Reims · Our Picks
The Best Restaurants in Reims, Area by Area
Fourteen restaurants in four parts of town, from the local institutions around the Boulingrin market to Taittinger's own dining room.
A zinc bar facing the Roman remains on Place du Forum. Oysters served at the back of a fish shop. Dinner in an old Champagne cellar. In Reims, the setting is often part of the meal, and each of the fourteen restaurants below has its own character, its own chef and its own way of welcoming guests, from fine dining to a seafood counter.
We've grouped them by area, so you can find a good table close to wherever you are: around Place du Forum and the Boulingrin market hall, between the cathedral and Place d'Erlon, near Saint-Remi and the great Champagne houses, and a little outside the centre for those happy to walk.
Along the way, you'll come across the word bistronomie, or bistronomy. It's the French blend of bistro and gastronomy: a relaxed setting and fair prices, with cooking worthy of a chef's table.
Forum & Boulingrin
Between Place du Forum, where the Roman galleries of the cryptoporticus come to light, and the Halles du Boulingrin, the city's Art Deco covered market, Rue de Mars and Rue du Temple are home to some of the most tempting tables in town. Five restaurants within a few streets, enough to keep you coming back for several evenings. It's also one of the two areas we recommend for your stay in Reims: find out more in our guide to where to stay in Reims.
Le Crypto
Fine dining with a bistro look, facing the Roman cryptoporticus
A zinc bar, wine racks and, right across the square, the Roman cryptoporticus: Le Crypto has the look of an old-fashioned bistro and the standards of a top restaurant. Chef Frédéric Dupont, who has cooked at Les Crayères and Le Millénaire, serves traditional food rooted in the Champagne region, with just enough modern touches to surprise you. Depending on the season, you might find meagre (a delicate white fish) cooked on the plancha, beef with green peppercorn sauce, or a dessert starring the biscuit rose, the pink treat Reims is famous for, traditionally dipped in Champagne. Portions are generous, service runs smoothly, and the wine list gives Champagne pride of place. The kind of place you come back to.
- 📍14 Place du Forum
- 🕐Tuesday to Saturday, lunch and dinner
Au Petit Comptoir
The chef's tasting menu in a smart bistro near the market hall
At Au Petit Comptoir, François Schildknecht champions classic French cooking: everything made in-house, seasonal produce, and a menu that changes very often. The place has the feel of a bistro but the ambition of a true chef's table. The best way to experience it is the tasting menu: seven courses chosen by the chef for the whole table, at €90. Order it before 1 pm at lunch or before 8:45 pm at dinner, and keep the rest of your afternoon or evening free.
- 📍17 Rue de Mars
- 🕐Monday to Thursday, noon–2 pm and 7–10 pm; Friday and Saturday until 10:30 pm
- 📞+33 3 26 40 58 58
- 🌐au-petit-comptoir.fr
Version Originale
Globe-trotting cooking in a small, intimate dining room near the market
At VO, as everyone calls it, the menu changes every week and never sits still. Chef Christophe Mertes starts with fresh seasonal produce and takes it far afield. Recent dishes have included a yellow shrimp curry with coconut milk, a sausage rougail (a spicy Creole dish from Réunion Island) and a sea bass and king prawn tagine, alongside monkfish with Champagne lentils and duck breast with green peppercorns. The journey continues with tapas for sharing, from salt cod fritters to chicken and mint spring rolls, by way of snails in garlic and parsley butter. The dining room is small and hushed, with lounge music in the background. The three-course set menu costs €29 at lunch and €49 at dinner.
- 📍25 bis Rue du Temple
- 🕐Tuesday to Saturday
- 📞+33 3 26 02 69 32
- 🌐vo-reims.fr
L'ExtrA
Modern cooking in an Art Deco dining room opposite the Boulingrin market
Opposite the market hall, a 1920s building with Art Deco lines houses a bright, calm dining room with its original mosaic floor and pale wood. The food is modern and precise: octopus carpaccio with Soissons beans, cod with creamed corn, a Grand Marnier soufflé with a citrus heart. It has earned L'ExtrA a place in the Michelin Guide. The restaurant stands out in another way, too: most of the team, in the kitchen and in the dining room, are people with intellectual or cognitive disabilities, supported by experienced professionals. Run as a cooperative, it is backed by Arnaud Lallement, the three-Michelin-star chef of L'Assiette Champenoise. Service is attentive and warm. You come for a good meal, and leave with a little something more.
