Elmer

The story

Elmer Paris – Modern Cuisine & Wood-Fire Rotisserie by Chef Simon Horwitz

On a quiet street in the 3rd arrondissement, Elmer is a Parisian restaurant built around the heat of a wood fire and the rhythm of a rotisserie. Chef Simon Horwitz and his team work daily with fresh produce sourced from small French farms—organic and eco-responsible—to create dishes that are perfectly suited to the spit and the smoky depth of the flames.

Horwitz’s path to opening his own address was anything but direct. A graduate of École Ferrandi, he cooked alongside Jacques Chibois at Bastide Saint-Antoine, Sylvestre Wahid at Oustau de Baumanière and Strato in Courchevel, and Pierre Gagnaire at Balzac in Paris. In 2011, he helped his former classmate Bertrand Grébaut open Septime, then worked on Crom’exquis with Pierre Meneau. But it was the years that followed that truly shaped his cooking. He travelled through Southeast Asia, worked in Ben Shewry’s kitchen at Attica in Melbourne, explored street food in Hong Kong, studied traditional Japanese cuisine in Kyoto, and then moved on to South America—cooking with Enrique Olvera at Pujol in Mexico City and with Virgilio Martínez at Central in Peru. These experiences reinforced his taste for authentic ingredients, conviviality, and dishes meant to be shared.

At Elmer, the menu highlights beautiful cuts of meat and fish cooked on the broche, lifted by the heat of the fire. The wine list, curated by sommelier Sébastien Perrot, is built with care—Perrot brings experience from La Maison de l’Aubrac, Le Petit Sommelier, and the wine-and-tapas bar Les Rouquins, and he works to erase the distance between kitchen, service, and cellar.

The restaurant offers a Chef’s Table in front of the wine cellar for groups of 8 to 16, with custom menus starting at €75 per person. Elmer has been recognized by the Michelin guide, a nod to the precision and personality of Horwitz’s modern cuisine. It is a place where fire, produce, and a well-travelled chef’s instincts meet—simply and directly.