We’ll let you in on a secret: Vantre has one of the best wine lists in the city. This unassuming bistro is the placefor Parisian long-lunch perfection, a succession of artfully plated dishes in a light and airy small dining room. The list of wines is staggering, featuring some 3,000 or so bottles, from somewhat out-of-place magnums of Dom to some of Burgundy’s most interesting premier crus.

Vantre levels up the wine bar to a fine dining experience, sans white tablecloths. Servers dressed in button-downs will present to you the leg of lamb you ordered and talk preparation before it’s roasted in the back, while ’90s R&B and low conversation fill the room. Dishes are buttery, creamy, and downright delicious French food that’s artfully arranged.

This is sort of one of those pilgrimage spots that every sommelier must go to when in Paris. No, you can’t find the wine list online, so you just have to visit this 11th arrondissement spot and ask sommelier Marco Pelletier and his team very nicely to pull some cool bottles for you. (Their cellar has a ridiculous number of labels that hovers around 4,000 selections, and most of them aren’t listed anyway.) My advice is to buy a really nice bottle for a couple hundred euros from producers like Ganevat, Mark Angeli, or Mugneret-Gibourg—so they know you mean business—and then ask what else they might have squirreled away.

With a name like Vantre, the gastronomic expectations are already set high – and when we say that this spot overdelivers, we mean it. Founded by Marco Pelletier (formerly of Le Bristol) in 2016, this wine-focused restaurant has quickly become a must-visit for local and international imbibers alike. Located just a few steps from the foot of the Canal Saint-Martin, this casual restaurant stocks around 6,000 references (including on and off the list) in its immense cellar, with Pelletier ready and eager to navigate any palate preference to their perfect bottle.

On pense mordre dans une entrecôte frite avec un quart de côte et voilà qu’on se retrouve tourneboulé par les assiettes ciselées du jeune chef Satria Vue (longtemps sous-chef ici), qui convoque tempura de sardines et merlu nacré cinglé par une sauce chorizo… L’expérience ne serait pas complète sans le sommelier Marco Pelletier (passé par le Bristol), la gouaille en bandoulière, qui cornaque la petite salle et une des plus belles caves de Paris avec de rarissimes bouteilles. Et pour ne rien gâcher, les prix ont été vaccinés contre l’inflation !

Marco Pelletier was the sommelier at the very chic, three-star Le Bristol before going out on his own to open his own wine-focused home base,” says Adler — and wine-focused he is. Pelletier’s list has an astounding 2,000 labels, making this 11th-arrondissement-based bistro a natural wine lover’s mecca. For food, the sage butter gnocchi is absolutely unmissable, and for wine?

19 Rue de la Fontaine au Roi Telephone (33) 014-8061-696 Websitevantre.fr Grand Award. The laid-back comfort of Vantre bridges the divide between Paris’ high-end and more casual restaurants. With an intimate dining room evoking a bistro and an expansive wine list, it lives up to its name—Vantre being a word used during the Middle Ages for a “place of enjoyment.

Close to République (11th arrondissement), Vantre opened its doors in September 2016 under the direction of Marco Pelletier. After several years of studies in civil engineering, the Canadian sommelier left everything to follow his passion for wine. A few years later, the roads led him to the head of Taillevent and the famous Hotel Bristol Paris.

Vantre in Paris is run by sommeliers who take pride in a thoughtfully curated wine selection. The atmosphere is casually elegant, mixing modern touches with a timeless feel. It’s an unpretentious spot where you can unwind and explore new favorites in a relaxed setting.