Best restaurants in Vincennes, France: L’Ours

When you’re ready to celebrate, L’Ours is your place.

My tastemaker foodie friend in Paris introduced me to this gem to celebrate my Netflix announcement, our 10-year anniversary of friendship, and finally (after so much caution during covid and visa processes) being back in Paris. And if anything could restore my faith in the Michelin Guide, this might just be it. 

The dining room was elegant but also modern, with lots of warm wood tones and cool-painted walls. We ordered the five-course lunch and the special extra course (a surprise course that would turn out to be my friend’s favorite dish of the night), plus a glass of Champagne each. 

First, the special course: teriyaki eel with seaweed and caviar. A burst of bright flavors plated on a plate that looked like a stone. When I asked my friend her favorite dish of the night, this one was her answer with no hesitation.

Next came a flaky, light white fish with three sauces in sesame and fruit flavors, a cold soup with caviar and citrus sorbet sprinkled with edible flowers (served with seed bread), and a collection of small bites bursting with flavor: parmesan, red pepper, cinnamon, and a single bite of beet ravioli.

The little pepper bite was one of the most memorable moments of the lunch for me. My mouth screamed “pizza!” but not quite. Elegant and bright and happy. 

Then it was onto my other favorite bite of the day: a warm, comforting quinoa with crab so tender it practically melted on the tongue. Can a person lick their plate clean in a Michelin-starred establishment? I was tempted.

The meat course was perfectly tender beef topped with a thin crisp whose flavor I never quite placed (but there were hints of licorice to it), served with a side of new potatoes in a light pesto-like sauce. 

And when it came time for dessert, they thrilled us with not one, not two, but four dishes – and then a tiny bite of cookie for the road. The first: a riot of rhubarb prepared in different styles. The second: a tart sorbet with milk foam on top to even it out. The third: a caramel-coated peach bonanza. And finally, two perfect candy bites.

If you can’t tell by the description, I loved every bite. Absolutely would recommend this little gem, tucked away in the suburbs just outside Paris (and only five minutes from a sweet stretch of forest where a post-lunch walk is the perfect fifth dessert).

Address: 10 Rue de l’Église, Vincennes

Phone:+33 01 46 81 50 34

Hours: 12:00 – 14:00 and 19:30 – 21:30 Tuesday through Saturday; definitely reserve ahead

Dog friendly? Yes, but ask ahead.