À la Petite Chaise, the restaurant on rue de Grenelle since 1680

À la Petite Chaise, a restaurant on rue de Grenelle in the 7th arrondissement, dates its founding to 1680. The house says it has welcomed guests without interruption ever since, which would make it one of the oldest restaurants in Paris; its founder’s name is not known.

The railing of its façade was designed for riders to tie up their horses. According to the house, Jean Racine came here as secretary to the Duchess of Chevreuse, the Regent, Philippe d’Orléans, held his suppers here, and Vidocq met his informers here after the Revolution.

Brillat-Savarin is said to have written part of his Physiology of Taste here. The house also counts Chateaubriand, Colette and Jean-Paul Sartre among its regulars. The dining room has kept to simple cooking, prepared on the premises.

On the Left Bank, between Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Faubourg Saint-Germain, the house serves traditional French cooking at lunch and dinner: eggs with mayonnaise, onion soup, puff pastries and dishes from the market.