Where to Eat at the Louvre: Every Restaurant and Café, Ranked and Reviewed
From Angelina pastries to Pyramid views, this is the complete guide to food and drink at the Louvre.
Things to Know | Inside the Museum | Outside the Museum | Tuileries Gardens | My Recommendations
Here is a truth nobody tells you before your first visit to the Musée du Louvre: you will get hungry. The museum covers nearly 9 miles of gallery space, and no amount of excitement about 3,000-year-old artifacts will stop your body from demanding a snack somewhere around hour three.
The good news is that the Louvre has far more dining options than most visitors realize, ranging from quick grab-and-go counters to proper sit-down meals with some of the most iconic views in Paris. The bad news is that if you don't know what's there, you'll end up stress-eating an overpriced sandwich in the first café you find, which is rarely the best one.
This is the full guide: every food and drink option inside and just outside the Louvre, what each one is actually good for, and which ones are worth planning your visit around.
A few things to know before you eat
Museum cafés and restaurants peak between 12pm and 2:30pm. Eat before or after that window and you'll have a much better experience.
Prices inside the museum are higher than eating outside. That's just the reality. Budget accordingly.
Bring a water bottle. The galleries are large and can get warm.
Some options are seasonal or garden-based and only open April through October.
Always check the Louvre website for current hours before your visit, as some venues adjust their schedules seasonally.
Inside the museum
Café Richelieu Angelina
Richelieu Wing, Level 1 | €€ | Best for: a proper break with something special
The standout dining experience inside the museum. Operated by Angelina, the legendary Parisian tearoom founded in 1903, this café is known for its extraordinarily rich hot chocolate (one of the best in Paris), the iconic Mont-Blanc pastry, and a light lunch menu of salads and sandwiches. The terrace has a beautiful view overlooking the Cour Napoléon and the Pyramid.
Open daily except Tuesday, 9:45am to 4:45pm, Fridays until 6:30pm. Worth planning your day around.
Terrasse Colbert
Richelieu Wing, Level 1 (accessible via Café Richelieu Angelina) | € | Best for: a quick outdoor break with a great view
A seasonal outdoor terrace connected to Café Richelieu Angelina, offering cold drinks, ice cream, sorbets, savory snacks, and pastries from a more casual counter. The views of the Pyramid from up here are stunning.
Open April to September, weather permitting. One of the most underrated spots in the whole museum when the sun is out.
Le Café Mollien
Denon Wing, Level 1 | €€ | Best for: the best hidden terrace in the museum
Almost nobody finds this one on their first visit, which makes it one of the best spots in the museum. It sits on a balcony carved into the Denon Wing overlooking the Pyramid and Tuileries Garden, with some of the most spectacular views you'll get without paying Café Marly prices. The menu is simple and reasonably priced: quiche, soups, salads, wine, beer, pastries. The terrace entrance is hidden, so look past the cashier toward the windows and slip through. Worth finding even if you're not particularly hungry.
Café Pyramide
Level -2, beneath the Glass Pyramid | €€€ | Best for: a full meal without leaving the museum
A modern bistro-style restaurant located directly beneath the Pyramid. The menu is broader than the cafes: salads, soups, croque-monsieurs, chicken, fish, duck, and pasta. More of a proper lunch than a snack stop. Pricier than the other internal options, but good if you want a full sit-down meal mid-visit without going outside.
Les Comptoirs du Louvre
Level -1, near the Carrousel entrance | € | Best for: a fast, cheap snack
A quick-service counter near the Carrousel underground entrance. Coffee, sandwiches, pastries, and snacks. Convenient rather than memorable. Grab something here if you're in a rush, but don't make a detour for it.
La Boulangerie du Louvre
Inside the museum | € | Best for: pastries and baked goods on the go
A bakery counter offering fresh bread, viennoiseries, sandwiches, and sweet treats at the lower end of museum pricing. Good for a morning pastry or a grab-and-go lunch without committing to a sit-down experience.
