Le Grand Bleu restaurant in Paris
In a lovely location by the Canal Saint-Martin and the Jardin du Port de l’Arsenal, the Grand Bleu restaurant specialises in sea food dishes and has a vegetarian option, but there is also a bar open all day every day to relax and admire the pleasure boats in the marina.
About Le Grand Bleu Restaurant
The Grand Bleu has a lovely setting overlooking the Canal Saint-Martin and the Jardin du Port de l’Arsenal that stretches down to the Bassin de l’Arsenal, which is now known as the Port de l’Arsenal marina, home to many pleasure boats.
This restaurant in Paris also has a lovely large terrace where you can enjoy a drink in the sun or make use of the large green sun umbrellas to provide much needed shade on those lovely summers day.
But even if you visit Le Grand Bleu during the winter months or on a wet day, you can utilise the main restaurant inside, yet still enjoy the lovely views out of the large picture windows, which overlook the greenery and the pleasure marina.
The French Cuisine at Le Grand Bleu
You will discover classically prepared French cuisine with a Provencal touch within this restaurant, which is mainly focused on seafood dishes such as fish soup, salmon carpaccio marinated in dill or skate with capers, but the menu constantly changes, so this is as a guide only.
But other delights on the a la carte menu could be Blue fin tuna, sole meuniere, sea bass with fennel, a citrus fruit swordfish steak, salmon steak with sorrel and steamed apples or mussels and fries for instance. However, there are also a few meat dishes such as duck confit, steak and chips with a pepper sauce or veal as an example.
Along with fries there are always vegetables of the day, plus they have tempting desserts including seasonal fruits, chocolate fondant and vanilla ice cream and even crispy mango with strawberries when in season, a tart of the moment or a cafe gourmand.
Yet there are also vegetarian dishes available plus platters to share, the option of a cheese plate for an additional course or dessert, Formulas of a lunchtime where you can opt for a starter and main course or main and dessert for a set price with a specific selection to choose from and a dish of the day known as a Plat de Jour in French.
Now to give you a rough idea of costs, for a starter these are approximately between €10 and €15 as of 2018 and a main course varies between around €18 and €30, with a dessert being an average cost of €9, although pricing varies depending upon what is on the menu.
But even if you do not wish to have a meal, then you may be pleased to know that the bar is open daily throughout the day and evening, so that you can enjoy a glass of wine or other drink in a relaxing setting by the canal.
Visiting the Grand Bleu restaurant in Paris
The Grand Bleu is open for lunch from 12:30pm through to around 4pm and then of an evening for dinner, yet as mentioned above, the bar is open throughout the day from lunch time at 12:15pm.
During the winter months they close at 8pm, however, from mid March through to mid October this restaurant with its bar in Paris does not close until around 1am.
And located within the 12th Arrondissement, this tends to be a popular place due to its unique location, so reservations are highly recommended, although because of its situation, the food is more expensive than some of the other restaurants within the area.
We would also like to point out that the menu is in French, and it seems that the wait staff do not speak much English, so it is an idea to be prepared before you go if possible, and parts of the restaurant are not accessible to the disabled, like some of the terrace seating, yet you may be pleased to know that dogs are allowed in certain areas.
But when it comes to getting to Le Grand Bleu, you will find it very close to the Place de la Bastille square in Paris, and hence the nearest Metro station is the Bastille stop via lines 1, 5 or 8. However, the Quai de la Rapee Metro stop via line 5 is also nearby in the opposite direction near to the River Seine.
Alternatively the Bus Lines 20, 29, 65, 87 and 91 along with the Noctilien Night Bus Service via lines N01, N02, N11 and N16 will also get you within easy walking distance of the Grand Bleu bar and restaurant in Paris.
