La Varangue

This place is a miracle. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d see a microwave in the kitchen of a restaurant in Paris, but alas… there it was. We heard about La Varangue from Rick Steve’s book, and this restaurant had a copy of the book in the window. I think the two might be in cahoots. However, the owner/​chef/​waiter did it all, a one man show! He took our orders, shot back to the kitchen, which you can see from the small, but cute dining room.
We had an appetizer of toast with goat cheese, and I ordered a pasta in cheese, so I was goat-​cheesed out by the end of the meal. Chef Philippe did seem a little anxious to close down shop, but it may have been nearing closing time. Judging by the pictures, I see a lot of dishes that look even better than what I ordered.
I will say this: La Varague is situated in the very heart of the 7^th, an easy walk from where I stayed, and Chef was definitely entertaining. I’d like to try it again, during a busier part of the day.

It just ok. I came here because the reviews on Unilocal.But the food was mediocre and he was just warming the food up in the oven as you ordered it. I know because you can see right into his kitchen. I ordered the duck and it tasted like leftovers to be perfectly honest.

Came here on the recommendation of Rick Steves’ book. Service was great. Foodwise, it was one of our least memorable meals.
I thought the young female hostess/​server was extremely warm and friendly. The chef looked like he was mentally done for the day, going back and forth between warming our food and sitting at a corner table playing on his phone. Surely not the chatty and jovial person described in Rick Steves’ book. Were we in the wrong place, we thought? He never said a word to us except goodbye when we left, even though we were the only customers there.
We ordered the salmon (a little dry and overcooked) and the pork loin with pepper sauce (tough, not tender as described) which were both served over basic mashed potatoes and some green lettuce doused in a heavy dressing we did not care for.
Although this place is billed as a no-​frills-​comfort food-​homey type of place, I still feel there are better meals to be had in the area for the amount of money we spent. When you are a serious foodie on vacation for one week in a city like Paris, every meal counts, so experiences like this can feel like a let down.
Obviously there are some better reviews here, perhaps we went on an off-​day.

It’s a nice place. The Samon was dry. The pasta was simple. The goat cheese appetizer was the best item.

Fellow Unilocalers didn’t fail me. This place was cozy and the food was delicious. I had escargot, duck leg on mashed potatoes, my sister had the pasta Carbonara, my mom had the salmon on a bed of rice and we shared a slice of chocolate cake. No fuss dining experience with delicious food just a stones throw away from the Eiffel tower (which we walked to after dinner to watch it light up).

Came here several times on my last trip. Great prix fixe lunch with fresh and simple cuisine, friendly service. I found this place as it was recommended in a Rick Steves guidebook. One of my favorite casual places in Paris.
The chocolate cake here was one of the best i have had. It was cool on the outside while still warm/​hot in center and in a nice white cream sauce.

One on one personal experience. Chef equals waiter and his food is fantastic. Loved every minute of this experience.
I had the escargot, salmon and chocolate cake to finish. We also had a bottle of the house Boudreaux. Every bite was even more delicious than the last.
Highly recommend if you want a unique, personal French experience!

Walked in at 9pm on a Saturday night and they said they were closed even though everything says they are open till 11pm.

Absolutely loved this tiny, hole in the wall bistro serving up simple, unpretentious French comfort food. Bœuf Bourguignon was fantastic as was the lobster bisque. Chef and owner Phillippe was very friendly and for under € 20 per person for a three course meal is a great bargain. My family enjoyed it so much on our last trip to Paris we ate here twice. It’s also a short walk from the Eiffel Tower. A must try when in Paris.

This place is nice :) the wife and husband work together and are humble and very nice to Americans, unlike many other establishments.
Food is so tasty!
I had the lobster bisque soup and duck leg!
Very very nice little home-​feel restaurant with free wifi.

So amazing loved this place cozy restaurant where the chef as well as the waiters interact with you and are so sweet! Loved finding this place!

My husband and I ate there on a Wednesday night in November and were the first, and only that we saw, diners in at 7PM.
The owner was friendly enough but didn’t seem particularly interested (we could hear him playing Angry Birds on his phone) in being there, perhaps because it was a slow night.
My husband had the escargots, which smelled flavorful and delicious, and the beef Bourgogne. I had the poulet romarin (romarin chicken). Both dishes were prepared well and were balanced. It would have been nicer to have bread with the meal and I thought it odd that it wasn’t offered. Maybe I should have asked.
The dining area is small and OK if you’re looking for a simple tasty meal. I would have liked to see warmer lighting or appropriate music to make it more welcoming, but again, maybe that’s because we could hear the chef/​owner plying games on his phone. Totally fine with that– just turn the sounds off.
Dinner of escargots appetizer and two entrees was about 30 €.

Just had dinner here. Very low key and very tasty food. The owner and waitress (his daughter) were very nice to us and explained everything on the menu. I feel like I just had dinner at someone’s house. If you are staying in the Rue Cler neighborhood, it’s a good choice.

