Les Œillets

The story

Les Œillets Paris: A Natural Wine Bar with Guest Chefs

The rotating kitchen and its founders

Maxime Dardeau and Solal Martin-Grondard established Les Œillets in Paris’s 11th arrondissement to showcase modern French cooking through a rotating guest chef program. Rather than maintaining a permanent brigade, the venue invites different culinarians to run the pass each evening. This adaptable approach recently secured a spot in Le Fooding, which highlighted how the shifting menus keep every visit distinct.

Plates shaped by visiting chefs

Recent menus have featured pork rillettes brightened with spicy Basque guindilla peppers alongside a deeply savory jus-de-viande sabayon tossed with chanterelle and black trumpet mushrooms. Poached and charred leeks appear with an unfussy tonnato dressing, while the sweet course often shifts toward ingredients like miso and peanut in rice pudding. Apéro hours bring straightforward bites such as Italian coppa, gorgonzola spiked with Thai chilies, and creamy Brillat-Savarin cheese.

The room and the bar

Broken tile floors lead straight to a zinc-topped service counter where staff pour glasses of natural wine. Pine green banquettes line the walls beneath a large ornate mirror that reflects the steady hum of conversation. The space feels deliberately unpretentious, letting the food and bottles take center stage. Guests settle in for long evenings that blend casual apéro culture with serious French cooking standards.