The Bistros That Made Balthazar

Keith McNally understands something about restaurants that is difficult to put on a menu: the way a room makes you feel.

He is the restaurateur behind Balthazar, Pastis, Minetta Tavern and a long list of New York places that somehow feel old even when they are new. The lighting is flattering. The mirrors look as if they have survived several owners. The room is busy without feeling frantic. Everything appears accidental, although almost none of it is.

That instinct has a Paris origin story. In 1978, Anna Wintour invited a broke, 26-year-old McNally to Paris and took him to a string of classic bistros and brasseries. He later said that the week did not convince him to stay in France. It convinced him to return to New York and build his own version of a Parisian restaurant.

Chez Georges was the place that got under his skin most deeply. Decades later, he publicly called Chez Paul his favorite Paris bistro. The other six addresses below were all part of that formative week.

I have always admired McNally’s ability to make a restaurant feel like a scene from a film you wish you were in. This is my attempt to trace that feeling back to its source.

This is an unofficial guide by Dave, compiled from Keith McNally’s public posts and interviews. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Keith McNally. See Keith McNally’s public profile →