Le Chenin

A nearly perfect review…
The tiny Bistrots of Paris have really surprised me and my husband on our honeymoon. We see all the cafes and restaurants however Le Chenin was recommended by our cousin and I now get his appreciation.
The restaurant is tiny and cozy. Just enough seating for a small group or couple to have fine dining and a bottle of wine. The walls are decorated with black and white pictures of classic French and American actors (big in 70’s). And there is a warmth within the four walls.
The two men working, assumably the owners, take such pride in the menu offering us things we Americans wee not accustom to and guaranteeing that of we did not like, they would replace it with no charge. Much appreciated there.
Needless to say we enjoyed a bottle of red wine, Spanish ham, steak fillet, and white fish in a wine sauce. Delicious. Delicious. Delicious.

A smal place where you probably always have to reserve a table in advance. Menu is simple with traditional French food. We had a three course menu: snails, duck and crème brûlée. That is as French as it gets. Food was well prepared and served surprisingly fast. Prices are reasonable compared to what you get, but the clue of the restaurant was the atmosphere, where you feel welcome and treated individually with the little extra moment to small talk. We were there as family and that worked well. We will not hesitate to revisit the place again.

Une carte variée, des produits frais et de très bonne qualité permettent de passer un agréable moment. Tout est maison et mention spéciale à la tarte aux pommes façon grand-​mère. L’accueil est très sympathique ce qui donne envie de revenir!

Incredible food! Polite and friendly staff! First time ever that I was greeted with a handshake when entering a restaurant. At the end, they shared a free shot of hard liquor and allow you to take pictures behind the bar!

Friendly staff, great food! Host greeted us with a handshake and explained the menu in English as best he could. Food was delicious which was great because we had not heard good things about French cuisine. I highly recommend!

I was so lucky to have found this place via the Unilocal app in Paris. This place was about a 10 minute walk from Galeria de Lafayette. This was the first and the best meal I’ve had in Paris. Yes it’s this good. The place is also very welcoming, relaxing, and beautiful restaurant.
It is true, the server and owner do greet you at the door with a handshake. It is quite odd since that’s only what Americans do right; however, it was a nice and warm welcome. I believe the taller bald gentleman is the owner. He’s very funny and speaks English. He comes over with the chalkboard menu and introduces each dish. (The whole menu is in French). We initially wanted to order more food, but he informed us that 2 entrees were enough because its «big big big». The server is also very good with his recommendations. He recommended some excellent wines. I think everything here is probably excellent!
We ordered the charcuterie (entrée size) and the duck confit. Both was excellent. The duck was so moist and flavorful. The meats, cheeses and pates in the charcuterie was out of this world… The owner was right… These are huge entrees. Despite being huge, we still managed to try their desserts. I mean we have another stomach just for desserts right?
The owner walked us over to the front of the restaurant to have a look at the selection of desserts. He recommended the poached pear with chocolate and the dessert trio. Oh boy the poached pear was so good. It was my favorite, but the other desserts were good too. The trio came with an espresso and 3 tiny little desserts.
I’ll definitely come back to this cute little restaurant even thought its thousands of miles away. This place is a favorite for locals and tourists because Le Chenin is authentic, well priced and delicious! They also accept credit cards!

Top notch service and experience. The entire staff at Le Chenin were both welcoming, engaging and attentive. You will find delicious food and loads of ambiance. We are looking forward to the next time.

Jolie découverte hier soir !
J’ai été charmée par la décoration des tableaux de toutes sortes sont accrochés sur tous les murs.
Accueil chaleureux, conseils, on se croirait dans le Sud ! ;)
La qualité des produits est excellente, on peut boire du vin à la ficelle et il y a des tarifs pour tous les budgets !

Great restaurant! The owner is very solicitous and friendly. He recomended a perfect red wine, we quited there a bit high… The meats are perfect grilled and the fries are ridiculous! Very cozy place! l

From the 30 seconds after I walked in I felt like I was amongst friends. The quality of the food only added to the quality of the service. The charcuterie was excellent and the wine was even better.
I’m looking for the next excuse to drag my friends and family here.

Le Chenin lived up to its wonderful reviews! It’s an adorable, cozy spot for an authentic but approachable French meal. The owner welcomed us with a handshake and brought us bread and tapenade to start. He took great care to explain the menu in both French and English and recommended a wine to go with the food we’d chosen. We split the charcuterie to start followed by the duck confit. We had the berry and crème and mousse au chocolat for dessert. All were délicieux and very reasonably priced. I highly recommend Le Chenin. Best to make a reservation, as the restaurant is petit.

