La Coupole

This place came highly recommended and it was very disappointing.

Our server did not speak English (which is fine), but didn't make any attempts to try to accommodate us to figure out what we wanted to order. Finding another server or having someone help translate what we are asking/saying, would've made the experience better.

I had the French onion soup for my starter, which was delicious. For my main course, I had the Lobster Ravioli and it was not good at all. It lacked flavor majorly. I wish I hadn't ordered that. For dessert, I recommend Bourbon Vanilla Crème Brûlée and Crêpes Suzette Flambéed with Grand Marnier. The cocktails are delicious, I recommend Kiki.

Overall, not a great experience. If I ever do come back, I will hopefully try something with flavor.

Historic Montparnasse brasserie - Hemingway used to hit up friends for drinks here in the 1920's - and still an elegant restaurant in the 2020's. La Coupole is a large brasserie with a beautiful art deco interior.

Ideally you should start with an aperitif at the bar before transferring to a table for dinner. Very relaxing (and very French) approach to dining out.

If you order oysters as the appetizer be sure to ask your waiter for suggestions. We had three varieties and agreed that these were the most delicious oysters we've ever had.

We stayed with seafood for the main. The coquilles st. jacques dish - brilliant. The scallops were tender, the sauce was something out of Escoffier, the presentation beautiful. I had the lobster ravioli but give this one a pass. You want unctuous at La Coupole and the scallop dish provides this.

We also had dessert, ile flottante and profiteroles. It was more dessert than we normally eat but "somehow" we managed to polish off both.

One important point: Make a reservation on-line. This is a wildly popular restaurant for Parisians (not Tick-Tockers) so a reservation is essential.

Dinner at the famous La Coupole!

La Coupole, founded in 1927, is one of Paris' most famous brasseries known for its artistic history A scene from Emily in Paris was also shot here! I absolutely loved the French onion soup here - probably the best I've ever had! For mains, although they have many meat options, their seafood options are the way to go. The sole fish was sooo smooth and fresh, a must try. The seafood sauerkraut was good as well, I like how they give you a bit of everything and an entire mountain of sauerkraut

French Onion Soup (9€)
Bone Marrow (13.5€)
Escargots (19€)
Sole a la Plancha (46€)
Seafood Sauerkraut (27.5€)
Irish Cut Beef Steak (33€)
La Coupole's Sauerkraut (27.5€)

A famous seafood French restaurant that is almost 100 years old. They are known for their seafood tower which I think anything raw, this restaurant does well. However, I thought their hot options were kind of weak. Thus, would recommend sticking to ordering their raw options like the seafood towers, tartare, or other things. It's crowded and busy- worth going to but I'm not sure if the food is as worth the hype. I was a little disappointed that when we found a staple in our crab leg the facility kind of waived it off and didn't do much to compensate for the find, but no harm done.

We ordered the Royal tower (about 86 pounds). This was worth ordering. Presents well and each sea food was clean, sweet, and fresh. Some of the freshest seafood you can find around. It had sweet oysters, giant prawn, small cockles, clams, crabs, lobsters, and tiny shrimp that no one really knew how to eat but we somehow did. We found a staple in a lobster/crab part. Was not too thrilled that after addressing this with the waiter they kind of just waived it off. this could have been potentially fatal had someone swallowed this.

The sea bass tartare was worth getting- a fresh and clean dish.

We had some hot dishes too and this is where it kind of fell apart.
Whole lobster ravioli- there was like no ravioli. A half lobster tail thrown on top of overcooked flat pasta sheets with maybe a hint of some kind of stuffing. this dish just looked like it was made as an after thought or rather forgotten on the hot top and then it became mushy.

Ordered a dish of hot veggies just to get some greens in- it was a forgettable dish. to where I can't find it on the menu and don't remember what it was.

The place is very busy- we had to wave down our waiter multiple times. If you left halfway without paying or left when seated but then couldn't get their attending to start with water, they probably wouldn't even realize it. You pay online which no one made clear to us except for the little placards on your table hidden behind your plates saying this so we wasted half an hour waiting to flag waiter down/ask how to pay.

Overall, an ok place. Had high hopes but this was considered average to me. Wouldn't make this a top priority to go in the future.

We had dinner at the restaurant. The food was ok, wasn't spectacular or anything like that, which was disappointing, I expected more.
The service, it's a different thing. The hostesses was rude and dismissive, not properly or professionally dressed. The waiter was very unpleasant, took a while to place an order, then had to wait and wait.... we were not rushing, but it was noticeable. He would always forget what we asked for and walking around with his hands behind his back, it was a bit unusual. My husband ordered Lamb curry, he did like and the waiter at that department was very pleasant.
After all, I don't think we are going to be back. There are so many great places to explore, and that is not our favorite.