- 📍23 ter Rue du Temple
- 🕐Lunch Tuesday to Saturday; dinner Thursday to Saturday
- 📞+33 7 66 08 24 92
- 🌐lextra-reims.fr
Le Bocal
A seafood counter at the back of the Poissonnerie des Halles fish shop
To reach your table at Le Bocal, you first walk past the counters of the Poissonnerie des Halles, the fish shop that owns it, before stepping into the dining room at the back. It's hard to get much closer from sea to plate. The menu follows the day's catch and the chef's inspiration: Gillardeau, Saint-Vaast or Veules-les-Roses oysters, brown shrimp and langoustines, tartares, smoked fish, grilled octopus, and even caviar for special nights. The produce speaks for itself, and the wine list backs it up with reasonably priced Champagnes and wines. On Fridays from 6:30 to 8 pm, the Happy Oyster session introduces one oyster, its region, its producer and how it was matured. It takes place on the terrace, with no booking needed. The rest of the week, reserving is a good idea.
- 📍27 Rue de Mars
- 🕐Tuesday to Saturday, lunch and dinner
- 📞+33 3 26 47 02 51
- 🌐restaurantlebocal.fr
Cathedral & Erlon
This is the Reims you cross on foot between sights: the cathedral square, the Opera House, the Promenades and Place d'Erlon. Four very different restaurants share the area, from the Opera's former bar, now doubling as an art gallery, to a Champagne cellar beneath the streets. If you're also looking for somewhere to stay nearby, our guide to where to stay in Reims covers this area.
La Table des Sacres
Homemade cooking on the old coronation route
The name says it all: sacres means coronations, and the restaurant sits halfway between the cathedral, where French kings were crowned, and the Basilica of Saint-Remi, on the royal route. There's even a crown printed on the menu. On the plate, though, nothing is stuffy. Everything is homemade from fresh, local produce, and the cooking plays with regional traditions without being boxed in by them. Burgundy snails arrive in a little casserole dish with a sauce made from Chaource, a creamy cheese from the south of the Champagne region. Cod gets a shellfish jus with miso and calamansi, while sea bream takes an exotic detour with sweet potato, coconut milk and a banana and passion fruit salsa. Main courses run from about €20 to €28, in a warm setting. Vegetarians get their own dish, flagged on the menu: Charlotte potatoes cooked like a tartiflette, with smoked cream and black garlic. To finish, the apple crumble gets the tarte Tatin treatment.
- 📍6 Rue Gambetta
- 🕐Tuesday to Saturday, noon–2:30 pm and 7–10 pm
- 📞+33 3 26 89 12 12
- 🌐latabledessacres.fr
L'Agape
Bistronomy and art, right by the Opera House
L'Agape occupies the former ground-floor bar of the Opera House, on Rue Tronsson-Ducoudray, the little street linking the Opera's forecourt to the cathedral's. The dining room seats around thirty and doubles as an exhibition space for artists, so dinner feels a little like an evening in a gallery. The kitchen fully embraces bistronomy, with plenty of indulgence and well-judged hints of faraway places. A shrimp ceviche with coconut milk, ginger and Timut pepper opens the meal. Pan-seared foie gras comes with smoked eel and horseradish. Desserts love a playful twist, from a chocolate-hazelnut take on the Paris-Brest, a ring of choux pastry, to a trompe-l'œil coconut with yuzu, pineapple and mango. The wine list is just as carefully chosen, with a sharp selection of wines and Champagnes. At lunch (except Saturdays), the €29 set menu is a great introduction, and the €52 Gourmet menu lets you explore the whole kitchen. Ideal for dinner before or after a show.
