Taillevent (restaurant)

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Taillevent is a famous Paris restaurant. It was founded in 1946 by André Vrinat and is now owned by the Gardinier family. The name honors Guillaume Tirel, a 14th‑century cook known for writing Le Viandier in French.

The restaurant started in a dining room on Saint-Georges Street in the 9th arrondissement, with chef Paul Cosnier. It won its first Michelin star in 1948. In 1950 it moved to the Duc de Morny mansion, a grand house built in 1852 that later became the Paraguayan embassy; today it sits at 15, Lamennais Street in the 8th arrondissement.

Taillevent earned its second Michelin star in 1954 under Lucien Leheu. Jean-Claude Vrinat, the founder’s son, joined in 1962. In 1973, under chef Claude Deligne, Taillevent received three Michelin stars. The restaurant has had notable pastry chefs, and Philippe Legendre became chef in 1991.

Since 1984, Taillevent has won the Wine Spectator Grand Award. In 1987 they opened a wine shop, Les Caves Taillevent, on Faubourg Saint-Honoré; it later moved to number 228. In 2001 they opened L’Angle du Faubourg (now Les 110 de Taillevent) nearby. The head chef later became Alain Solivérès, with Alain Lecomte as pastry chef. The wine shops expanded to Tokyo in 2005 and to Printemps Haussmann in Paris in 2006, and in 2013 a branch opened in Beirut.

In 2007 Jean-Claude Vrinat announced on his blog that Taillevent had lost its third Michelin star; he died in January 2008 at age 71.