Shellfish Tower Extraordinaire!
La Coupole is one of the three classic Montparnasse brasseries. Beautiful, historic. No Le Select is not a part of this group.

We ordered the oyster tasting and the crustacean platter: 12 oysters, pink shrimp, grey shrimp, langoustines, and 1/2 carb and 1/2 lobster. Absolutely awesome!!! Washed it down with a couple of glasses of Sancerre.

Friendly, non-hovering service. So good we are going back for dinner on our last night before flying home.

I go to La Coupole for the atmosphere, always busy, the cool Art Deco décor and the fresh sea food.
As often in Paris' Brasseries, it can be a little difficult to get a waiter's attention, they are running around taking care of many tables, so you just have to be patient.
I am from la Bretagne and picky about seafood (to be honest about anything that goes in my plate), and La Coupole doesn't disappoint. I also like the fact that you can order exactly what you want, you don't have to pick one of their selected seafood platter. Since I was having dinner by myself, a half crab was perfect, a few oysters, bulots, shrimps, everything was extremely fresh and came with delicious bread and a generous amount of good quality salted butter.
There is also a bar, but really you want to soak up the atmosphere at a table and take your time!

I had higher hopes and maybe that's where I went wrong. First, I will start with the staff. They were very kind, provided good service, and tried to speak English to help us with our order. I'm grateful for that as I never expect others to speak my language.

If you want oysters/raw bar type meal, this is your place! I don't like oysters, so I skipped this. I ordered the chicken fricasse and I'll say it was okay. The gravy sauce on it was yummy, and the accompanying carrots were cooked to perfection. My husband ordered the lobster ravioli and said it was one of the best things he has ever eaten. So again, go the seafood route if you're dining here.

We also ordered the the avocado-prawn starter and I enjoyed it. It has grapefruit or maybe blood orange slices on it, plus lettuce, prawns, and avocado. The sauce was similar to a "thousand island" sauce (for the Americans reading this) and complimented everything nicely.

The decor is Art Deco, which I love! We chose to sit outside and I was immediately kicking myself upon remembering that the interior was Art Deco. A great and lively atmosphere indoors or out.

Service was a bit slow despite it not being too busy. The food was good nothing to go crazy about EXCEPT the crème burlee was absolutely amazing. The best crème burlee I've had in my life. Ambience was great, you can tell it's a common place where people go to celebrate a special day.

My wife and I go at least once per visit and while I have no idea how it compares to all of the other famous and antique grand brasseries, it has always been excellent when we have visited.

First things first it's a huge space with historically important and cool decorations which means it's nice to just absorb the surroundings as you eat -- I absolutely love the atmosphere.

Second the service will be sparse and aloof though mostly attentive and almost always pleasant enough -- do keep in mind that it's not fine dining so you won't get pampered. I will also say that during one occasion a member of our party felt accosted for asking for a substitution in a dish which was totally that person's fault for asking for the dish to be modified. If you're the kind of person who doesn't take kindly to someone not letting you tell them how to change their food then go elsewhere or stay home and cook for yourself.

As to the food:

1. Oysters are always fresh and tasty -- not as vast of a selection as some places nor as personally curated as say L'Avant Comptoir de Mer the Grand Cru platter never disappoints;

2. Onion soup -- always good, always scalding hot;

3. Frisée salad -- chock full of lardons though the egg is more hard boiled than poached so not my favorite;

4. Beef tartare -- excellent and a massive portion, though the fries accompanying it were a bit meh (oddly enough the fries another visit with the moules frites were fantastic);

5. Mussels steamed in Chablis -- always delicious;

6. Monkfish casserole -- very hearty though not a huge portion for the price;

7. Steak frites -- came out very rare (actually pretty bloody) but ok by me;

8. Chestnut veloute -- a bit muted but decent

And

9. Floating island -- one of the biggest versions of the dish I've tried and it was great

We spent out last night in Paris at this lovely ,large, French restaurant. We arrived around 10pm without a reservation and we were seated within 20 minutes,outside ( which we requested). They seem to be known for their raw bar- but we had the peppercorn tenderloin with fries and it was delicious! We started with the burrata salad,and it was fine,not great ,but perfectly fine.
The service was outstanding! The best we had in all of Paris. Friendly,professional and efficient!
The crepe for dessert is a must!!
Enjoy!