- 📍2 Rue Tronsson-Ducoudray
- 🕐Tuesday to Saturday, lunch and dinner
- 📞+33 7 89 87 88 44
- 🌐lagapereims.com
Le Foch
A grand seafood table on the Promenades
On Boulevard Foch, along the Promenades, this is one of the most classic restaurants in Reims, in the best sense of the word. Chef Jacky Louazé turns out elaborate cooking that follows the seasons and whatever the market brings in. He has a clear soft spot for fish and shellfish, without turning his back on regional produce. The 2026 Gault&Millau guide gives it 15/20 and praises a remarkable cellar, rich in Champagnes, which Corinne Louazé brings to life in the dining room. One detail catches your eye as you walk in: the bar, crafted from clay from Vallauris, the pottery town on the French Riviera. This is the place to book for a birthday or an evening to remember. One thing to know: the chef is preparing to retire and a new owner is expected to take over. All the more reason to go while he's still in the kitchen.
- 📍37 Boulevard Foch
- 🕐Tuesday to Friday, 12:15–1:15 pm and 7:15–9:15 pm; Saturday dinner, 7:15–9:15 pm
- 📞+33 3 26 47 48 22
- 🌐lefoch.com
L'Alambic
Champagne-region cooking, served underground
Opposite the Manège and the Cirque, the city's historic circus building, you head down to dine in a genuine Champagne cellar. The modern décor sets off the old stone beautifully. Chef Fabrice Ansel holds the Maître Restaurateur title, an official French label guaranteeing that dishes are made on site from raw ingredients. His menu draws on regional dishes with a creative twist, and has something for everyone: a vegetarian plate with warm goat cheese toasts sits alongside the regional classics, and a pumpkin and ginger velouté gets the meal started. The €40 set menu, served at lunch and on Monday to Thursday evenings, is a good way in. On Friday and Saturday evenings there are two seatings, at 6:30 and 9:15 pm, so be sure to book the right one.
- 📍63 bis Rue de Chativesle
- 🕐Monday to Thursday evenings (arrivals 7–8:30 pm); Friday and Saturday lunch (noon–1:15 pm) and dinner (seatings at 6:30 and 9:15 pm)
- 📞+33 3 26 35 64 93
- 🌐restaurant-lalambic.fr
Saint-Remi & the Champagne houses
Southeast of the city centre, the Basilica of Saint-Remi and the great Champagne houses are just a few streets apart: Taittinger, Pommery, Ruinart and more. You come here for the cellar tours, and these three restaurants let you stay on for a meal.
Le Piras
Seasonal bistronomy steps from the basilica
A few steps from the basilica, on Rue Dieu-Lumière, Le Piras brings together two people: chef Charles Pinat in the kitchen and Marco Piras in the dining room. Everything is homemade, from the amuse-bouche to the ice creams and sorbets, and the menu changes with the seasons and the chef's ideas. On weekday lunchtimes, there's a set menu at €27 or €32 built around the dish of the day. In the evening, the menu becomes more elaborate, as a tribute to the basilica next door. Think slow-cooked egg with salsify cream and Reims ham, seared scallops with lobster sauce, or bull fillet with morel sauce. The Champagne list holds some lovely finds, with grower Champagnes such as Julien Chopin and Jérôme Blin alongside Palmer and Taittinger. It's also open for Sunday lunch, which is worth knowing after a visit to the basilica.
- 📍9 Rue Dieu-Lumière
- 🕐Every day, noon–2 pm; dinner Thursday to Saturday, 7–9 pm
- 📞+33 3 26 97 57 06
- 🌐le-piras-reims.fr
Polychrome
A “blending table” at the Taittinger Champagne house
At Taittinger, on Place Saint-Nicaise, lunch is an extension of the visit: you come in through the cellar tour reception, then take a seat in a bright dining room overlooking a garden. The house sums up the idea as a “blending table”: each dish is designed to go with a Taittinger Champagne, just as wines are blended to create a cuvée. A different chef is invited each year, and the current menu bears the signature of Charles Coulombeau, who holds Michelin stars in Nancy and Metz. The autumn tasting menu moves from sea bream with salsify and ginger to guinea fowl with shiitake and dates, before ending on orange and jalapeños. With the pairing, each course comes with its own cuvée, from Comtes de Champagne to Nocturne Rosé. Expect €65 for three courses, €80 for four and €115 for the tasting menu, with Champagne extra. The adjoining bar pours every cuvée in the range, plus seasonal tasting flights.
