Saturday, November 28, 2009

Le train bleu restaurant


Generally the kind of restaurants that you find in train stations don't really offer the best type of food... Except one: Le train Bleu, a restaurant located in the Gare du Nord (North station) Gare the Lyon, the one that you have to go to, to take the Eurostar to London or Bruxelles for instance takes you to the South of France. Le Train bleu is a Brasserie (originally a place were you were served beer and the type of food that goes with it) but a high-end one (just take a look at the menu to find out...). But more than the food, this place is highly recommended for the scenery (as impressive as the Louvre, some dare saying! - again check the website for more. But who am I to talk? Actually, I never went there, I just grabbed a train at the Gare du nord Gare de Lyon!

47 comments:

  1. I had lunch thee over 12 years ago, and keep looking at the dark haired yoiung girl at the table with her blond haired family, all 6 of them or so. Then I realized who she was and who they were, Athena Onassis and her father and his other fsmily.
    The End, except for the fact they have a great old fashioned wooden bathroom in this most beautiful restaurant.

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  2. Hi Eric,
    You may wish to amend the info. It's in la Gare de Lyon, not la Gare du Nord.
    J ;)

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  3. ahhhhh! thankyou! now this is the paris of my dreams!! I went to the website...someday, i shall dine here!!!

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  4. That is gorgeous! So opulent. Must click on the website to get the full effect, folks. I'd love to see it in person someday.

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  5. was a little worried as I have never see this place at Gare du Nord but it rang bells in my memory - featured in the Mr Bean movie!

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  6. Ah, lush.
    What a grand venue!
    Glamorous, golden, ageless style.
    Oh to dine there.

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  7. Eric I can confirm the place is extremely beautiful and impressive, maybe as much as Louvre, yes.

    I did not eat there, just stoped by on my way to Lyon, I wanted to check the scnery it is so famous for.

    So anon's info is correct,
    it's Gare de Lyon.

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  8. Thanks for the link to their website, Eric. This place is sooo over the top—it's like Versailles with waiters!

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  9. wasn't a part of La Femme Nikita filmed there??

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  10. The next time I am in Paris I should go there and take a train, and go to this restaurant too. I checked out the links that you provided. WOW! Impressive! I really enjoyed them. Merci!

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  11. It's a great "neon" sign photo. You do those from time to time I have noticed. :0)

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  12. La femme nikita was filmed there, watch!:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vcT4r7Tljk

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  13. My daughter had her wedding reception there (and I can confirm it was at the Gare de Lyon) - a wonderful experience!

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  14. Oh, yes, this looks like its a must for my next visit! For my itenerary I'll only have to look back thru the blog pages. I'm wondering why they have the Big Ben Bar - is there a connection to London? I can just imagine the stories connected to this place!

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  15. «Louis» was worried there for a moment! He didn't recall Le Train Bleu being at Gare du Nord - he remembered it being at Gare de Lyon. He's eaten there and found it to be both delightful and beautiful.

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  16. You must go in there-absolutley beautiful.

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  17. thanks for the memories. A great place for lunch.

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  18. I have been there for a superb dinner one evening in september 2008! We were a group of 30-40 people.
    What a place!! What a surprise to find a unique and beautiful restaurant like this at the railway station!
    And the food and wine... perhaps the best I tasted on the trip to Paris. And the place looks so pretty, and it has so much STYLE!

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  19. They put the "OH" into Opulence!! How spectacular ~ I nearly skipped the link, so thanks for nudging me to it, Petrea.

    I love your angle on it, Eric!

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  20. Gorgeous photos these last few days Eric! Sorry I've been away so long. XO

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  21. Thanks Eric. I went in to look round in the summer ( the advantage of being with a Parisien friend) and it was just wonderful.As part of my stay we visted all the Paris stations and gare de Lyon and Le train Bleu must be the jewel in their crown.

    What I loved was the regional restaurants the surround the stations. Near Gare Monyparnasse we had Breton Crepes and near Gare de L'Est choucroute.
    I think Gare de Lyon was the most romantic of the stations partly because of this fabulous restaurant and the promise of trips to the Med.

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  22. Ca n'a jamais été à la Gare du Nord !!!

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  23. Does anyone know why this train is bleu? The website says that the place started with a different sign out front, but gives no clue as to its current name.

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  24. Yes, it is Gare de Lyon, not Gare du Nord.
    I often have a coffee at l'Express Bleu,(ground floor), waiting for my TGV to Lyon, but I never climbed the stairs...
    Maybe I should try ;-)

    ... and "Nikita", what a great movie...

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  25. Le Train Bleu... We took a night train with that name from Irún/Hendaie to Paris some years ago. A wonderful experience: we slept in bunks with sheets, were woken up by a person who brought our breakfast and the train rolled into Paris one minute ahead of time. I strongly recommend it! And I still have the beautiful boxes the soap came in, with an art deco design.

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  26. Oh wait until Eric finally reads all of this... I think he's going to be embarrassed!

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  27. I AM EMBARRASSED! Shame on me really. One thin I can say is that I can rely on you all to provide me with the right info, when I make mistakes!

    Thanks a million and thank you very much ;-)

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  28. Michael, are you maintaining the site while Eric is off for the weekend?

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  29. OK, my question to Michael was 3 minutes late! And now, I know the answer ;-)

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  30. SP, thanks for that link. I've never seen La Femme Nikita and now I have to!

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  31. Eric, that was a very gracious answer you gave, and really, you don't need to go so far as to say you're embarrased just to cover for Michael. He was probably playing a prank anyway, just to see if anyone would notice!

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  32. I've just read that le Train Bleu was a luxury line begun in 1922 that ran from Calais to -- the Gare du Nord(!) -- then to the Gare de Lyon (!!) and then on to the Mediterranean. (Was Michael, I mean, Eric channeling a former life?) It was interrupted by WWII and then eventually replaced by the TGV. One very French tidbit is that for several years there were road racers who tried to beat the train! The English connection: it carried many wealthy Brits to the warmer climes once they'd debarked at Calais.

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  33. PS - Wikipedia says the restaurant opened in 1901 as the Buffet de le Gare de Lyon and was renamed in the early 1960s.

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  34. Oh my gosh... absolutely stunning! I most go some time. I must sample the indulgences and indiscretions. I can't believe how beautiful and oppulent the interior is. And, I am surprised by the palm trees. Lovely photo, thanks for sharing this.

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  35. I had dinner there one night. It was excellent.

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  36. I wanted to visit here the last time I was in Paris and somehow never made it. It will be a the top of my list for my next visit!

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  37. @Thib. Michael is in Brazil, so no, he's not maintaining PDP LOL !

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  38. Love, love, love "Le Train Bleu"..so many wonderful memories of this place. The food is not the best in Paris..but good. I agree with phx-cdg the toilettes are amazing! LOL!!

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  39. le Train Bleu, j'adore!!! Well I had a glass or two of chapagne here with Peter last summer. It's the most beautiful place! It was late afternoon and the sun was streaming in those beautiful windows. Just a Paris moment everyone needs to experience. Merci Eric for this fond memory!
    V

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  40. La Femme Nikita is my all time favorite French movie! Thanks for the link SP.

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  41. The place is indeed spectacular -- but the (wildly overpriced) food is pretty dire. The bar is a better option.

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  42. Very exclusive photo and article thanks for sharing.

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