One Of Julia Child's Favorite Restaurants Belongs On Your Paris Bucket List

If you're browsing Paris restaurants looking for a spot to grab a meal, you may want to visit one of Julia Child's favorite establishments. Les Deux Magots is a café and brasserie that has become a Parisian institution which inspired not only Child but countless other creatives and thought-leaders since its 19th-century inception. Here, Child sampled a traditional French breakfast of coffee and a baguette. The simple spread of butter, jam, and honey transfixed her, in addition to the brass-detailed setting and the buzzy atmosphere. Les Deux Magots is built around conversation and books, and is the location for many literary events and awards ceremonies.

Not much has changed at the restaurant over the decades, as mahogany tables that once sat influential philosophers and creatives remain in the space, and waiters in black-and-white uniforms continue to serve tourists and history buffs. Now, however, takeaway options allow visiting customers to take some of the more memorable items from the menu — like its signature tarte tatin and famed hot chocolate — home or to the park. 

The origins of Les Deux Magots can be traced back to 1812 when the establishment was initially set up as a shop to sell silk and novelty items. After a relocation, the enterprise was developed into a café and bar catering to literary types. The café lays claim to ushering in the likes of Ernest Hemingway, André Breton's surrealist ideals, and some of the beginnings of existentialism developed by Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. Creatives continue to gather here, feasting on croissants, Poitou-Charentes butter, and cheese served until midday when lunch menus begin to offer plates of burrata and cœur de bœuf tomatoes, rigatoni, veal, lamb, and ham and cheese toast. On weekends, brunches keep stomachs filled, and dinners present cold cuts and cheese to share, caviar, duck foie gras, and salads for nibbling in between highbrow discussions. Coffee is placed onto tables in a pot to keep energy high.

If you can snag a seat on the outdoor terrace, you'll be treated to prime real estate for Paris people-watching framed by the picturesque view of the Saint-Germain des Pres church. Perhaps while dining at Les Deux Magots, you'll be inspired to summon some of Child's courage, appreciate one of the French fish or soup recipes Child grew to love, or be encouraged to revisit a creative endeavor of your own.