''Drouant'' () is a well-known restaurant located in the

Palais Garnier The (, Garnier Palace), also known as (, Garnier Opera), is a historic 1,979-seatBeauvert 1996, p. 102. opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from 1861 to 1875 at the ...

neighborhood in the 2nd arrondissement of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France. It was founded in 1880 by Charles Drouant. The restaurant has been receiving the jury of the

Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt ( , "The Goncourt Prize") is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward of only 10 euros, but resul ...

every year since 1914, as well as the jury of the

Prix Renaudot The Prix Théophraste-Renaudot or () is a French literary award. History The prize was created in 1926 by ten art critics awaiting the results of deliberation of the jury of the Prix Goncourt. While not officially related to the Prix Goncour ...

since 1926. ''Drouants cuisine is led by chef Émile Cotte.

History

The establishment was founded as a bar and tobacco shop by Charles Drouant in 1880. At the turn of the century, it gained popularity thanks to its fresh oysters delivered by Drouant's brother-in-law, who farmed them in

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

. The restaurant was taken over by Charles Drouant's son Jean Drouant in 1914, then by Jean's nephew –also named Jean– from 1946 to 1976. The latter sold the restaurant to Robert Pascal, a '' bougnat'' from

Aveyron Aveyron (; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron (river), Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyro ...

who had been working at ''Drouant'' for forty years. The establishment changed hands several times between 1986 and 2006. Thanks to chef Louis Gondard, the restaurant was awarded 1 star by the

Michelin Guide The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few restaurants ...

in 1988, then 2 stars in 2005. In 2006, the 3-star Alsatian chef Antoine Westermann, a parent of the Drouant family, became the chef and owner of the restaurant. The establishment was officially renamed ''Drouant par Antoine Westermann''. In 2018, the restaurant was bought by the Gardinier brothers from the Gardinier & Fils company.

Cuisine

Since 2018, Émile Cotte has been the chef of ''Drouant''. He offers French dishes made of seasonal products. Façade - Restaurant Drouant - Paris.jpg Restaurant Drouant - Terrasse - Paris.jpg Drouant antoine westermann.png, '' Pâté en croûte'' by ''Drouant''.

Inner architecture

The private lounges are located on the upper floors. The ground floor designed by architect Pascal Desprez has a light setting inspired by the

Neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

. In 2014, quotes of each of the 10 jury members of the

were written on the inner walls of the restaurant as a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the award.

Culture

Prix Goncourt and Prix Renaudot

Since October 31, 1914 the jury members of the

have been gathering on the first Tuesday of each month in ''Drouants first-floor lounge named ''salon Goncourt''. During the November meetings, the jury vote for the Goncourt winner of the year. The

jury have been gathering in another lounge named ''salon Renaudot'' since 1926. Goncourt drouant antoine westermann.png, The ''salon Goncourt'' Renaudot drouant antoine westermann.png, The ''salon Renaudot''

''Drouant'' in popular culture

A scene of

Gérard Oury Gérard Oury (; born Max-Gérard Houry Tannenbaum; 29 April 1919 – 20 July 2006) was a French film director, actor and writer. Life and career Max-Gérard Houry-Tannenbaum was the only son of Serge Tannenbaum, a violinist of Russian-Jewish or ...

's film '' The Sucker'' (1965) was shot in the restaurant.

References

External links

Official website
{{Restaurants in Paris Restaurants in Paris French restaurants in France Buildings and structures in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris 1880 establishments Prix Goncourt