Looking out and onto the City of Light is always an unforgettable experience. From watching the Eiffel Tower twinkling in the distance to taking in Paris's breathtaking architecture and people-watching chic Parisians strolling through the city's cobblestone streets, the French capital offers a real-life moveable postcard. And serving these picturesque moments are some of the city's luxury hotel restaurants where fine fare isn't the only thing on the menu.
One of the latest hotels to open in the French capital is Cheval Blanc. The luxury hotel, which overlooks the Seine and is part of the historical Samaritaine department store, boasts one of the best views of Paris. From the Notre-Dame to the Invalides, the city's most iconic monuments are served up from the hotel's brasserie on the 7th floor, Le Tout-Paris. The contemporary brasserie boasts a cocktail bar and is open all day from 7am to 1am serving everything from buttery croissants for breakfast to a traditional onion soup and roasted scallops for lunch or dinner.
In the mood for lunch at the foot of La Madeleine, the majestic Catholic church in the 8th arrondissement that features 52 Corinthian columns? Hôtel Fauchon is the only hotel in the city that offers an outdoor dining area that overlooks La Madeleine, with its Grand Café Fauchon a fingertip away from the church. The restaurant serves contemporary French fare with the dessert menu being the highlight of the meal with the house's famous signature pastry cakes, including creamy éclairs.
What was once a huge post office building is now a stunning boutique hotel where modern design meets history. Hôtel Madame Rêve is a 5-star hotel that not only celebrates contemporary design but also highlights the best of Paris and its historical monuments, and from the hotel's La Plume restaurant you are invited to dine on contemporary Japanese cuisine while taking in Saint-Eustache, a famous church in the city that was built between 1532 and 1632, and designed in Flamboyant Gothic style.
It may not be on the hotel's top floor but Hôtel Barrière's Fouquet’s takes pride of place on the most beautiful avenue in the world, Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Sitting on the corner of the Champs-Elysées and Avenue George V, across from the Louis Vuitton flagship boutique, the upmarket café lets you watch the hustle and bustle of the city from its chic heart while sipping on French champagne and nibbling on a Croque Monsieur and frites.
Another iconic hotel that offers a front row seat to the best of Paris, les Parisiens, is Hôtel Lutetia. The Left Bank hotel's landmark brasserie, Brasserie Lutetia, is where you can dine on oysters and foie gras while watching the spectacle of Saint-Germain-des-Près. The ground floor brasserie, which spills out onto Boulevard Raspail, is your ticket to French fare and for admiring the city's Left Bank fashion as modelled by the Parisiennes who stand out from their Right Bank neighbours.