27 May

La Rotonde: emblem of the traditional local brasserie in Montparnasse

If La Coupole is seen as a mythical place among Parisian brasseries, La Rotonde is another one.
The Art Deco typograhycal signs used for the sign may lead you to expect and Art Deco decor, but the seat velvet padding, the omnipresent red colour, the copper, the leather and the lights all give a cosy and opulent Second Empire atmosphere. Walls are adorned by numerous painter’s canvasses, reminiscent of the house past.
This brasserie, opened in 1911, was a place often frequented between the two world wars by elite poets, writers, painters, sculptors and singers: Vlaminck and Soutine, Chagall and Braque, Apollinaire and Cocteau, Trotski and Modigliani, but also Darius Milhaud, André Breton, Louis Aragon, Mac Orlan, Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. The emblematic brasserie is patronised today by politicians and personalities from the film and publishing worlds. François Hollande was to be seen there on the evening of the primary elections, celebrating his victory over Martine Aubry.

Run for three generations by natives from Auvergne, whose descendants today are Serge and Gérard Tafanel, the brasserie is a great classic both for its surroundings and its menu. You can try traditional cuisine here that is both rustic and chic: Bourgogne snails with garlic butter, sliced fried “laborie” pig trotter with green Puy lentils, steamed cod with garlic mayonnaise, “Hugo Desnoyer” (the most famous Parisian butcher, supplying over 60 high quality restau rants) Lozere lamb leg and the famous sliced or minced beef tartar (again fromHugo Desnoyer).
Food is artistically presented on the plates
Starters are around €12.50, mains €27 and desserts €10. Three-course menus: €44.
Carefully selected wines start at €27. You can enjoy some very good bottles of wine (Pessac Léognan, Pomerol and Pauillac, etc.). The prices are on the high side but offer an excellent quality/price ratio.
The service is both professional and friendly, with an impressive battalion of waiters.
Finally, terrace lovers will appreciate this place on fine sunny days. The location is strategic and the street spectacle is not without charm, in this historic district.

la rotonde