Le Train Bleu

"Verdict: A beautiful time capsule of a brasserie with good French classics, worth experiencing at least once—ideally before or after a high-speed train journey across the country. Train stations aren’t typically destinations for quality dining, but this Belle Epoque brasserie, located inside Gare de Lyon since 1900, works hard to deliver a memorable experience, which starts the moment you spot the 26-foot tall frescoed ceilings, ornate gilding and moldings, and spectacular crystal chandeliers in the entrance. This 250-seater has always been a move at breakfast and lunch, especially if you’re catching a train to the south, but it’s an even more special backdrop for a milestone occasion. With dishes like tender leg of lamb with rich gratin dauphinois, grilled fish, and pâté en croûte stuffed with chicken and duck foie gras, the menu doesn’t veer much from French staples but they have gotten a glow-up in recent years, both in flavor and presentation. Request a seat by the windows to people watch, and order the Grand Marnier crêpes, flambéed tableside, for dessert." - lindsey tramuta

"Train stations aren’t typically destinations for quality dining, but this Belle Epoque brasserie, located inside Gare de Lyon since 1900, works hard to deliver a memorable experience, which starts the moment you spot the 26-foot tall frescoed ceilings, ornate gilding and moldings, and spectacular crystal chandeliers in the entrance. This 250-seater has always been a move at breakfast and lunch, especially if you’re catching a train to the south, but it’s an even more special backdrop for a milestone occasion. With dishes like tender leg of lamb with rich gratin dauphinois, grilled fish, and pâté en croûte stuffed with chicken and duck foie gras, the menu doesn’t veer much from French staples but they have gotten a glow-up in recent years, both in flavor and presentation. Request a seat by the windows to people watch, and order the Grand Marnier crêpes, flambéed tableside, for dessert." - Lindsey Tramuta

"It's hard to believe one of Paris' most serene, picturesque and dignified restaurants is also located within one of its busiest train stations, but Le Train Bleu, an icon of Parisian dining, is a far cry from the Gare de Lyon's hustle and bustle. Every inch of this place drips with Parisian opulence in the best possible way. It won't be your cheapest meal in Paris, but it might be your most memorable—or at least your most photographed." - Melissa Liebling-Goldberg, Julia Eskins

"A beautiful early-20th-century brasserie known for its duckling dish, located above Gare de Lyon."

"At long last, one of the most beautiful restaurants in the world — whose sumptuous Belle Epoque dining rooms were unveiled in 1901 by French president Émile Loubet — once again has food that’s worthy of its palmy elegance. (Check out the wanderlust-inducing painting of the sunny southern destinations served by trains from the Gare de Lyon, the train station where the restaurant is located.) This is all thanks to the work of chef Michel Rostang and his daughters, who know run the place. Get here early before a trip or celebrate an arrival in Paris with dishes like a pate en croute of wild game and foie gras, quenelles de brochet (fluffy pike perch dumplings, a speciality of Lyon) in Newburg sauce, Sole Bonne Femme, and Poulet de Bresse — possibly the world’s best chicken — in a tarragon cream sauce with grilled Basmati rice. Profiteroles with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce are served from a tableside trolly, and note that the restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner." - Alexander Lobrano