Paris is forever evolving, and one year post-Olympics, it can get back to summer business as usual with new places to dine, drink, appreciate art, sleep and party the night away.
Benihana Paris
163 Rue Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris, France
Benihana, the iconic American teppanyaki restaurant immortalized in film and television, from The Wolf of Wall Street to Mad Men, recently celebrated its 60th anniversary and debuted among the boutiques and landmarks on and around Rue Saint-Honoré. This is Benihana, as if you’ve never seen it before, with a chic cocktail program, sushi bar, and those famous grill tops where dining becomes culinary performance art. Designed by Mathilde LaVillaine, there is a hand-carved, 30-foot-high plum tree, or ume, that “grows” throughout the grand staircase, Kumiko pattern abstractions grace the windows, Japanese prints adorn the walls, and the art of kintsugi, using gold to fix fragmented objects and enhance their beauty, appears throughout the restaurant.
David Hockney 25
Fondation Louis Vuitton
8 Av. du Mahatma Gandhi, 75116 Paris, France
Fondation Louis Vuitton invites David Hockney to take over its entire building for an exhibition featuring more than 400 of his works over 11 rooms, focusing on the last 25 years. The works come from international, institutional and private collections, and the artist’s studio and Foundation. They feature various media, including oil and acrylic painting, ink, pencil and charcoal drawing, digital art and video. Hockney participated in the composition of each sequence and the layout of each space. In the exhibition’s final room, Hockney’s most recent works, painted in London, where the artist has been residing since July 2023, are inspired by Edvard Munch and William Blake. The exhibit is open through August 31.
Ducasse Baccarat
11 Pl. des États-Unis, 75116 Paris, France
Celebrating sunny days, the new culinary experience Ducasse Baccarat debuts Le Jardin: a terrace-restaurant and bar adorned with beautiful crystal objects. In Paris’s 16th arrondissement, the garden oasis designed by landscape architect Jérémie Attalis as a “visual, olfactory, and gustatory experience, filled with rare and delicious varieties,” is accessible through Baccarat Maison, which debuted last fall. Chef Alain Ducasse, Christophe Saintagne and Robin Schroeder present a seasonal menu for lunch and dinner with inventive dishes such as lobster French toast and yogurt-marinated spring chicken. They shop from the edible garden for these dishes, sourcing heirloom tomatoes, yellow zucchini, eggplants, aromatic herbs like basil, sage, mint and more. Le Jardin is also the perfect backdrop for a cocktail or afternoon tea. Of course, all beverages are served in Baccarat crystal glasses.
Le Bristol Paris
112 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris, France
You only need to know one person at Le Bristol Paris: their resident Burmese cat, Socrate, who wears a Goyard collar. He hasn’t been trolling the place for 100 years of its existence but his presence is felt throughout its storied halls. In honor of the centennial, Le Bristol Paris unveils the transformations of two of its most iconic suites. The Signature Honeymoon Suite features views of the Eiffel Tower and a fresco by Dimitri Rybaltchenko inspired by the myth of Eros and Psyche. The Imperial Suite, in collaboration with artist George Condo, transforms into a collector’s apartment adorned with custom-made artworks and green tones that mirror the hotel’s private garden. Snag a stay here for an epic Paris stay or visit the garden for an afternoon break from it all.
L’Aventure
4 Av. Victor Hugo, 75116 Paris, France
From trend-setting hospitality entrepreneurs and father-and-son duo Gilbert and Thierry Costes (Gilbert and his brother Jean-Louis are behind the legendary Hôtel Costes), the brand new L’Aventure, envisioned by maximalist designer Martin Brudnizki, features an already open private club and restaurant and a soon-to-open hotel. The building, located next to the Arc de Triomphe, has become a celebrity hang in a few short months, a hideaway that comes alive as the night progresses. Every evening, a light and digital art program metamorphoses the club, which drips in tapestries, plush gold and green tones, and monumental mosaics of mythological creatures. L’Aventure lives up to its playful motto, “the smallest club where the greatest artists play,” but it’s all hush-hush.