Marty Restaurant

Le Marty
20 ave des Gobelins, 5th
Tel 01 43 31 39 51
M° Gobelins or Censier-Dubenton

Le Marty is another highly recommended restaurant near me which, alas, I never bothered to try out until last week when, with snow covering all of the sidewalks, I didn't want to go far to have oysters with a friend staying at the hotel down the street.

In a normally low-key neighborhood, Le Marty has an impressive facade with royal blue awnings, potted palm trees and a valet to park your car. Inside the elaborate Art Deco style is really stunning. You have four seating areas: the main dining room, the glassed-in terrace, the bar with its leather armchairs, and the romantic mezzanine. Open since 1913, it has a lot of authentic 1930s antique furnishings, stained glass, and reproductions of Erté, Modigliani, and Picasso.

There's a seafood bar where you can order oysters to go, an outdoor terrace in summer (the day I went there was snow on the palms), and a menu that is classic yet inventive...contemporary French cuisine. So you'll find the big seafood platters, tête de veau and grilled chateaubriand with a béarnaise sauce as well as tuna tartare, scallops à la provençale, or grilled lamb ribs. My friend and I had a plateau of 12 large oysters and two glasses of white wine for about €20 each.

The menu is €35, or €55 à la carte including wine (there is a huge wine list by the glass or bottle). And I must also mention the staff are super friendly and at least two of them are fluent in English.

Open every day from noon-3pm and 7-11pm.