Square Gardette

La décoration du restaurant nous fait sentir bien, comme dans l appartement d’un ami .les plats y sont très bons même si les intitulés nous font espérer beaucoup mieux.

First and foremost I would recommend this place for its excellent service. Our waiter spoke 7 languages and explained the perfectly sized menu to us in English. There were three to four choices for a starter, entreé and dessert which was perfect. The cod main was perfectly cooked as well as the tender octopus starter. The vegetables throughout the meal were incredibly cooked. To finish the lemon tart offered great acidity without a cloying sweetness and the poached pears salted caramel sauce was super light and buttery. Overall a great venue with a traditional French bistro feel and new French tastes.

I love this place! The vibe is cozy and comfortable, the people are warm, and the food is always delicious.

Square Gardette is decorated like a granny’s urban hunting lodge. And I mean that as a compliment. The large space is befitted with stuffed mounted animals, faded wallpaper, and a piano nook replete with a doily-​draped couch and toys for the tots. I went there in search of a comfortable café to work and dine over the course of a few hours and it was a perfect destination.
I was seated by the window and had a ton of space to spread out as the lunch crowd hadn’t yet arrived. My waitress was very cool with me making myself at home. In addition to the super strong Wifi, I filled up on a great salad with large heaps of smoked salad, roquette and a poached egg for 11E. A thoroughly great deal!

Another fantastic restaurant in the 11^th!
A note about reservations: Even though you can reserve a table online for 7, don’t bother. They don’t start serving until 7:30, and the place will be empty, and you’ll feel like a lame American. Of course, we didn’t know this when making the reservation for 7. But when we arrived they were very kind and suggested we sit and order a drink. We got a lovely Bergerac red for 26 euro and enjoyed our time looking around this adorable, mildly ironic, vintage French restaurant, where even the toilet is très mignon. I should know, I used it twice, which may be more a testament to all the wine I was drinking and not necessarily the cuteness of the bathroom.
A 7:30ish, after a few more foreigners arrive, they bring around the chalk board. Three courses (entrée, plat, dessert) for 41 euro. You get a choice of about 4 things in each category.
The amuse bouche I think was a potato leek veloute – creamy and comforting, yet refined.
I had the Ceviche – yes, it deserves a capital C – this was the freshest and most intricate, yet delicate ceviche I’ve ever tasted. This was perfect. Ceviche de Colin, even with its random sprinkling of popcorn, this blew away all ceviches that have come before it.
My husband had something with mackerel. I know he loved it. But I really didn’t care. The Ceviche required my devoted attention.
For the main course we both had the bavette with a sweet onion soubise. The richness of the sauce is understated by its complexity. The meat itself, cooked medium rare, would have been too chewy if under the fire any longer.
In Paris, you are never too full for dessert (even when you are), especially when it’s a part of Le Menu.
We chose the dacquoise noisettes, ganache chocolat fumé, glacé praline and some sort of pavlova with strawberries, which my husband did not let me try because he grew up in a communist country and now he’s all anti-​sharing.
We ordered one more glass of wine. The total was 112 euro or approximately $ 151.
Don’t forget tax and tip are included in the price, so it’s not like you have to do another 20 percent on top of that. For the quality, taste, and overall experience this is a deal.
We left around 10. The place was packed with mostly French people. I’d happily return on our next visit, and if you’re staying in the 11^th it’s definitely worth a try.

Bien mais né vaut pas les 41 € du menu unique.
Cadre, lumière, ambiance agréables.
Menu unique, variété de choix correcte.
Cuisine maison à base de produit frais.
La recherché et le mariage des saveurs sont une volonté affichée. Oui mais voilà, autant certains plats valent objectivement le détour, autant d’autres paraissent quelconques voir carrément expérimentaux (les fèves au Van Houten!) et font clairement ressentir l’addition, d’autant plus que la générosité des assiette n’est pas au rendez-​vous…
Service vraiment décontracté.
Bien donc, mais pour 41 € on est en droit d’attendre encore mieux.

L’un de mes restaurants préférés à Paris. Un cadre formidable, où l’on se sent comme à la maison, moi j’adore.
La nourriture est relativement créative, fraîche, généreuse, avec de bons classiques tels la côte de boeuf servie dans sa casserole ou l’échine de cochon grillé, mais aussi le ceviché en entrée ou le velouté de petits pois. Bref, un menu varié pour tous les appétits.
L’accueil? Très sympa, détendu, souriant. À l’image du lieu.
Et un détail important qui né gâche rien: musique discrète.
Je recommande !

I’ve been here twice and I have loved it both times. The décor is basically what you’d expect from a hipster grandmother. Old wooden skis, used italian shoes, and an analog camera adorn the bathrooms; mismatched lampshades, bedframes, modern art, and a stuffed weasel animate the dining room.
On the upside — it provides real French fusion. The chef is Japanese and trained at Paul Bert, and the head waiter speaks about seven languages. This leads to a wonderful mixture of dishes and flavors that is often hard to find outside of top-​end restaurants in Paris. The wine list is small but well chosen, and the dishes are inventive and unique, with a focus on in-​house production.
On the downside — it’s a prix fixe menu for EUR 36. If you’re a big group and you let them know in advance, you can work a little around the menu. It wasn’t obligatory in the past, but as their dishes varied a little in quality, they’ve decided to narrow themselves to a few things and to do them well.
Overall — great for a date, and great for a party among friends. They have a big wooden table where you can seat about 12+ people which is both rare and wonderful.
I brought my folks and they felt pretty cool. Go soon as it’s already starting to get popular with the anglo crowd, and it’s only a matter of time before it starts showing up in Fodor’s…

Le cadre de ce restaurant est génial. Appartement joli, cabinet de curiosités, il y a beaucoup de goût et d’esprit dans ce lieu.
La carte est assez chouette même si la réalisation dans l’assiette n’est pas à la hauteur de la promesse: oui c’est bon, non ce n’est pas exceptionnel. Mais c’est en tous cas la garantie d’un joli moment, d’une belle ambiance.
Mention spéciale pour le sommelier, sympa, de bon conseil, très rigolo.