Parisians love to brunch although the true concept of brunching is lost on them, with menus rarely reflecting a late breakfast but rather lunch menus with smashed avo thrown in for show. But who cares about the proper form of brunching when you're partaking in the favourite weekend pastime in the most beautiful city in the world?! Keep reading to find where you should be booking your "brunch" table this weekend, and whilst you may not be served brunch in all these eateries, you will most definitely be treated to great food.
Could there be a better combination than a Turkish bath treatment and brunch on a Sunday? We think not. That's why Les Bains du Marais has our tick of approval for, one, being a great weekend treat, and two, serving dishes that make up a proper late breakfast on a lazy Sunday. After a detoxifying scrub make a beeline for the bath's restaurant, Life, to aptly put some life back into you with coffee, fresh juice and a fluffy omelette with truffles, and if you're up for it, some champagne.
They may not serve brunch but anything with CBD transforms any dish into a Sunday Funday dish with Seazon. The food delivery service has spruced up their menu to include ready-made dishes infused with CBD oil, so you can order your pesto pasta with a little something extra to enjoy in the comfort of your own home on a Sunday in your trakkies, because even when in Paris, sometimes you just need a lazy day.
On Rue Mont Thabor in the plush neighbourhood of the 1st arrondissement bordered by the Jardin des Tuileries, Rue Saint-Honoré and Place Vendôme, Da Rosa Jr is our secret rendezvous for a Nicoise salad, sweet pickled garlic and chilled white wine. The Mediterranean eatery is chic and on a quiet street, making it perfect for meet-ups on a Saturday after a big Friday night in the City of Light, reinvigorating us before heading for a leisurely stroll in the Jardin des Tuileries or some well-deserved shopping on Rue Saint-Honoré.
More than anything we love the Starving Club's name, describing pretty much how we feel on the weekend before our first meal. On the menu you will find burgers, halloumi fries, gyros and fried rice, and whilst they may not be traditional brunch options, they are definitely the traditional greasy food favourites, which reign supreme if you are nursing a bit of a hangover from the night before. And if you are looking for something sweeter, grab the chocolate babka and a coffee, an ideal combo to toast the day.
Traditionally breakfast in France is sweet, never savoury, and omelettes are lunch and dinner dishes, and that makes Ladurée the perfect brunch spot, all week long, as the famous tea salon's normal menu is easily adapted to brunch. Eggs, croissants, pain au chocolat, and of course their famous macarons make Ladurée the number one spot for a great brunch even if it is a happy coincidence that it serves all the right things for Sunday at 11am.
Bakeries in Paris with a seating area are also a great makeshift restaurant serving brunch, not least for the fresh bread that is readily available, giving them a huge helping hand in creating the basis for any good brunch. And one of our favourite said spots is the Benoît Castel bakery in the 20th arrondissement, where every weekend between 10.30am and 3pm an all-you-can-eat buffet of salads, cheese, pastries, and of course bread is served. If you shy away from buffets then you can make your own getaway brunch and head straight to the counter for creamy pastries and ready-made sandwiches.