Le Grand Véfour (), the first grand restaurant in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, was opened in the arcades of the Palais-Royal in 1784 by Antoine Aubertot, as the ''Café de Chartres'', and was purchased in 1820 by Jean Véfour, who was able to retire within three years, selling the restaurant to Jean Boissier. A list of regular customers over the last two centuries includes most of the heavyweights of French culture and politics, along with '' le tout-Paris''.

Sauce Mornay A Mornay sauce is a béchamel sauce with shredded or grated cheese added. Some variations use different combinations of Gruyère, Emmental cheese, white cheddar or even Parmesan cheese. A Mornay sauce made with cheddar is commonly used to make ...

was one of the preparations introduced at the Grand Véfour. Closed from 1905 to 1947, a revived Grand Véfour opened with the celebrated chef

Raymond Oliver Raymond Oliver (27 March 1909 – 5 November 1990) was a French chef and owner of Le Grand Véfour restaurant in Paris, one of France's great historical restaurants. Oliver detested '' nouvelle cuisine'', preferring the rich ingredients favored ...

in charge in the autumn of 1948.

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the s ...

designed his menu. The restaurant, with its early nineteenth-century neoclassical décor of large mirrors in gilded frames and painted

supraporte An "overdoor" (or "Supraporte" as in German, or "sopraporte" as in Italian) is a painting, bas-relief or decorative panel, generally in a horizontal format, that is set, typically within ornamental mouldings, over a door, or was originally intend ...

s, continues its tradition of

gastronomy Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between food and culture, the art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, the cooking styles of particular regions, and the science of good eating. One who is well versed in gastr ...

at the same location, "a history-infused citadel of classic French cuisine." In 1983, the restaurant was destroyed in a bomb attack. It was then bought by Jean Taittinger who restored and reopened the place. When it lost one of its three Michelin stars in 2008 under the régime of Guy Martin for the Taittinger Group, it was headline news."Grand Vefour restaurant in Paris loses third Michelin star"
''International Herald-Tribune,'', 3 March 2008

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Vefour, le. 1784 establishments in France Restaurants in Paris French restaurants in France Michelin Guide starred restaurants in France Buildings and structures in the 1st arrondissement of Paris