Where to Eat Before and After the Louvre

Pick lunch around the time you will leave the museum. A long museum morning and an early-ending bistro lunch are an awkward combination. For a weekday meal you plan to book, start with Juveniles. If you want to keep looking at paintings and eat later, consider Maslow instead.

These choices also send you in different directions. Juveniles puts you on rue de Richelieu, north of the museum, for an afternoon around Palais-Royal. Maslow is east along the river, useful if you are continuing toward the islands. Choose the meal that fits the rest of your day.

Café Compagnon, 22–26 rue Léopold Bellan. Choose this if you are staying around Montorgueil and want to sit down before walking toward the Louvre. Paris by Mouth includes it in its breakfast suggestions. The café opens from 8am, and its coffee is roasted at Courances. The interior has red marble, oak and Pierre Frey fabrics, so there is a reason to sit inside even when the terrace is available.

For something lighter, its all-day menu lists Greek yogurt with chia, dates, almonds and seasonal fruit. This is farther from the museum than the lunch choices below. It fits a leisurely approach from the north, rather than a detour before an early entry slot.

BO&MIE Louvre-Rivoli, 91 rue de Rivoli. Choose this when you want a sandwich or quiche and would rather spend the afternoon walking than sitting through another course. The bakery's savory range includes sandwiches, quiches and croque-monsieur from 10am. Pick from the counter rather than counting on a particular filling.

The Louvre-Rivoli shop opens at 7:30am Monday–Saturday and 8am Sunday, so it can also be your simpler breakfast stop. This is the practical bakery choice on this list, not a claim that its sandwiches beat every bakery in Paris.

Juveniles, 47 rue de Richelieu. This is the choice for a proper sit-down lunch with wine. Paris by Mouth's neighborhood guide makes it its leading recommendation, while David Lebovitz highlights its changing menu and wines by the glass. The recommendation has support from two distinct food sources, rather than just the restaurant's own description.

Start with the terrine if it is on the day's menu, then choose the seasonal main that appeals. The restaurant's displayed menu includes country terrine with pickles and vanilla rice pudding with salted caramel. Those give you a sense of the cooking; the menu changes, so they are possibilities rather than promised dishes.

Book this for an earlier finish at the Louvre. The restaurant lists lunch Monday to Friday between noon and 1:30pm. An intended 1:30pm museum exit is too late for this plan. Put Juveniles on another day if you would rather leave the museum without watching the clock.

Maslow 1er, 14 quai de la Mégisserie. Pick this for vegetarian sharing plates and more freedom over when you eat. Paris by Mouth includes it among the neighborhood's plant-based choices. The restaurant lists continuous service from noon Monday to Saturday, which makes it easier to use after a longer museum visit.

Some tables can be reserved and some are kept for walk-ins. A terrace request is not guaranteed. Sunday has a separate brunch schedule, so check the Sunday menu rather than assuming the weekday lunch applies.

Make sure you choose the river address. Maslow Temple is a different restaurant on rue de Picardie and would change the afternoon route.

Verjus wine bar, 47 rue de Montpensier. Use this for an evening glass after the museum and Palais-Royal. The wine bar lists Monday–Friday opening from 6–11pm and takes no reservations. It is a separate entrance from the restaurant at 52 rue de Richelieu. This is an evening option, not a sandwich lunch stop: older recommendations should not override the bar's current published service.

Leaving the Louvre ends your visit. The museum's admission guidance says exits are final. You cannot plan to eat at Juveniles and return to the galleries on the same ticket. If you want a full day inside, use the museum's food options and save one of these restaurants for afterward.

For the whole day, use our Paris museum itinerary. For a shorter first visit that continues into the Marais, see two days in Paris.