When visiting Paris, it is hard not to get overwhelmed by the volume of restaurant styles and cuisines to choose from. A city like this makes online-ranking systems somewhat useless, as making it to the top of the list does not necessarily equate to the best experience. Fortunately for me, I have a group of friends who maintained a list of favorite restaurants over the years. On my most recent trip, I experienced not one but four outstanding restaurants I am eager to share with the GT audience.

The first is Le Petit Zinc, which happens to be #3,094 on Trip Advisor’s list of 9,000 restaurants in Paris. Located on a quiet street in St. Germain, the restaurant has funky Art Nouveau décor from a combination of auction items, metro stations and the Biarritz casino, though you would never know it the way it all flows together.

We were seated in the window and enjoyed a bottle of wine and a taste of gastronomic heaven. We started with French onion soup and a snail special that was out of this world. For our main entrée, we had the Cod Aïoli and Roasted Lamb. I almost didn’t think I would have room for dessert, though our friends highly recommended the Chocolate Cake, which is not listed on the menu; we splurged and were not disappointed.

An excellent choice hidden within pages of online reviews, this restaurant will be a must-visit on all of my future trips to Paris.  

— Danielle Hudena, executive vice president