- 📍9 Place Saint-Nicaise (entry via the cellar tours)
- 🕐Thursday to Monday, lunch only (last seating 1:45 pm)
- ✉️polychrome@taittinger.fr
- 🌐taittinger.fr
Le Jardin des Crayères
The elegant brasserie of the Domaine Les Crayères
In the grounds of the Domaine Les Crayères, a château hotel set in its own park, Le Jardin plays the château's more relaxed little sister. Its contemporary building opens through a veranda and a terrace onto the herb garden, and that's where you'll want to sit in fine weather. The kitchen is led by Christophe Moret, who also heads Le Parc, the estate's Michelin-starred restaurant. The cooking follows the seasons and local produce: slow-cooked egg Florentine with haddock, cod with gremolata, sautéed veal rump with frites, a hazelnut Paris-Brest. The €42 Jardin menu (Sunday evening to Friday lunch) and the €50 Discovery menu offer a taste of a Relais & Châteaux estate at gentle prices. The Michelin Guide singles out its particularly interesting wine list. And to round off the afternoon, the grounds even have a pétanque court.
- 📍7 Avenue du Général-Giraud
- 🕐Every day, noon–2 pm and 6:45–9:45 pm
- 📞+33 3 26 24 90 90
- 🌐lescrayeres.com
Outside the centre
Two addresses a little away from the historic heart of the city, both well worth the detour.
Au Cul de Poule
The bistro where locals come to let their hair down
On Boulevard Carteret, Stéphane and Peggy Kikel run a place whose motto fits in one French word: s'encanailler, roughly “to let loose and have a little fun”. Lively tables, good wine and meals that last longer than planned: Au Cul de Poule keeps the spirit of the true French bistro alive, and its regulars come back again and again. In the kitchen, Stéphane holds the Maître Restaurateur title. He cooks with fresh, seasonal produce from suppliers he knows personally, some of them just outside Reims. At lunchtime, the “I Love Reims” set menu (from €22) changes every week. The house also has its weekly rituals: frogs' legs on Thursdays and, from Saturday, a “Sunday roast chicken” with morel sauce, Normandy cream and mashed potatoes. The wine list is Peggy's domain. She picks every bottle herself, from Champagnes to lesser-known finds, at every price point.
- 📍46 Boulevard Carteret
- 🕐Monday, Thursday and Friday, lunch and dinner; Tuesday lunch; Saturday lunch and dinner (two seatings on Friday and Saturday evenings, at 7:30 and 9:30 pm); closed Wednesday and Sunday
- 📞+33 3 26 47 60 22
- 🌐auculdepoule.com
La Table Saint Thomas
Seasonal cooking in a former carpentry workshop
Away from the tourist trail, near Avenue de Laon, La Table Saint Thomas has settled into a former carpentry workshop. It's run by a couple of seasoned restaurant professionals, who serve inventive, often-changing cooking based on fresh, seasonal, local produce. Everything is cooked to order, and the restaurant warns that it would rather run out of a dish than serve anything of lesser quality. This autumn, the Fil des Saisons menu (€37) features seared mackerel with green apple and beetroot, guinea fowl with a ratafia jus (ratafia is a sweet Champagne-region aperitif), cod with chanterelles or an autumn vegetable risotto, followed by a chocolate soufflé tartlet with saffron-poached pears. On weekdays, the €26 lunch menu is excellent value, and the €57 Discovery menu gives the chef free rein.
- 📍58 Rue du Docteur-Thomas
- 🕐Tuesday to Saturday, noon–1:15 pm; dinner 7:15–8:45 pm (except Wednesday); closed Sunday and Monday
- 📞+33 3 26 05 02 76
- 🌐la-table-saint-thomas.fr
Frequently asked questions
Which area is best for dinner in Reims?