I had read from multiple sites about this place and either the reviews were praising or totally dumping this restaurant. I believe my experiences go in between.
Philippe, the owner, runs the show by himself. Interesting concept. The place itself is very small, so you can actually do that.
The foods that we tried were pretty good «home cooking» quality I would say. You would get value for the money, as the foods are not expensive. But if you are looking a restaurant with silver plates and good food presentation, this is not your restaurant.
Is it intimate? Yes. It is a small place. Can it get crowded? Yes, it is a small place.
We ordered multiple items, but basically the stew and escargots were good. The rest, nothing super special. Just good home cooking quality. I was very disappointed to the beef, as it was not tender and probably frozen meat served. I ordered it medium, got it almost well done. It was just swimming in the pepper sauce, which tasted like those ready sauces from any shop. The stew we had was very good on the other hand.
People have been praising his chocolate cake too. I did not think that was super good, I have tasted so many better ones. That is not clearly the reason to go there.
House wine? A large winebox (yes, those that you can get from the supermarkets) on the top of the shelf. I would not call it house wine if you use some cheap supermarket class wines — I expect it to be self made or something much more special.
So it is a mixed bag. I don’t know why people praise this place. Maybe we were there on a bad day. Or maybe other people are looking for stuff we weren’t. For budget dinner, this place will do just fine. For fine dining, I would not recommend.

Easily one of the best nights I have had in Paris so far is all due to Chef Philippe. Everything on the menu sounded delicious, but I opted for escargot and a pork filled puff pastry. The escargot were perfectly seasoned and absolutely delicious. The puff pastry was beautifully flaky and the purée/​ham inside was fantastic.
As I was the sole customer in the resto (Paris is on winter holiday), I spent a great deal of time talking with the chef. He was gracious and kind, and not at all pretentious, only adding to my experience at dinner. I opted for the chocolate cake for dessert and, as he had told me, it was the BEST chocolate cake I have ever eaten. Perfectly dense but moist and sitting atop a thin pool of cream, I easily could have had a second piece. I will be a frequent visitor of La Varangue the rest of my time in Paris!

This is a nice little spot in the Champ de Mars /​Tour Eiffel area. The food was good, atmosphere nice, and service friendly. It’s off the beaten path a little which helps keep the prices down and crowds low. It’s been featured by Rick Steve’s a few times so you won’t hear much French spoken by other patrons (unless they’re practicing). Philippe, the owner and chef, has an open kitchen and interacts playfully with the guests. The food was good, but seems to be a bit Americanized (le baked potato?). This is not a bad thing, especially if you’re wanting French food without being too adventurous, but growing up in a French home this is not really what I was looking for. Five for the atmosphere and service, three for the food. Go for the duck confit, escargots, and lobster bisque. The rôti du porc was a little dry and I’m just not a fan of baked potatoes — especially in Paris. We also heard from others that the house-​made chocolate cake was delicious, but decided desert after every meal was getting a bit excessive.

Great French experience. Very friendly service. Chicken with mustard was delicious. Pork filet was good.

My wife and i found La Varanque on our own and we had a wonderful meal! I had chicken and my wife had beef stew. Both were very good. We arrived around 7:30 and the place filled up quickly. Chef Phillipe
took our order and cooked our meal. Our beautiful young waitress was
young and beautiful. Lot of local Parisians (we were the only Americans). We would definitely recommend.

It was our first night in Paris and our hotel offered free wifi, so immediately I was on Unilocal looking for a highly rated restaurant nearby. I came upon this little gem and dragged my mom and brother out in the streets of Paris to find this restaurant. Philippe’s intimate restaurant was exactly what we were looking for. Our food was delicious. We had salad, escargots, filet mignon, duck with plum sauce, crème brûlée, and chocolate cake. My brother wanted to lick his plate clean.
Philippe is very accommodating to tourists and engages quite well with his patrons. My brother even got to step into his open kitchen and help caramelize our crème brûlée. We quite enjoyed our meal here and will return again! Also, we love supporting this small father/​daughter operation. Bön appetit!

Well here I am listening to my fellow Unilocaler who generously all gave 5-​stars to this little restaurant close to the Eiffel Tower. The food was alright, I had the salmon which was perfectly done but my friend had a steak Tuna which tasted more like paper maché according to her words than a tuna.
Atmosphere ²⁄₅: I think they did some effort for the atmosphere with a nice original menu the lady brings on a blackboard. I don’t like what they did with the table clothe, it looked like my grandma kitchen to be honest. I think a hint of classier touch to it would make this restaurant a nice place.
Food ⁴⁄₅: My salmon was really good actually but we were a little bit disapointed by the Tuna. A lunch plate is 11Euros ish which is quiet descent for the food they serve you.
Service ³⁄₅: It started really well actually. The lady was really friendly but she had a bad attitude when I wanted to pay with my debit card. I was expecting a little bit less attitude.
To summarize, I think you have better choice around the area but it’s still a descent place to go for the price.

Très bonne adresse quand on cherche un restaurant traditionnel avec une bonne ambiance décontractée et conviviale. C’est un lieu plein de vie et de mouvement. Ici vous risquez d’entendre parler la langue anglaise: pour une raison que je né connais pas, ce lieu est souvent rempli d’anglophones.
En tout cas, la cuisine est bonne et le service très accueillant. Un autre point fort: le prix. C’est vraiment pas cher par rapport au prix du quartier.