Le Comptoir du Relais
The snug Odéon bistro Yves Camdeborde made famous — now run day-to-day by chef Bruno Doucet, serving non-stop from noon to 11pm.
The call
Worth it if you are traveling as a couple and you are traveling solo.
Why
- 01
A tiny vintage room and a heated terrace on the Carrefour de l'Odéon, where service runs continuously all day — you sit when there's a table, not when a booking says.
Our read - 02
Lunch and weekends are pure walk-in; only weekday evenings flip to a single ambitious set menu (the one time you book).
Our read
Is it a fit?
Go if
You are traveling as a couple
As a couple, Le Comptoir du Relais works.
You are traveling solo
Solo, Le Comptoir du Relais works.
Food is a reason to travel
For food & drink, Le Comptoir du Relais delivers.
You prefer local life to spectacle
For local authenticity, Le Comptoir du Relais delivers.
Think twice if
You are traveling with kids
With kids, give Le Comptoir du Relais a miss.
You are watching the budget
On a budget, weigh it — Le Comptoir du Relais isn't cheap for what it is.
You only have one day
Le Comptoir du Relais is a real time commitment — fit it in only if it's a priority.
History and culture matter to you
For history & culture, Le Comptoir du Relais is hit or miss.
The plates that decide it
- The weekday-evening set menu — the kitchen's most ambitious turn, renewed daily — the reason to book an evening
- The daily plat from the chalkboard at lunch — market-led, hearty bistronomy and reliably satisfying
- Turning up at 8pm on a weekend expecting the set menu — evenings are walk-in à la carte at weekends — the set menu is weekday-only
Plan it well
- Cost
- Lunch/weekend à la carte ~€30–45; weekday-evening set menu higher, prix-fixe
- Timing
- Off-peak in the non-stop noon–11pm window to dodge the walk-in queue; book only for the weekday set dinner
- Booking
- Walk-in for lunch and weekends; weekday-evening set menu is the one reservation
- Allow
- 1.5–2 hours
- Accessibility
- Small ground-floor room, tight spacing; heated terrace
Sources and method (3)
- Founded in 2004 by bistronomy pioneer Yves Camdeborde in the Hôtel Le Relais Saint-Germain at the Carrefour de l'Odéon; sold to chef Bruno Doucet in 2022 parisbymouth.com ↗
- Now serves a bistronomic line-up non-stop from noon to 11pm; no reservations for the daytime/à la carte service hotel-paris-relais-saint-germain.com ↗
- guide.michelin.com ↗