Topo Rive Gauche
Paris
At a glance
Topo Rive Gauche is a charismatic venue nestled on 12 Rue Saint-Séverin in the historic quarter of Paris's 5th arrondissement. Housed in a building that once served as a cinema, this eatery now offers a distinct lounge atmosphere with a sophisticated Mediterranean culinary experience. Its decor showcases refined touches, with ambient lighting and a chic setting that welcomes diners looking for a plush place to gather.
The restaurant is especially suitable for group gatherings, providing flexible options for private events, whether it is an afterwork drink with colleagues, a family celebration, or a team dinner. The venue can cater to both small and large groups, offering several private rooms that adapt to the size of any event. Guests can expect a convivial environment where conversation flows easily among attendees.
The menu highlights a variety of Mediterranean flavors, crafted to please a range of palates. While the setting feels relaxed and unfussy, there are moments when live jazz music weaves through the space, enhancing the dining experience with its charming notes.
In the evenings, the ambiance gradually intensifies, allowing guests to shift seamlessly from dinner to a more festive setting. On certain nights, specifics like a dance floor come to life whereby tables are moved aside, encouraging guests to embrace the night with dance and camaraderie.
Reviews
On the street this place looks quite nice; however when you walk inside it is kind of like walking into someone's haphazard basement turned into a restaurant. The food was all right in some respects. The rotisserie meals were not terrible, nothing special; however their oysters were clearly not fresh. I have had briny oysters many times. This was not briny. These were off. They also came with a very generous layer of sea water, basically soaking in their own sea water and not on a plate of ice. The tartar was barely even seasoned. It was like a puck of hamburger. We've had similar lunches at similar places so we've never had problems in Paris with food safety. We ended up not finishing either the oysters or the tartar out of caution. Not removed from our bill.
Saw the rotisserie outside. Looks nice so I tried it. They didn’t have my first choice of entree so I went with my second, the suckling pig on rotisserie. It looked and tasted nothing like suckling pig. It was more akin to an over cooked pork chop. And was really weird, I asked for butter with the bread and they brought me a tiny prepackaged pat of butter and not knowing it they charged me 2 euro for it. The whole meal seemed like a scam. But I am hoping it was a one off as the restaurant itself was pretty inside and staff was nice enough. But the food was one of my worst meals in quite a long time.
5 days in Paris, best meal yet! The lamb shank was amazing, grilled vegetables were perfect and the beef stew was great.
