have a house-special cherry infused digestive that is really good.

We were walking past and so glad we decided to stop for lunch-- both my partner and I agree this could possibly be the best duck confit we've ever had.. service was also amazing. We also had the rabbit which was fine, but not mind-blowing. The area is cool too: across the st from Vivienne is a passage that leads to a lovely little square full of beautiful & cool fashion stores

Worst meal we had in Paris, from food, to service. Maybe they don't like Americans, but they were snappish and the food was extremely mediocre. I had the salmon, which was like a bland ceviche. My wife had the tuna which was a thin filet, and also very bland (neither was fishy, just bland). My kids' chicken and fries were also the worst they had. It took over 20 minutes to get a second glass of wine. Don't waste your time. Our hotel made the recommendation and I suspect they were getting greased to send people there. No one ever asked us how we were doing or if we needed anything. We had to go up and get our own bread plates. I rarely pan a restaurant because I know how hard it is, but I want people to avoid the experience we had. Just pick a spot and it will be better (unfortunately). Had to ask 2 times for the check and considered walking out. They seem understaffed and as if no one is managing the operation.

I ate here almost 5 years and remember the really cool ambiance (during summer). I also remember that a duck dish was the highlight of my dinner that one night (well that...and a couple bottles of wine). This time around, I was similarly impressed by the charm of this bistro and why I fell in love with the place 5 years ago. It was a good enough reason for me to visit this place once again. However, my dining experience was vastly different from when I first visited. I do not remember much from that dinner aside from the fact that my pork chop was the size of my knees and was overdone. It was too chewy and didn't have much taste. The accompanying spinach was too salty and I probably only had a bite of it. I also hate to put this in the review but a little french mouse ran across the dining room (from under the staircase to the bar) and that is probably the reason why I forgot what I ate before my main course.... :(

Loved it. My first meal on a Parisian sidewalk. Had a nice flank steak with Roquefort sauce (yum) and frites followed by house made bourbon vanilla ice cream and cookie. I am going to crave that dessert for quite a while, I think.

We were in this Paris neighborhood and needed to choose a place for an early dinner. Sat at a sidewalk table and enjoyed the food, service and wine very much.

Bistrot Vivienne was recommended to us by a few different sets of friends so we knew we had to give it a shot. Unfortunately we had one of those 'only in Paris' experiences where the entire menu was in French and between the three of us we knew about 5 words of French (none of which appeared on the menu) Our waitress was super sweet and patient and tried her best to go through the selections but there was definitely a lot lost in translation. End result - three steak frites, s'il vous plaît! Our steaks were good and paired nicely with the bottle of house red that we ordered (tangent -how great is house wine in France? Who needs a label!) I'd love to give Bistrot Vivienne another shot with someone who speaks French in towa boy can only have so many steaks.

Whenever I have friends in town, I like to take them here because I believe it makes a good impression for parisian bistrots ! Located at the entrance of one of the few remaining Galleries in Paris, dinner is reasonably priced (around 15-25 euro for a main course) and most of the time a reservation is not necessary. In terms of setting and atmosphere, you really can't get much more bang for your buck. Food you would come to expect from such an establishment- poulet roti, entrecote (last time I ordered this, the meat was WAYYYY too fatty), and a variety of fish dishes. But really, you come here to dine in style surrounded by a beautiful historical arcade steps away from the louvre.

A must for our Rent Paris Now Team and every time we come here, we simply have the best time. Food is very good.

Food great, wine very good and outstanding service by Sabo. Upon are arrival we were greeted by Sabo and felt very welcome from the start. Ordered a bottle of Chablis which was amazing follow by ordering the Coquillettes Jambon which was something you can even image exists. A pot of tender pasta, cheese, ham and truffle cream sauce. Ended up at the restaurant for over 2 hours and cannot say enough good things about the restaurant. Most importantly Sabo keep up the good work you are an excellent waiter!! Next time we are in Paris we will see us again.

Quintessential French bistro. Enjoyed an amazing French wine that was only 4 euros! Fish entree was cooked perfectly and presented beautifully. Too full to order any dessert. Seemed a little short staffed as took awhile to get the check and pay the bill.

The ambience and service here was nice. The food, however, was okay. The french onion soup was really good. The French toast was okay, it was a bit too rich for meh and my husband didn't really like the caviar they had. The restaurant is big so lots of tables to sit at.

This atmospheric, timeless bistro flanks both sides of one entry to Passage Vivienne, a classic arcade, just a few blocks from the Louvre. As a vegetarian, I was delighted to find a hot dish on the menu. (Too often salad is my only choice in Paris!) Today's "assiette vegetarienne" was a perfectly balanced broth of veggie stock seasoned with lemon grass and chopped coriander. The center of the soup bowl was heaped with fresh carrots, leeks and thin green beans. A small basket of fresh breads was offered. The wine selection was brief, but interesting. My only disappointment was dessert, an odd selection for a "cafe gourmand": two bland puddings, chopped pineapple and a finger-sized bit of cake, with espresso. I'll return for the main dish, on another rainy day.