Around the Boulingrin market hall, the Forum & Boulingrin area is home to five restaurants in this guide, from the globe-trotting cooking of Version Originale to the oysters at Le Bocal. Between the cathedral and Place d'Erlon, you dine just minutes from the main sights. Saint-Remi works best for lunch after a cellar tour, since Polychrome is open at lunchtime only. If you haven't settled on where to stay yet, our guide to where to stay in Reims compares the feel of each area.
Do I need to book?
Yes, especially on weekends. In France, lunch is usually served from noon to around 2 pm and dinner rarely starts before 7 pm, and kitchens close earlier than many visitors expect, so it pays to plan ahead. Several restaurants run two seatings on Friday and Saturday evenings, such as L'Alambic (6:30 and 9:15 pm) and Au Cul de Poule (7:30 and 9:30 pm). One exception: Le Bocal's Happy Oyster on Friday evenings, held on the terrace with no booking. At Polychrome, reservations go through Taittinger's online booking page.
Where can I eat near the cathedral?
L'Agape occupies the Opera House's former bar, on Rue Tronsson-Ducoudray, between the Opera and the cathedral square. La Table des Sacres is a few minutes away, on Rue Gambetta, on the way to the Basilica of Saint-Remi.
Where can I have lunch after a Champagne cellar tour?
At Taittinger, Polychrome serves lunch Thursday to Monday, with dishes designed around the house's cuvées. Close to the Champagne houses on Avenue du Général-Giraud, Le Jardin des Crayères is open every day. Near the basilica, Le Piras serves lunch every day, Sunday included.
Where can I eat on a Sunday in Reims?
On Sundays, most of the restaurants in this guide are closed. There are three exceptions, all around Saint-Remi: Le Piras and Polychrome serve Sunday lunch, and Le Jardin des Crayères is open for both lunch and dinner. It's the only place on the list for Sunday dinner, and its €42 Jardin menu is available from Sunday evening. Among the brasseries, the Excelsior, Café de la Paix, La Grande Georgette and Le Tablier are open seven days a week, and you'll find them all in our guide to the best brasseries in Reims. Either way, booking is a good idea.
Which restaurant is best for a special occasion?
Le Foch for its seafood-focused cooking and Champagne-rich cellar, Polychrome for an exceptional lunch at Taittinger, and Le Jardin des Crayères for its estate setting and terrace. Le Crypto is the other fine-dining choice in this guide. To go further, our guide to Michelin-starred restaurants in Reims covers the city's starred tables.
Where can I eat fish and seafood?
At Le Bocal, at the back of the Poissonnerie des Halles fish shop, the menu follows the day's catch. At Le Foch, chef Jacky Louazé has a soft spot for fish and shellfish, in a more upscale setting.
Do I need to tip in French restaurants?
No, not in the way you might at home. In France, service is included in menu prices by law (you'll often see “service compris”). Rounding up or leaving a few euros for good service is appreciated, but never expected.
Where can I find Michelin-starred restaurants, bistros and brasseries?
Each has its own guide: Michelin-starred restaurants, the best bistros and the best brasseries in Reims.
From dinner to bedtime: where to stay near these restaurants
Choosing where to stay in Reims is, in a way, choosing where you'll eat. Most of the restaurants in this guide are within walking distance of the centre, from the Boulingrin market to the cathedral. Staying in this area means you can book at the last minute, linger over dinner and walk back without needing a car. Our four apartments are right there, between Place du Forum and the cathedral.
Place du Forum
Grand Duplex Prestige
Up to 6 guests · 80 m² (860 sq ft) · private sauna and hammam
Place du Forum
Duplex Deluxe
Up to 4 guests · 50 m² (540 sq ft) · private hammam
Place du Forum
La Rêverie
Up to 4 guests · 42 m² (450 sq ft) · private hammam
Cathedral
La Noctambulle Cathédrale
Up to 5 guests · 45 m² (485 sq ft) · duplex 2 minutes' walk from the cathedral
To learn more about each one, read our articles on La Noctambulle Forum, La Noctambulle Cathédrale and La Rêverie. And to compare areas before you book, see our guide to where to stay in Reims.
