Rue Sainte-Anne is just a nine-minute walk from Relais du Louvre. It is the go-to address for lovers of everyday Japanese cuisine, ideal for lunch or dinner before a night out. The Opera and Boulevard des Italiens, with their theaters and cinemas, are just a few steps away.
Including the addresses on neighboring streets, notably Rue des Petits-Champs, Rue Sainte-Anne and its surroundings are home to between thirty and forty Japanese restaurants. The neighborhood is lively, picturesque, and fairly young.
We tested two addresses. This is not an exhaustive selection: feel free to explore the street on your own, but give priority to establishments with a rating of at least 4.0 on Tripadvisor.
Like most places in the neighborhood, the restaurant does not take reservations. We recommend arriving at the beginning or end of service to avoid waiting outside.
The menu offers a wide selection of ramen, Japanese noodles served in a fragrant broth, as well as gyoza, small Chinese-inspired grilled dumplings that have long been adopted by Japanese cuisine.
We were seated and served quickly. The first room is quite small, but there is a second room at the back. I started with some very good gyoza, accompanied by a modest but affordable sake.
I then ordered Shoyu Ramen, consisting of a slice of roast pork, naruto, nori seaweed, chives, and bamboo shoots. The broth is flavored with a thick soy sauce that is not too salty, with a rich and savory taste. The pork is not fatty.
€25.10 for a starter, main course, and glass of sake: good value for money considering the quality of the food and service. This restaurant is therefore one of our recommendations.
Dosanko Larmen
40 Rue Sainte-Anne, 75001 Paris
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This restaurant offers bento boxes, sashimi, and grilled fish, but above all, excellent yakitori, which is the main reason for my visit. Yakitori literally means “grilled bird,” as it was originally made with chicken. Today, especially in izakaya (Japanese bistros, equivalent to tapas bars), you can also find skewers of beef, pork, vegetables, mushrooms, or seafood prepared in the same way. The skewers are grilled over a wood fire, and as the extraction is a little weak, the smoke spreads and permeates the walls, giving the room an authentic atmosphere, very much in keeping with its character.
The skewers are served in portions of six or eight and are accompanied by a very simple salad, perfectly cooked plain rice, and miso soup, which, in Asian tradition, is drunk at the end of the meal rather than at the beginning, as is customary in Europe. This practice serves to “finish” the meal, balance the flavors, and helps digestion.
Skewers are available with chicken and onions, duck and leeks, chicken meatballs, mushrooms, chicken with quail eggs, and pork with cheese. There are no complaints about the quality of the products or the cooking. The food is prepared in front of the customer, as in many establishments on Sainte-Anne Street.
The sake, a Dassai 45, is reasonably priced at €10 per 18 cl glass, and is better than the sake served in the first restaurant.
Unlike most restaurants on Rue Sainte-Anne, this one employs a 100% Japanese team, whose promptness, attentiveness, and professionalism I appreciated.
In summary, even if the dining room at Yasube could use a bit of a refresh, the food and service are impeccable for a very reasonable price. A place I would particularly recommend to yakitori lovers.
Yasube
9 Rue Sainte-Anne, 75001 Paris