9 Hidden Courtyards and Garden Tables in Paris
Paris terraces are lovely until the bus goes by. The quiet outdoor tables are elsewhere, behind carriage doors, in hotel gardens and old villas, and you can walk past them for years without knowing. No map app will flag a hidden courtyard restaurant in Paris for you.
We did the digging: 9 courtyards, patios and garden tables, cross-checked across Michelin, Time Out and Le Fooding. Each place page tells you whether to call ahead or ask for the garden room. Prefer a sidewalk after all? See our restaurants with a terrace. Want height instead of greenery? Try our rooftops.
A suspended glass sanctuary atop the Musée du Quai Branly, where contemporary French cuisine meets breathtaking panoramic views of the Eiffel Tower.
TheFork Insider
Michelin
A vibrant food hall in a converted SNCF warehouse near Gare de Lyon, featuring diverse international street food stands, organic local produce, and a sprawling 1,500 m² garden terrace.
Three-Michelin-starred chef Niko Romito brings his refined, light-handed approach to Italian classics in the elegant setting of Bvlgari Hotel Paris.
TheFork InsiderMichelin
Timeout
Fooding
A refined gastronomic destination in Montreuil where Chef Camille Saint M'Leux, trained at Taillevent and Le Cinq, crafts seasonal French cuisine in an elegant 19th-century villa.
Michelin 1-starMichelinTimeoutTrès Très Bon
A warm Basque tapas bar in Gambetta serving sharing plates inspired by Navarre, paired with carefully curated Spanish wines.
Fooding
A sprawling Italian trattoria from the Big Mamma group where wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas, fresh pasta, and convivial sharing plates meet a lush garden setting and underground disco bar.
Timeout
Chef Frédéric Vardon's contemporary French cuisine meets panoramic Parisian views on a sixth-floor rooftop terrace in the prestigious Avenue George V.
TheFork InsiderMichelinTrès Très Bon
Mathieu Pacaud's refined French gastronomy unfolds in an 18th-century hôtel particulier with one of Paris's most enchanting garden terraces.
Michelin 1-starMichelin
A sprawling four-story brasserie at the foot of Montmartre, serving traditional French cuisine from breakfast to late night, crowned with a rooftop overlooking Sacré-Cœur.
How to book a hidden courtyard restaurant in Paris
Courtyards and gardens are the most sought-after outdoor seats in the city, because they're calm, shaded and few. They're also the least reliable: some open only in good weather, some only for part of the room. Here's where to find them and how to get a table.
Gardens behind the door
In Gambetta, Galerna serves Basque sharing plates inspired by Navarre, like huevos rotos with txistorra, with an outdoor courtyard that isn't always open: call ahead to check. In the 10th, Libertino, from the Big Mamma group, has a lush garden room full of plants; request it when you book, then finish downstairs at the disco bar. More in our 20th arrondissement and 10th arrondissement guides.
Hotel gardens and a villa
At the Bvlgari Hotel, Il Ristorante - Niko Romito opens onto a private Mediterranean garden, with aperitivo on the terrace and a bar open until 1am. Order the veal Milanese or the spaghetti pomodoro. Just east of Paris, Villa9Trois sits in a 19th-century villa in Montreuil with its own herb garden; chef Camille Saint M'Leux cooks seasonal French food, the cellar adds 100 whiskies and rums to its wines, and terrace tables go fast in summer, so book. See more addresses just outside Paris.
Gardens with a view, and a giant one
Some gardens are up high. Les Ombres keeps a Mediterranean garden on its terrace, on the roof of the Musée du Quai Branly, and Le 39V has a suspended garden on the sixth floor of Avenue George V. At ground level, Ground Control near Gare de Lyon has a 1,500 m² garden terrace with street food and natural wine, ideal for groups on a budget.
Where to look, and a word of caution
The 8th arrondissement holds the most results; the rest are spread from the 7th to the 20th, plus Montreuil. About half the list is high-end, the rest mid-priced or cheap. One wild card: Brasserie Barbès, at the foot of Montmartre, swaps the garden for a rooftop terrace looking toward Sacré-Cœur. Outdoor seats depend on the weather, so check each place page before you promise anyone a garden. For a quiet, enclosed dinner indoors, our cozy restaurants are the next best thing.