Had dinner here while in Paris last week. Enjoyed the food and setting. But service was lacking. Our server seemed quite accomplished, but I counted her taking care of at least 7 tables at once. Even the finest servers can't make that look accommodating. Nonetheless, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say that based on the quality of the food I'd return.

Went on Assumption day this year and had a great meal. Was happy that all of the waiters were fluent in English (even though they of course shouldn't have to be) Great place for a meal before our after the Louvre. Had beef tartar and it was surprisingly good for my first experience with raw beef.

One of the best meals we had in Paris. It was totally unexpected since we were just trying to find dinner after visiting the Louvre. Everyone speaks English and were very pleasant. The steak tartare is incredible, as were truffle pasta casserole - we could smell the truffle before the dish even exited the kitchen. Would return again and again.

We had a nice dinner in this small bistro on a Monday night without a reservation....basically we were lucky to find such a small intimate setting with quality food. Service was great with excellent English spoken by the wait staff. My wife and I started with the Chiffonade de Jamon San Danielle. This was a nice selection of Jamon with Arugula and bread. For the main entre, my wife had the Salade Perigourdine (salad with Fois Gras & Cured duck liver), which was excellent. I had the Filet de Beuf with French green beans and fried potatoes. It was cooked as ordered and everything was full of flavor. We finished with Caffe gourmand and Tarte fine aux pomme (both were average). The rating is based on the the average food quality (the average is quite high in Paris) and the below average wine-drink list. The mixed drinks were weak and limited glasses of wine are available.

The owner does not welcome foreigners. If you arrive without a reservation you will be told that they are booked solid and if you are unfortunate enough to have a reservation you will be given the worst possible table and ignored. We got sick by eating the lamb and the food was below-average

If you're dying for italian, give it a try. Portions are small so sharing can be fun.

The place is located in a touristy area, but kind of away from traffic. It has nice French style interior and outside tables that are in an alley. The service was OK for Europe. The food and drinks were very disappointing, we ordered red wine and the wine looked cloudy and smelled like spoiled vinegar. The waiter had no problem with switching out the wine, but who ever was pouring it was supposed to notice that in good bar or restaurant. The octopus was rubbery and tasteless. The pasta with truffles was like macaroni and cheese with cheap spam ham. It was 3 of us and everyone had the same reviews of food. If you want nice French meal, stay away from this place.

This may be our favorite bistro for lunch in Paris. On today's visit, I had a truly exceptional Cesar salad with grilled chicken. The portion was large, the croutons small and crunchy, the chicken tender and just the right consistency, and in contrast to the US (home), served in a subtle dressing that was just barely there. A real treat - and actually healthy! My spouse had a terrific ginger soup with seasonal vegetables (carrots, turnips, French beans). It was sublime. We had olives to start, two glasses of wine and a large bottle of sparkling water (plus a basket of wonderful fresh bread) -- all for €55. The staff were exceptional. Plus, we ran into Sir Paul McCartney on the walk to the bistro, so all in all a pretty great afternoon in Paris!

Came here on a recommendation from our hotel on New Years Eve. They weren't incredibly busy, but the service was lacking. The food was average and a little pricey for what it was, but the ambiance was classic Parisian bistro and we enjoyed ourselves.

Had an excellent penne arrabiate here. Good service. Great ambiance and decor.

Nice little Bistrot we ended up going to after the place we initially intended to go to was booked for the night. My friend had the duck breast and I ordered the special burger for the night - the burger was so far the best I've had in the city and my friend's dinner looked equally yummy. Our waiter was a bit stiff but I'd say the restaurant's interior made up for it (really brilliant wood details, velvet lounge upstairs, etc.) It was a good meal but I don't think I'd necessarily go back again.

Wonderful spot for lunch next to Galleries Vivienne near the Louvre. I highly recommend the Italian Salad and the Dark Chocolate Mousse. The waitress was very friendly and it was the best service we received during our stay in Paris.

My wife and I were staying in Paris and wanted a nice romantic dinner. We had walked by the Bistro Vivienne earlier in the day and thought that it looked quite nice. We went back around 7 PM and were promptly greeted and seated by a very friendly manager named Jerome. We chose to sit inside of the restaurant because it had such a traditional and romantic French ambiance. Our waitress Roxanne spoke good English and assisted us with good recommendations and an English menu. They had a great wine selection and we chose a nice French Bordeaux. We started with the Smoked salmon from Kaviari house as an appetizer and it was fantastic. For a main course my wife had the fresh fish special of the day that came with ratatouille and it was delicious. I had the Beef Fillet, Bearnaise sauce, crushed potatoes with bacon and spring onion and fresh string beans. It was simply amazing. For dessert my wife had the Iced nougat with acacia honey, pistachios and caramelized hazelnut and I had the Dark chocolate mousse with salted butter caramel. The desserts were some of the best that we have ever had. We have to say that the night was perfect at Bistro Vivienne thanks to Jerome and Roxanne and the next time we are in Paris we will definitely go back!