We’ve rated Cypsèle as GREAT with three stars * * *
You can find all our rankings in the Restaurant Index
And don’t miss our 50 Favorite Restaurants in Paris
Three years ago, I had a profoundly delicious lunch at Maison. It was one of the twenty best meals I’ve had in more than two decades of eating in Paris.
This week, coming home from lunch at Cypsèle, I felt that same exhilaration. That same jolt of recognition and respect. In a restaurant landscape where so much blends together, this is a rare thrill.
After the meal (I prefer to visit restaurants blind and then research after), I started to learn more about chef Marcin Król. Guess what I found? Król was the head chef at Maison when I had that memorable meal. Looking back over my photos, I can even spot him in the kitchen.
That tells me that this experience at Cypsèle wasn’t a fluke. Marcin Król has been a key ingredient in two of my favorite meals. This Polish-born chef has been working in kitchens around the world since he was eighteen (Noma, Borago, Le Chateaubriand, Inua, Maison). I can imagine the influences of each kitchen, and yet his food feels totally original.
So what is Cypsèle? This restaurant opened on the Île Saint-Louis a few months ago, and it’s a partnership between Król and sommelier Quentin Loisel. The pair met a decade ago in Chile when they both working at Borago. Loisel went on to work in England and then returned to France to spend five years as head sommelier at Le Jules Verne. You can spot him here in my 2024 review of that restaurant. He looks ten years younger and much happier today.
Loisel was an incredible host. He was attentive and kind, switching easily between languages in both the kitchen and the dining room.
He’s assembled a smart wine list featuring a wide range of cuvées from a small and select number of producers like Trapet, Dauvissat, Dancer, Quénard & Rijckaert.
The space they’ve created on this island is pretty interesting. Upon entering from the rue des Deux Ponts, you’ll find a room with wood panels that were uncovered and restored during renovation. The neon installations were done by their friend Victor and contrast nicely with the 17th century boiserie and mercury mirrors.
Also uncovered during renovation: wooden pillars that they refashioned into cutlery. That’s a very cool detail. Here’s another one:
The playlist moved between Echo and the Bunnymen, the Cure, Modest Mouse and Hall & Oates. The small number of guests on the day I was there were all (French) food industry people. So that’s the vibe. Let’s get into the food.
The 85€ lunch tasting menu opened with two delicious amuse bouches. First up: the least pedestrian apple slice you’ll ever encounter - some acidic granny smith slathered with pistachio paste and swaddled in a ribbon of cured Kintoa pork jowl. That was followed by a croquette of gently spiced kimchi with chervil. It was explosive both in flavor and in structure, as evidenced by a splattered white shirt at the neighboring table.
Next up: house-cured trout with a velouté of mâche (lamb’s lettuce). This might not look like much, but it was incredible. When I brought the beautiful dish up to my nose (they use ceramics from Nobuhiko Tanaka), it smelled like a barn. The trout had the most incredible slippery texture, and its gentle smoke was countered by the intensely green-tasting, slightly bitter velouté. Simple (-ish) and delicious.
This was followed by Pirenaica veal tartare slicked with oyster jelly under a tangle of charred baby kale. But the strong arm in this composition was the bright green sorrel purée that was hiding under the pink. It brought a beautiful acidity to balance all the flavors.
Ensuite, the first ormeaux (abalone) that I’ve ever loved, served on a comforting bed of Camargue rice that was laced with… honestly, I’m not sure. Let’s call it love. The broth was delicious, and the accompanying Brussels sprouts were a revelation.
Or rather, their “rig” is a revelation. I’m not sure how else to describe this custom built brazier that uses wood (that’s first fired in the adjacent oven) to smoke and char a significant number of their ingredients.
Not every dish was dominated by smoke and char. This caille á l’orange featured some beautifully (barely) cooked quail with confit orange, an intense hazelnut oil, and a deeply caramelized spear of endive topped with parsnip chips.
I opted to add the “cheese course” for an additional 15€ and it was incredible. This tarte fondante de Mimolette jeune starred some runny young Mimolette cheese in the crumbliest of shells. It made me so happy.
Dessert was also excellent - a choux puff layered with pear sorbet and a crème diplomate infused with Earl Grey tea. The texture of the choux with its craquelin (the nubby bits) was honestly perfect.
And then, for a final bite, this lovely crème bathed with vin de paille - that sweet nectar made from Jura grapes that are left to dry on straw.
I stumbled out into the daylight after this momentous lunch and spent some lovely moments on the bridge. The bracing winter wind brought me back to reality while I watched the barges pass below. “This was a very good meal,” I thought. “I can’t wait to come back.”
And because they change the menu every day, I don’t have to wait long before returning to Cypsèle. Lunch is 85€ and dinner is priced at 145€.
CYPSÈLE
11 Rue des Deux Ponts, 75004
Open Wednesday-Saturday for lunch & dinner
Closed Sunday-Tuesday
Reservations online or at +33 6 49 70 49 54
modern & creative
tasting menus
good for special occasions
lovely wine list
near Notre-Dame
good for solo diners
STILL SEARCHING?
Our restaurant index organizes the restaurants we’ve anonymously visited since 2021 by location and ranks them all as:
GREAT * * *
GOOD * *
FINE *
NOT RECOMMENDED
Great writing, as usual. How loud was the music--the playlist? I'm not a fan of music in restaurants, especially when someone else is selecting it.
Fantastic writeup. The part about recognizing Król from those Maison photos years later is kinda wild. It'sreally cool when a chef's signature approach carries through different projects like that. Had a somewhat simiiar experience once tracking down a pastry chef thru multiple bakeries just becuz I remembered a specific technique. That custom brazier setup sounds incredible btw.