Le Train Bleu in Paris is not merely an exciting place to visit; it is also one of the most spectacular restaurants in the world. Its vast interior features ceilings adorned with magnificent paintings, gilded chandeliers and an abundance of meticulously crafted decorative details, textures and ornaments, with gold dominating the sumptuous setting.
Stepping inside feels like entering an extraordinarily elegant ballroom from the Belle Époque – the “Beautiful Era” – and indeed, the restaurant opened in 1901 and remains one of the most dazzling surviving landmarks of that period.
A Belle Époque Treasure Inside a Railway Station
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Le Train Bleu is that all this grandeur can be found inside a railway station: Gare de Lyon. But this is Paris, after all, where even a restaurant in a train station can become an architectural and decorative masterpiece.
Originally known as “Buffet de la Gare de Lyon,” the restaurant was renamed Le Train Bleu in 1963. The name pays tribute to the legendary luxury train that travelled across France, connecting Paris with the French Riviera and becoming known as “The Blue Train.”
Classic French Cuisine
Le Train Bleu serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in the finest tradition of French cuisine, beginning with tables set with exceptional attention to detail. The restaurant’s emblem appears in gold lettering on its elegant tableware.
The menu celebrates classic French gastronomy with dishes such as cheeses, smoked salmon with cream, veal chop with gnocchi and potatoes, foie gras and leg of lamb.
The wine list reads almost like a geographical journey through France, representing many of the country’s celebrated wine regions.
From Brigitte Bardot to Salvador Dalí
During the 1950s and 1960s, Le Train Bleu attracted celebrities from the worlds of cinema, literature and art. Among its famous regulars and guests were Brigitte Bardot, Jean Gabin, Jean Cocteau and Salvador Dalí.
Its extraordinary interior has also made the restaurant a natural location for cinema. Le Train Bleu has appeared in several films, including Luc Besson’s Nikita and Mr. Bean’s Holiday, starring Rowan Atkinson.
More than a century after opening its doors, Le Train Bleu remains one of Paris’s most remarkable dining destinations – a place where French gastronomy, history, architecture and the romance of the golden age of rail travel come together beneath one spectacular roof.
Le Train Bleu
Gare de Lyon, Place Louis Armand, Paris, France
Tel: (+33) 1 43 43 09 06
Website: www.le-train-bleu.com
