The legendary brunch of Le Fumoir

And no, it’s not a place where you smoke. The years of rampant tobacco use are behind us, but they leave a visible sheen here and there. This mark is especially visible at Le Fumoir, where the elegant decor and soft lighting indeed plunges us into the club atmosphere of the New Orleans in the early twentieth century. 

This restaurant/lounge bar is the most chic and coziest in the neighborhood and is located less than a 5-minute walk from the hotel. If you go more than once, you’ll really learn how to let the good times roll.

For example, it’s lovely to spend a long Sunday afternoon curled up on a Chesterfield reading all kinds of magazines and books (in several languages) found in the library, or playing chess and sipping their delightful hot chocolate.

Also on Sundays, you can experience their brunch, served from 11 AM to 3 PM. It costs €26, but the ingredients are high-quality, and the meal will absolutely tide you over until the evening. It’s your best bet if you want to skip lunch and enjoy your Sunday as a tourist!

We start with fresh-squeezed fruit juice (orange or grapefruit), a yogurt, or a great organic grape juice. This is followed by a hot beverage (a bottomless cup of tea or coffee) and the main dish (eggs Benedict with an orgasmic sauce, an unbelievably creamy gravlax, or scrambled eggs with girolle mushrooms).

If you still have a bit of room, your meal will end with one of three desserts (watch out: the pancakes are to die for). If you’re feeling more reasonable, you can partake in our very fresh fruit salad, which is delicious. You will also have all-you-can-eat bread baskets, whose cinnamon brioche I find to be excellent, served with butter and jam.

You will need to book a table, especially if you want to enjoy the library!

On the restaurant side of things, the menu is pretty creative with Nordic influences: smoked beet with chanterelle mushrooms and sour cream, veal tartare and crab with Chinese pomelos, milk from Pyrenees lambs, poached cod with celery and shellfish purée…Appetizer + Main Course OR Main Course + Dessert: €35

The prices are nothing to sneeze at, but the restaurant does face the Louvre, with charming decor and high-quality products and fairly speedy and very courteous service. One equally important point: the restaurant is open 7 days a week, from 11 AM to 2 AM, and provides continuous service.

The menu changes every 3 months.

LE FUMOIR 
6 rue de l’amiral Coligny 
75001 PARIS

See the menus (french only):

• Brunch
• Lunch
• Dinner

See the website