Maison Sota

For those who took Spanish or failed French, “maison” translates to “house,” which explains the name of this restaurant from the Japanese chef who put neo-bistro Clown Bar on the map (and, subsequently, every visitor’s must-eat list), back in 2017. Located inside an actual two-story residence off a side street in the 11th arrondissement, Maison Sota is the new Septime in that it’ll be winning all the awards soon enough, so get in now while you still can. 

The action takes place upstairs under a wooden gable and inside the open kitchen, where Atsumi himself can be seen using tweezers to top rose-colored beef with bitter purslane or just-barely-roasted vegetables with slices of lemongrass and daikon radish.

At €140 for dinner (or €65 lunch), this is definitely one of the higher-end of tastings on our list, but between the unique setting, spacious seating, and almost too-pretty-to-eat meal, it practically feels like a steal compared to white-tablecloth restaurants of this caliber around Paris or in American cities. Prepare to spend a good amount of your afternoon or evening here, as courses are evenly paced—and there are a lot of them.