Restaurant near Eiffel Tower: Au Bon Accueil

Au Bon Accueil
14 Rue de Monttessuy
75007 Paris
01 47 05 46 11

Eating around the Eiffel Tower is not THAT difficult, but you can’t really be too picky.  It’s pretty much a choice between restaurants that are overpriced for what you get, restaurants that don’t allow reservations and are packed, or humdrum joints that aren’t worth staying in the area for. This is why I’m soooooooo GLAD to have found Au Bon Accueil (oh bohn ah-kuhoy), meaning “nice welcome.” 

First Impressions

The restaurant sits in a quiet and tranquil street with the Eiffel Tower just right above you. Pretty cool huh? The place itself is pretty swank with not the warmest, but polite, waiters. Albeit full of tripists, I really liked the atmosphere right off the bat.  You have your tripists, with or without their backpacks and children, sitting next to a number of Parisian businessmen.  Everyone seemed to be happy and just having a nice time so it’s all good.

The Food

The cuisine served at Au Bon Accueil is modern French and you have a choice between a set menu starter + main + dessert at 32€ and a 5-course set menu at 50€. I started with a Smoked Duck Carpaccio with Mesclun Salad and Green Pea Puree. The duck was tender and full of great smoky flavor and worked great with the vinaigrette of the salad and the velvety green pea puree.

I of course tasted my friend’s dish, Marinated Salmon with Zucchini and Red Pepper Coulis, which was equally beautiful, bursting with vibrant color and freshness. This dish was not only light but really savory! The fine slices of salmon were of good quality, and the veggie variations fun to eat.  I’m a huge fan of well-cooked vegetables and I can’t say it enough! There’s nothing WORSE than overcooked lifeless vegetables.  BLEH.

Then I had Seared Whiting Fish with Spinach and Cream of Fennel (see photo at top). The fish was well-seasoned and very moist.  The spinach nicely cooked and the slices of carrot were yummy and reminded me of sweet pumpkin.  I also loved the cream of fennel. The dish was also served with a fabulous potato puree on the side.  Some type of grated hard cow’s cheese like Comté was added to the mix which made it so much tastier! 

For dessert I had a Raspberry Crisp Delight with Chocolate and Raspberry Mousse. It wasn’t impressive or extraordinary, but a nice simple dessert that hit the spot. The fine sheet pastry had a caramelized kick that had me wanting more! I really liked the play on texture here between the crisp pastry and creamy mousses.

The Verdict This place is definitely NOT a tripist-trap, but it does attract a lot of tripists. It’s inevitable, we’re right next to the 2nd most visited site in Paris! Seriously, 32€ for a nice 3-course meal in the 7th district is NOT common! Take advantage people.

Price: 3-course dinner set menu 32€ / 5-course dinner set menu 50€

Author: Fooled one too many times by tripist traps, Paris for Epicureans scours the city hunting out restaurants worth your time and money. Fabulous, so-so, flat out bad, she tells it like it is! Photos taken by Paris for Epicureans unless noted.

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