Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen, in the square gardens in the eastern part of the
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe is l ...
in the
8th arrondissement, is one of the oldest restaurants in Paris. Its long history places it on the Champs-Élysées before the street's beautification.
In a two-storey pavilion with gardens, Ledoyen is considered to be one of Paris's best gourmet restaurants, and boasts three Michelin stars.
The building is owned by the City of Paris. It is operated by the company, "Carré des Champs Elysées".
History
Initially, it began in 1779 as a very small inn named ''Au Dauphin''.
It was near the Place Louis XV (current
Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde () is one of the major public squares in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.
...
), near the
Café des Ambassadeurs (between
Avenue des Champs-Élysées
Avenue or Avenues may refer to:
Roads
* Avenue (landscape), traditionally a straight path or road with a line of trees, in the shifted sense a tree line itself, or some of boulevards (also without trees)
* Avenue Road, Bangalore
* Avenue Road, Lon ...
and the current
Avenue Gabriel). At that time it was a country inn on the outskirts of Paris and cows grazed in the fields outside.
On 4 August 1791, Pierre-Michel Ledoyen, a son of caterers, rented it and established it as a formal restaurant.
Ledoyen, a dishwasher in his early years,
renamed the restaurant after himself in 1814, and it was owned by the Desmazures for many years. In 1842, architect
Jacques Hittorff
Jacques Ignace Hittorff or, in German, Jakob Ignaz Hittorff (, ) (Cologne, 20 August 1792 – 25 March 1867) was a German-born French architect who combined advanced structural use of new materials, notably cast iron, with conservative Bea ...
, responsible for the development of the gardens of the Champs-Élysées, transferred the restaurant to its present location.
Six years later, it was repaired and renovated following a fire.
Today, the building's walls are owned by the city of Paris. It received three
Michelin Star status under
Christian Le Squer since 2002.
It is operated by
Yannick Alléno
Yannick Alléno (born 16 December 1968) is a French chef who operates the restaurants Pavillon Ledoyen and L'Abysse in Paris and Le 1947 in Courchevel. He has been awarded twelve Michelin stars in his career.
Biography
Born on 16 December 1968 ...
, who in his first year achieved three Michelin stars.
Architecture and fittings
The original building was , with white walls and green shutters.
When the restaurant was relocated in 1784 it was to a two-storey pavilion with terraced gardens,
designed in the
Neoclassical style. The 1886 oil-on-canvas, ''Scandinavian Artists' Lunch at Cafe Ledoyen, Paris, on Varnishing Day'' by the Swedish painter
Hugo Birger
Hugo Birger (born Hugo Birger Peterson) (12 January 1854 – 17 June 1887) was a Swedish painter.
Biography
Born in Stockholm, his father was printmaker S. A. Peterson. Birger studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts from 1870 to 1877. In ...
suggests something of the appearance of the restaurant in the late 19th century.
Its features include many huge windows, ornate ceilings,
and historic second floor rooms.
Dining areas include outdoor seating, interior ''salons'',
and a 1950s-style grill room.
Notable patrons
During the late 18th century, it was a haunt of
Louis de Saint-Just and
Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the best-known, influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Esta ...
and they dined there on 26 July 1794, two days before their execution.
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
and
Joséphine de Beauharnais
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* Josephine Cou ...
reportedly met at the restaurant and the restaurant was also a favourite of artists and writers such as
Danton
Georges Jacques Danton (; 26 October 1759 – 5 April 1794) was a French lawyer and a leading figure in the French Revolution. He became a deputy to the Paris Commune, presided in the Cordeliers district, and visited the Jacobin club. In August ...
,
Marat
Marat may refer to:
People
*Marat (given name)
*Marat (surname)
**Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793), French political theorist, physician and scientist
Arts, entertainment, and media
*''Marat/Sade'', a 1963 play by Peter Weiss
* ''Marat/Sade'' (fil ...
,
Degas
Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings.
Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints and drawings. Degas is espec ...
,
Monet
Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During ...
,
Zola Zola may refer to:
People
* Zola (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* Zola (musician) (born 1977), South African entertainer
* Zola (rapper), French rapper
* Émile Zola, a major nineteenth-century French writer
Plac ...
,
Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert ( , , ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. Highly influential, he has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flauber ...
and
Guy de Maupassant
Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, remembered as a master of the short story form, as well as a representative of the Naturalist school, who depicted human lives, destin ...
.
A mid-19th-century account states that the restaurant was also the breakfast place of duellists, who, after shooting at each other in the
Bois de Boulogne
The Bois de Boulogne (, "Boulogne woodland") is a large public park located along the western edge of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine. The land was ceded to the city of Paris by t ...
, reconciled over breakfast at Ledoyen.
See also
*
List of Michelin three starred restaurants
Michelin stars are a rating system used by the red Michelin Guide to grade restaurants on their quality. The guide was originally developed in 1900 to show French drivers where local amenities such as restaurants and mechanics were. The rating sys ...
References
External links
Restaurant siteFrench gourmet internet website
{{Michelin Guide 3-star restaurants in France
Restaurants in Paris
Restaurants established in 1779
Buildings and structures in the 8th arrondissement of Paris
Commercial buildings completed in 1842
Michelin Guide starred restaurants in France
Champs-Élysées
1779 establishments in France