Le Petit Rétro, Restaurant in the 16th arrondissement, Paris, France
Le Petit Rétro is a bistro restaurant in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the Place Victor Hugo, with an Art Nouveau interior dating from when the building was new. The dining room has dark wooden furniture, flower-patterned tiles on the walls, and decorative mirrors that reflect the soft lighting of the space.
The restaurant opened in 1904 and has kept its original Art Nouveau interior ever since. In 2022, Irwin Durand, who works with the well-known chef Guy Savoy, took over the management, and in 2023 he was followed by Charles-Henri Poisson.
Le Petit Rétro is a classic Parisian bistro whose name points directly to its early 20th-century decor. The flower-patterned tiles and mirrors on the walls are original to the building and give the dining room a look that has barely changed over generations.
The restaurant is a short walk from the Victor Hugo metro station, making it easy to reach from many parts of the city. Tables tend to fill up quickly at lunch, so booking ahead is a good idea if you want to be sure of a seat.
Some recipes on the menu, such as the beef tartare and the roe tartare, are said to date back to the early years of the restaurant. An old coffee machine still sits behind the counter and actually works, a quiet reminder of how little has changed inside these walls.
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