Lucas Carton

The story

Lucas Carton Paris – Modern Cuisine in a Historic Art Nouveau Setting

Lucas Carton, Paris

Since 1839, Lucas Carton has stood on the Place de la Madeleine, a Parisian institution whose history is written into its very walls. What began as “La Taverne de France” under Napoleon III became a landmark of Art Nouveau when the restaurant commissioned sculptor Louis Majorelle to create the carved wood panelling that still envelops the dining room today. These boiseries, classified as a historic monument, give the space an intimate, organic grandeur – a setting where gastronomy and art have always conversed.

Today, chef Hugo Bourny tends the flame. For his first solo venture, Bourny faced the formidable task of succeeding Alain Senderens, who led the kitchen for nearly forty years. The chef arrived after stints with Arnaud Donckele, Anne-Sophie Pic, and Hélène Darroze, and his cooking reflects an elegant, understated confidence. He describes his approach as an adventure between man and product, where recipes are born from mood, memory, and the season. The result is a modern cuisine that is delicate, vegetal, and quietly audacious.

On the menu, you might find green asparagus from the Val d’Oise marinated in Chartreuse with a spruce-tip ice cream, or leek from local growers with daurade caviar and nasturtium. Beetroot from the Perche comes with Manakara berries. Bourny’s cooking draws on his roots – he grew up in La Rochelle – and his travels, weaving together vanilla-scented reminiscences and chamomile from the Alps. The wine list, strong on interesting bottles, complements the tasting menus, which are offered in four-, five-, or seven-course formats.

The restaurant earned a Michelin star in the 2026 guide, a recognition of the high-quality cooking and the seamless marriage of tradition and modernity. Lucas Carton remains a place where the past is felt but never museum-like – a living room for contemporary gastronomy.