On our recent trip to Paris in November of 2024, my focus was not only to see a bunch of art (success!) but also to eat some incredible food and drink incredible wines. In Paris, you don’t need to eat at Michelin starred restaurants to eat well, and Juveniles Wine Bar supplied our favorite meal that wasn’t Michelin rated.

Juveniles Wine Bar is located about a 5-10 minute walk just north of The Louvre, and is a tiny little spot serving incredible food. You must get a reservation here, but the only way to get one is to call, so if you’re staying at a hotel with a decent concierge, you can ask them to call for you if you’re not comfortable making reservations in French.

The atmosphere here is lively – the lights are bright, there are only about 10 tables or so, and you feel like you’re eating in the middle of an overstuffed wine store – but this is part of the charm. This is a no-frills experience, where the food and the wine are the stars of the show. The menu is printed out on paper (or you can view it in French on the white board above the kitchen), and the tables are diner-style. The wine list is not as extensive as you would think for a wine centric restaurant, however there are still a ton of options for all price ranges from regions all around France. We opted for a pretty cheap Marsannay, which was something like 30 Euros, and was perfect for the meal. One of the best things about Europe is you never have to pay a ton for great wines!

We started with one of the most incredible dishes I had during our entire trip – fried opes mushrooms with egg, balsamic and shallot butter, and parmesan cheese. These mushrooms are local to France, and are to die for. The combination of the mushrooms/egg/shallot butter was astonishing, and if you do eat here, and this dish is on the menu, do not skip it. My mouth is watering just writing about it. We also ordered the homemade pork terrine to start as well, which was flavorful and filling – they give you a really large slice.

For the main, we split the entrecote de beouf, which is, essentially, a very large ribeye steak, cooked rare, and served with salad and creamed potatoes. In Paris, if you’re eating steak at any other temperature other than rare, you’re doing it wrong, and people are going to think you’re a real weirdo. The steak was amazing and perfectly seasoned, and the creamed potatoes were thick and not too runny. The preparations here are simple, yet solid.

For dessert, I opted for the vanilla rice pudding, which was topped with salted caramel. This was a very generous portion and more than enough to share for at least two people. It was decadent, and the salted caramel elevated an otherwise bland dessert with its super sweetness. Brian opted for the Chocolate tart, which was smaller, though also extremely rich.

Juveniles is an amazing spot for dinner, and I highly recommend seeking out a reservation here to enjoy some really well prepared local French ingredients and wines. For unpretentious charm, and exceptional quality food, don’t miss this lively restaurant in Paris!