Lasserre
“The roof still opens over Nomicos's pigeon Andre Malraux: one star, €185 seasonal menu. Book it for an anniversary.”
About Lasserre
The ceiling opens. One floor above avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lasserre still slides its painted roof back to the open sky on warm nights, a piece of theatre Rene Lasserre installed in the 1950s and never retired. Andre Malraux ate here so often the house pigeon bears his name. The 2026 guide keeps the restaurant at one Michelin star, and the room remains the most romantic serious address in the 8th.
Jean Louis Nomicos knows the building: he ran this kitchen in the 2000s, left to earn a star under his own name, and returned to take the stoves back. The cooking is high classicism kept alive rather than embalmed: pigeon Andre Malraux with foie gras and truffled macaroni, Challans duck carved in the room, sauces finished at the gueridon by captains who have made a career of the gesture.
The figures: a four course seasonal menu at €185, a six course tasting at €225 and the signature menu at €335, dinner only, Tuesday to Saturday. The house takes its annual break in August, this year from the 2nd to the 31st. Book two to three weeks out through the restaurant's site and ask for a table under the opening section of the roof between May and September; the sky is the point.
The Room
White and gold, orchids on the tables, silver carts rolling, and the famous ceiling panel that retracts over the center of the room. It is unapologetically formal: jackets belong, captains carve, and a piano plays. Couples should request the center tables under the sky; business parties do better along the walls. Nobody builds rooms like this anymore, which is the argument for it.
Why book it, occasion by occasion
The score explains the kitchen. It does not tell you which night belongs here. These do.
For an anniversary under an open sky
No dining room in Paris romances harder: the roof rolls back over the center tables, the piano covers your conversation, and the €185 seasonal menu paces a whole evening without haste. Tell the house it is an anniversary and ask for the sky tables between May and September; in winter the closed ceiling and the candlelight argue almost as well. The list favours grand names for toasting.
For the milestone birthday that wants old Paris
A fortieth or a seventieth belongs where the theatre is built in: carts, carving, a ceiling that opens like a curtain call. The kitchen marks birthdays with unforced grace, and the six course tasting at €225 turns the evening into an event without a single gimmick. Book the room's center, order the pigeon Andre Malraux, and let a great classic house do what it has done since the fifties.
For the guest who thinks starred Paris peaked decades ago
Some clients are nostalgists, and Lasserre is the address that proves the old style still earns its star in 2026. Dinner only keeps the meeting unhurried, service by captains reads as seniority, and the signature menu at €335 exists for statements. The roof opening mid meal has closed more than one long negotiation; seat your guest facing the ceiling and time the coffee for it.
What to order
The repertoire is fixed by history and the room does half the work. These are the calls that finish it.
- Pigeon Andre Malraux
The signature since the Malraux years: pigeon, foie gras and truffled macaroni in a sauce built for bread. Order it on any first visit.
- The duck carved in the room
The house classic finished at the cart; watching the carve is half the dish. Best ordered for two.
- The seasonal menu at €185
The gentlest entry into a €335 kitchen: four courses that tour the classics without exhausting them.
- A table under the roof panel, May to September
Ask at booking. The evening the ceiling opens is the evening you remember; the corner tables never see it.
Practical
- Address
- 17 avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt, 8th
- Reservations
- Restaurant site · two to three weeks ahead
- Menus
- Seasonal €185 · tasting €225 · signature €335
- Service
- Dinner only, Tuesday to Saturday
- Star
- One Michelin star, 2026 guide
- Chef
- Jean Louis Nomicos
- Closure
- Annual break, August 2 to 31
- Dress
- Jackets expected; the room rewards effort
Questions diners ask
Is Lasserre worth it?
Yes, for occasions above all. One Michelin star in the 2026 guide, a dining room whose roof genuinely opens, and menus from €185 make Lasserre the best theatre per euro in the 8th. Diners chasing modern technique should look elsewhere; this is classicism executed with total conviction, and on the right night nothing in Paris touches it.
How do I get a reservation at Lasserre?
Two to three weeks ahead through the restaurant's site covers most dinners, longer for Friday and Saturday under the roof panel. The house serves dinner only, Tuesday to Saturday, and closes entirely from August 2 to 31. State the occasion when booking and request the center of the room; the sky tables go to whoever asks earliest.
What is the dress code at Lasserre?
Jackets are expected and the room dresses to match; this is one of the last Paris dining rooms where real formality feels native rather than imposed. Ties remain optional. In summer the open roof cools the room quickly after dark, so a jacket earns its keep twice.
What does dinner at Lasserre cost?
Menus run €185, €225 and €335 before wine, dinner only. A la carte climbs quickly once the signatures are involved, and the classical cellar prices accordingly. Most couples land between €500 and €800 total with a serious bottle; the seasonal menu with a village Burgundy keeps the evening nearer €500.