Saint James Paris: lunch is for members, dinner is for you

The building dates from 1892 and first housed the Thiers Foundation, and has long been run as a hotel with a private club attached. Rooms are bookable by anyone. The bar-bibliothèque is for hotel guests and Saint James Club members every day, 9am to 1am; other visitors Monday to Saturday, 7pm to 1am. That is the room worth the detour — a leather armchair, not the salon.

Bellefeuille, the house restaurant, carries a star in the 2026 guide and a Michelin green star, plus three écotable macarons. The rule at the table is simple: lunch is for members, dinner takes non-members by reservation. In warm weather the tables move out under the pergola in the garden, which runs to some 5,000 m² behind the gate. Interiors are by Laura Gonzalez.