The story
Septime, at 80 Rue de Charonne in Paris 11, is a bistro serving modern cuisine that earned a Michelin star in 2026. The restaurant has also ranked on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, most recently at number 40 in 2025. Its menus change with the seasons, and the cooking is built around vegetables and careful sourcing.
Bertrand Grébaut trained as a graphic designer before cooking, and he worked at Alain Passard's Arpège before opening Septime. His plates are highly vegetable-based and follow what the market offers. Théo Pourriat, his school friend and a former economist, runs the dining room and selects the wines.
A Le Fooding visit to a five-course lunch menu included roasted ricotta wrapped in a fig leaf, served with fig-infused oil and a sourdough za'atar cracker. Smoked albacore from Saint-Jean-de-Luz was marinated with seaweed and paired with tart berries and sour cream. Semi-dehydrated tomatoes arrived in a bouillabaisse broth finished with tarragon oil. The meal ended with a poached peach scented with rose petals and a sheep's milk frozen yogurt.
The dining room has waxed concrete floors, untreated wooden furniture, and a windowed wall, with metal suspension lamps overhead. Flowers come from Arôm. Wine pairings are available at both lunch and dinner, and the list draws on a long roster of growers, many of them named on the restaurant's own site.
Recognition
Details
History
High quality cooking
Named after the restaurant in the classic Louis de Funès film Grand Restaurant , Bertrand Grébaut and Théophile Pourriat’s private lair delights the palates of the most demanding diners. The former cooks up incredible, highly vegetable-based dishes, while the latter pampers clients (be they celebrities or otherwise) in the country chic dining room (waxed concrete floors, untreated wooden furniture, flowers from Arôm, a windowed wall, metal suspension lamps…). The day we went for lunch, the five-course carte blanche menu featured: flamboyant roasted ricotta wrapped in a fig leaf with fig-infused oil, paired with a sourdough za’atar cracker; amazing smoked Albacore tuna from Saint-Jean-de-Luz marinated with seaweed, paired with tangy berries (cherries, jostaberries and blackberries) and sour cream; sublime semi-dehydrated tomatoes sprinkled with mustard seeds, in a bouillabaisse broth dotted with tarragon oil; before a lesson in luxurious sobriety with a poached peach delicately fragranced with rose petals and fresh smashed raspberries, peppery crushed meringue and a sheep’s milk frozen yogurt. // N.K.
Perfectly Parisian:Septime is a super-cool restaurant on an ultra-cool street run by cool people and frequented by cool customers. The food is dictated by the seasons and served without pretention. What dishes can I expect?One of the biggest charms of this neo-industrial bistro is its fair pricing: $85 for five courses at lunch and $135 for seven courses at dinner. Chef Bertrand Grébaut’s modern French food has been luring diners from around the world since the rustic restaurant’s debut more than a decade ago. Expect thoughtful, ingredient-driven plates with global touches, such as delicate plates of cepes and girolles with peppercorn sauce, or young leeks in a mussel and pimenton butter topped with wafer-thin slices of lardo. More on the chef:Graphic designer-turned-chef Bertrand Grébaut, formerly of Alain Passard’s iconic Arpège, helms the kitchen, while his school friend and former economist Théo Pourriat runs the dining room and selects the wines.Plan in advance:Due to its limited number of oversubscribed seats, booking a table at Septime is not a simple task; the restaurant accepts reservations three weeks in advance, online only. Other projects:Should you be unable to get into Septime, Grébaut and Pourriat also command a growing number of nearby restaurants: seafood-focused Clamato, natural wine bar Septime La Cave, as well as artisanal, seasonal pastry shop Tapisserie. Further afield, the duo owns a charming countryside hotel two hours’ away from Paris, called D’Une Île. Eco credentials:Hyper-sustainable Septime was also the winner of the Sustainable Restaurant Award in 2017, and Grébaut and Pourriat recently released Septime, a book that aims to tell the everyday story of their restaurants, including inspiration, recipes and more.
Named after the restaurant in the classic Louis de Funès film Grand Restaurant , Bertrand Grébaut and Théophile Pourriat’s private lair delights the palates of the most demanding diners. The former cooks up incredible, highly vegetable-based dishes, while the latter pampers clients (be they celebrities or otherwise) in the country chic dining room (waxed concrete floors, untreated wooden furniture, flowers from Arôm, a windowed wall, metal suspension lamps…). The day we went for lunch, the five-course carte blanche menu featured: flamboyant roasted ricotta wrapped in a fig leaf with fig-infused oil, paired with a sourdough za’atar cracker; amazing smoked Albacore tuna from Saint-Jean-de-Luz marinated with seaweed, paired with tangy berries (cherries, jostaberries and blackberries) and sour cream; sublime semi-dehydrated tomatoes sprinkled with mustard seeds, in a bouillabaisse broth dotted with tarragon oil; before a lesson in luxurious sobriety with a poached peach delicately fragranced with rose petals and fresh smashed raspberries, peppery crushed meringue and a sheep’s milk frozen yogurt. // N.K.
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