I agree with all the reviews here. This spot is a little charmer. The owner and waiter greet you at the door with a hand shake. The restaurant is cozy and the walls are lined with photos of celebrities.
The owner comes to your table to read the menu. He told me the menu changes daily depending on what’s available. I had the scallop starter, which was delicious and perfectly cooked. For my entrée I had a fish dish that came with some vegetables. It was also perfectly cooked and was accompanied by a delicious butter, lemon sauce on the plate. While I was stuffed, the waiter told me the chocolate moose was homemade, so I just had to try it. It was worth it — light, airy and not too sweet. All this and great wine too.
It’s rare when you can say you had great service at a restaurant in Paris. Prices were reasonable, with the wine running 8 € a glass, appetizer was about € 13 and entrée 22 €. I am staying in the neighborhood for work and definitely will be back again.

Né vous fiez pas au silence apparent de la Rue le pelletier, et passez la porte du Chenin, l’ambiance sera tout autre
Vous serez accueillis chaleureusement par le patron dans un décor bistrot pur jus .
Beaucoup de charme, notamment avec toutes ces photos en noir et blanc au mur
d’acteurs et d’actrices.
La cuisine est traditionnelle et faite maison. Très bonne qualité des mets servis, notamment des viandes, ce qui explique le prix pratiqué
Laissez-​vous tenter aussi par leurs vins. Conseils avisés du patron, quantité adaptée à l’envie (au verre, à la bouteille voire à la ficelle (+++) et découvertes appréciables et appréciées de petits producteurs (le petit calabres 2011 proposé à la ficelle, était excellent)
Bref si vous êtes à la recherché d’une adresse où il fait bon vivre, suivez donc le Chenin ;-)

The service, wine and food are wonderful! The house Chenin white is a must try! It is really nice. This is a must go place if you are in Paris. As we were told that we should try some Kir in Paris, the owner made us two glasses by the house which are awesome! He also treated us two fruit liquor at the end of the course which was great. I would definitely go again if I visit Paris in future.

Would have to agree with everyone else here. Great atmosphere, relaxed dinner, superb food, and couldn’t ask for better hospitality. You feel welcomed from the moment step in the door, greeted with a handshake and a bon soir, then continually feeling at home the rest of the night. Bilingual description of all items on the menu. Unfortunately I discovered this restaurant on my last night out in Paris and not my first. Looking forward to returning.

Amazing food.
Amazing wine.
Amazing service.
Recommend to eat several days here!
Not expensive at all. Just!!!

Très bon accueil. Service irréprochable et rapide. De bons conseils pour le vin. Une mousse au chocolat du tonnerre ! Mais un peu cher.

From the moment we arrived until we left, we had a really wonderful experience. Our waiter was very engaging. Even though we didn’t speak French well he let us try our French as we ordered our meals.
The food was excellent. We are a family of 4 and all of us found something we liked. The steaks were delicious and the lamb was to die for.
We also had a bottle of red from the Bourgogne region which was just the thing to accompany our meals.
Deserts were good according to my children. My wife and I shared some cheese which was helped down with the complimentary calvados from our waiter.
Finished the evening with them taking photos of us behind the bar for fun. A really great experience and I highly recommend.

My wife and I used Unilocal to find this gem of a restaurant! Very quaint but all French! Sam the waiter and Eric the owner were very good and we had fun learning to order in French. We had steaks which were excellent, tasty but their medium is more like rare but even at that very good. Escargot was excellent and crème brûlée very good. Take cash as they don’t do credit cards. You know the place is authentic as the rest of the customers there when we ate were French. Would go again!

Really a neighborhood gem and a great place to eat authentic French brasserie style food. The bistro is small, cozy and «très parisien». The owner nice and helpful. I had a delicious Steak Tartare with French Fries. After the dessert, I was even offered a glass of Calvados. A place to return to.

Echoing the reviews below… go here if you’re in the neighborhood and looking for solid classic Brasserie fare. And it’s true, the guy who runs the place is absolutely great.

Great find about 5 min walk from Galleria LaFayette. It’s one of our best meal in Europe. Ham, Foie Gras, and Escargot were great! Steak and Duck were awesome! The owner and server were some of the most friendly people you can meet!