Published on October 31, 2022Updated on November 22, 2023
What’s the history of the Café de Paris Monte-Carlo? It began in 1868, when François Blanc created the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo and the Casino de Monte-Carlo. Throughout its existence, the iconic brasserie on the Place du Casino has undergone a number of improvements, expansions and other renovations. Today, a new page is being turned. Or the art of paying tribute to the wishes of François Blanc: “Everything must change for everything to remain the same.” Rarely has an adage been so faithfully respected! Éric Gorjux, the brasserie’s manager, takes us behind the scenes at the Café de Paris Monte-Carlo as we will find it on Tuesday 14 November 2023.
What a history!
Located on the Place du Casino, the beating heart of Monte-Carlo and Monaco, the Café de Paris Monte-Carlo is a veritable institution. Locals meet here and visitors make a point of taking a seat outside on the terrace to see and be seen.
So obviously it was unthinkable to close the Café de Paris Monte-Carlo… Since this summer, visitors have been able to see it from across the square, at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, where the Salle Empire is the temporary home to the café and restaurant’s tables and chairs. Meanwhile, the “lemonade terrace” outside remains open in its usual location. “These changes haven’t stopped visitors coming in large numbers this summer,” explains Éric Gorjux. Which suggests that next year’s summer season, when the café-restaurant moves back home, is set to be a great success!
The Café de Paris Monte-Carlo is going up in the world…
The manager of the Café de Paris Monte-Carlo takes us back to the beginnings of this large-scale project: “As we were planning, we constantly kept in mind the venue’s past, while also looking forward to the future. A real exercise in style! More than a straight-forward renovation, we are rebuilding and adding extra floors.” Hence more surface area to welcome its customers, which was needed for this Monaco institution to accommodate its local and international clientele. Across two floors, it will be possible to seat 300 diners inside. On the terrace outside, there will be room for 200! For everything, “from breakfast until late at night,” confirms Éric Gorjux, “in line with the neighbouring Casino Café de Paris.”
Open the doors and you will find…
Once you have made your way across the bustling terrace, you’ll find a whole new spectacle beyond the swinging doors. Are you in a brasserie in Paris? Or Naples? You might think so, given the round lights, metallic ornaments, leather seats and Pinacothèque and terrazzo colours. But no, you’re definitely in Monaco’s iconic brasserie. Some details won’t be missed by the regulars: the discreet stained-glass windows with the signs of the zodiac, the pottery in its distinctive colours and, of course, the Eiffel ornament at the entrance. At the centre of the ground floor will be the imposing and magnificent new bar: “the heart of the venue”, in pride of place beneath an enormous chandelier. High-quality and timeless materials, mosaics and stained-glass windows, beige and brown motifs… the brasserie feel is still there, more than ever.
A brasserie for all your special moments
Having a drink with colleagues after a day at work, enjoying a delicious Crêpe Suzette with friends during a shopping trip, treating yourself to a glass of champagne to celebrate your success in the casino, sipping a cocktail while putting the world to rights after a performance at the Opéra Monte-Carlo, a dinner for two in an alcove, ordering foie gras for a quick snack before going back to your hotel room… you will be able to enjoy an endless array of special moments in Monaco at the Café de Paris Monte-Carlo. As for the menu, “the brasserie places an emphasis on pleasure and indulgence,” confirms Éric Gorjux. Fans of tartares, calf’s liver, andouillettes and other popular dishes, the venue’s signature dishes, can be reassured: the favourites will still be there! However, the more cosmopolitan menu will open diners up to new horizons, and will also have a high-quality offer for vegetarians. “A more diverse menu, that is also livelier,” adds Éric Gorjux. Oysters served in September, champagne in October, strawberries in April… “The menu will change with the seasons. That too adds to the brasserie feel.”
To see, touch and taste all this for yourself, see you for the opening on Tuesday 14 November 2023 !
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