The Top Women Chefs Defining Paris’s New Dining Scene 

There’s no question that women chefs have always played an important role in French cuisine. From les mères lyonnaises, who helped establish the foundations of modern French gastronomy a century ago, to modern leading Michelin-starred cheffes, such as Anne-Sophie Pic of La Dame de Pic and Hélène Darroze of Jòia, the terrain has been laid for an exciting new generation of women chefs. Some star male chefs are also fostering the careers of aspiring culinary talents, like Alain Ducasse, who has put numerous women at the helm of his restaurants, including Lisa Desforges at Allard and Kelly Jolivet at Benoit. In addition to these esteemed establishments, here are seven Paris restaurants with women chefs at the helm we recommend you try.

Alice Arnoux – Café de l’Usine

Some of the best contemporary restaurants in Paris are in the 11th district. Alice Arnoux’s Café de l’Usine, an excellent new bistro, is now among them. Hidden down a pedestrian lane and within a restored 19th-century shoe factory, the Café de l’Usine has an airy dining room that’s both industrial and inviting. I recommend grabbing a table on the upper mezzanine, which is covered by a glass ceiling and has a cozy lounge with a piano and a leather sofa. This is where I enjoyed Arnoux’s seasonal two-course lunch menu of creamy Dubarry cauliflower soup with candied almonds and the salsify root in a beurre blanc sauce – incredibly delicious and great value at €25.

Amandine Chaignot – Pouliche

On a side street in the hip Faubourg Saint-Denis neighborhood is Amandine Chaignot’s Pouliche, a stylish neo-bistrot. Chaignot applies culinary finesse gained in the gastronomic restaurants of The Plaza Athénée, The Meurice, and The Ritz in London to her beautifully executed and presented dishes. Her menu changes daily based on the freshest ingredients of her supplies, although Wednesdays are always 100% vegetarian, and Sundays are dedicated to roast chicken, the favorite weekend lunch dish of the French. I opted for the veggie lunch menu and was delighted by a double starter of roasted broccolini with a broccoli cream and hazelnuts and an oeuf parfait (perfect egg) with artichoke cream, and kalamata olives, followed by a main course of Jerusalem artichokes prepared three ways and topped with mustard seed. I barely had room (but made some) for the delicate fennel cake with poached fruit.

Manon Fluery – Datil

After training at Ze Kitchen Galerie, Semilla and Michelin-starred l’Astrance, in 2023 Manon Fleury’s Datil opened in the North Marais. She received her own Michelin star the very next year. Fleury has also distinguished herself for her predominantly female team, helping to train and inspire future culinary professionals. Named after a heirloom variety of plum, Datil’s menu isn’t exclusively vegetarian, however, vegetables play a prominent role. Fleury strives to respect nature and in doing so she sources most of her ingredients from carefully chosen farms as close as possible to Paris and has a zero waste approach. Her inventive tasting menu changes regularly and might include leeks with kiwi cream, radicchio with anchovy condiment and peanut pâte or roasted rice ice-cream with sweetened avocado sauce.

Priscilla Trâm – Trâm130

After working in kitchens from Ibiza to Brooklyn, Priscilla Trâm now apron’s up at her own restaurant in the 11th arrondissement. Opened in autumn 2024, Trâm130 combines classic bistro tables and chairs with dashes of vivid colors, perfectly reflecting the blend of French and Southeast Asian flavors in her dishes. Parisian cuisine tends to be on the milder side, so I was pleasantly surprised with the tanginess of roasted pumpkin croquette with gochujang chili and cancoillotte cheese sauce and the spiciness of the yellow curry vol au vent with black rice and sauteed shiitake mushrooms. The large choux puff pastry with cream, salted caramel and candied peanuts was the cerise sur le gâteau, the icing on the cake, of a tasty meal.

Laëtitia Bret – L’Esquisse

After working in the gastronomic restaurants of The Bristol and The Ritz, Laëtitia Bret now applies her skills, and love of seasonal ingredients, to the creative modern menu of L’Esquisse in the more local area behind Montmartre. It has a relaxed neighborhood feel and all the appeal of a classic bistro thanks to wooden tables and chairs and a slate counter, but her dishes are anything but traditional. The day I went, it featured spring rolls of marinated beef, peanuts and kumquat, clam and blue radish salad, homemade tagliatelle with white asparagus, pistou and egg yolk confit and shellfish soup with sweet potatoes, pineapple and ginger condiment.

Shan Rachel Jiang

Although you won’t find this rising chef in one specific place for right now, Shan Rachel Jiang is trailblazing across France as a chef-in-residence at modern restaurants and wine bars. From eastern China, she trained in prestigious European gastronomic restaurants including Quinsou in Paris and Le Vertbois in Chantilly, before designing dishes for Bao Family, a group of popular Chinese restaurants in Paris and Marseille. After a recent residency at Sobremesa in Paris and Lucca in Bordeaux, she’ll be found at Les Vins du Matin and other Paris addresses which she updates on her Instagram page.

Addresses:

La Dame de Pic, 20 Rue du Louvre, 75001 Paris

Jòia, 39 Rue des Jeuneurs, 75002 Paris

Allard, 41 Rue Saint-André des Arts, 75006 Paris

Benoit, 20 Rue Saint-Martin, 75004 Paris

Datil, 13 Rue des Gravilliers, 75003 Paris

Café de l’Usine, 5 passage Piver 75011 Paris 

Pouliche, 11 Rue d’Enghien, 75010 Paris

Trâm130, 130 Rue Saint-Maur, 75011 Paris

L’Esquisse, 151 bis rue Marcadet, 75018 Paris

Related Links:

For more of the top women in Parisian dining, see Women In Food & Wine: Ladies Of the Paris Dining Scene, Part I.

Explore the some of the best culinary experiences Paris has to offer with 7 Restaurants to Try on Your Next Paris Trip and Le Bon Georges: A Modern French Bistro in the 9th.

Bon Appétit: Our Favorite Bistro Cookbooks offers a great way to bring Parisian cuisine to your home.

Written and photographed by Lily Heise for the HiP Paris. Looking to travel? Check out Plum Guide and our Marketplace for fabulous vacation rentals in Paris, France or Italy. Looking to rent long or short term, or buy in France?Ask us! We can connect you to our trusted providers for amazing service and rates or click here. Looking to bring France home to you or to learn online or in person? Check out our marketplace shop and experiences.