Café des Lions
Inside the museum, near the Porte des Lions entrance | € | Best for: a quiet sweet treat
A small, low-key café near the Porte des Lions entrance, focused on sweet treats and drinks. Rarely crowded since most visitors don't know about the Porte des Lions entrance at all. A good spot for a quiet coffee and pastry without the usual museum café chaos.
Bistrot Benoit
Inside the museum | €€€ | Best for: a proper French bistro experience
The most restaurant-like option inside the Louvre. Classic French bistro dishes served in a zinc-and-red-velvet setting with white-aproned staff: snail casserole, pâté en croûte with thyme, rum baba, and a pot of chocolate cream for dessert. If you want a real meal that feels like Paris rather than a museum cafeteria, this is where to go.
Just outside the museum (still within the complex)
Café Marly
93 Rue de Rivoli, beneath the Richelieu arcades | €€€€ | Best for: the most iconic view in Paris
Technically outside the museum but directly connected, under the arcades of the Louvre between the Cour Napoléon and the Tuileries Gardens. A Parisian institution: terrace facing the Pyramid, historic interiors designed by Olivier Gagnère, and a full menu running from breakfast through 2am. The food is good but the setting is the point. There is no other restaurant in Paris with quite this view. Pricier than everything else on this list, but worth it at least once. Reservations are recommended for lunch and dinner.
Open daily 8am to 2am.
In the Tuileries Gardens (seasonal)
Café des Marronniers
Jardin des Tuileries | €€€ | Best for: a garden lunch in the sun
A charming sit-down café in the heart of the Tuileries Gardens, with a large shaded terrace under the chestnut trees. Mediterranean-leaning menu, garden café atmosphere, popular with families.
Open daily 10am to 8pm during the season. A lovely option if you're spending time in the gardens between museum visits.
Terrasse de Pomone
Edge of the Tuileries pond | €€ | Best for: views of both the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay
A seasonal outdoor café with a terrace right on the edge of the Tuileries pond -- one of the few spots in Paris where you can see both the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay from the same chair. Menu includes baguette sandwiches, draft beer, champagne by the glass, fresh-squeezed juices, galettes, waffles, crêpes, and French salads. More casual than Café des Marronniers, lower prices, and the setting is hard to beat on a warm afternoon.
Open April 15 to October 15.
Pavillon des Tuileries
Jardin des Tuileries | €€€ | Best for: a more upscale garden lunch
A sit-down restaurant in the Tuileries Gardens for visitors looking for something a step above the garden café experience. Seasonal French menu in a pavilion setting. Worth considering if you're spending a leisurely afternoon in the gardens and want more than a snack.
Petit Plisson aux Tuileries
Jardin des Tuileries | €€ | Best for: quality grab-and-go or a light sit-down
An outpost of the beloved Paris grocery and deli concept Plisson, offering high-quality sandwiches, salads, charcuterie, pastries, and drinks. A step above the typical park café in terms of ingredient quality. Good for a quick but genuinely good lunch.
Petit Farmers
Jardin des Tuileries | € | Best for: a fast, budget-friendly snack
A low-key takeaway option in the gardens for visitors who just want something quick and affordable. Sandwiches, snacks, and drinks to go.
Eric Kayser
Jardin des Tuileries area | € | Best for: excellent bread and pastries
An outpost of the famous Parisian bakery chain known for its sourdough bread, croissants, and pastries. One of the more reliable options for a quality baked good at a reasonable price, and far better than most museum snack options. Takeaway focused.
My recommendations
Best view inside the museum: Le Café Mollien. The hidden terrace is worth the effort of finding it.
Best overall dining experience inside: Café Richelieu Angelina. The hot chocolate alone justifies stopping here.
Best for a quick snack: La Boulangerie du Louvre or Les Comptoirs du Louvre. Fast, low-key, and easy.
Best splurge: Café Marly. Once in a lifetime kind of setting.
Best for a warm afternoon outside: Terrasse de Pomone. The pond views are extraordinary and the prices are fair.
Best for a proper meal: Bistrot Benoit inside, or Café Marly if budget allows.
