It’s difficult to miss the Villa Marquise if you go past – the new decoration covers not only the terrace but also the whole façade (freshly repainted to look ‘vintage’) and interior with dozens and dozens and hundreds of flowers, plants, birds…

Understated it is not, but joyous it most certainly is! And also, not far from our hotels!

The Villa Marquise had been in this location for quite a number of years as just La Marquise, but the most recent relook and name change in June have turned the volume up to 11 – it’s colourful, it’s baroque, it’s kitsch, and you’ll either love it or hate it.

Rather than add just a hint of fake flowers to the entrance, the brasserie has decided to go full overkill and add hundreds of them, together with (fake) ivy, (fake) branches, (fake) caged birds and a real mini olive tree, all of which are augmented with colourful lighting and a touch of retro seating.

Whether you love it to bits or not, you have to admit – it’s pretty daring. And frankly, we think that if you’re going to add fake flowers (perhaps not the classiest of accoutrement), you might as well go big. The Villa Marquise has definitely gone big.

If, on the other hand, you like your venues beige and grey, get ready for a migraine.

The exuberance continues indoors, with still more flowers, but also some nostalgia in the form of retro furniture and lighting, art déco windows…

Another positive aspect to the Villa Marquise is that the brasserie is open seven days a week from 8am until 1am. This can be handy if you want to eat at out-of-the-ordinary times (or fancy a cocktail at 9am).

Our visit was for lunch (“Eat good, feel good“, says the menu), and we were keen to see whether the food was as spectacular as the interior design. You’ll find a selection of French classics including onion soup, and a few Thai touches.

Prices are actually quite reasonable, but we decided to skip the starters and head straight for vegetable cannelloni (the only main dish noted as vegetarian-friendly, 16€) and 250g of farm-raised chicken “from the Luteau Farm” (18€).

The cannelloni were well cooked with a tasty filling, slavered with a fresh tomato sauce and accompanied by a well-season salad in its own bowl (a little complicated to eat without it catapulting all over the table 🤷).

The chicken was also well received, with a sauce served aside for you to add to your liking. Only the chips were a little ordinary.

For dessert, from a surprisingly small list, we chose caramel and salted butter crepes, and a Nutella tiramisu.

The crepes did not disappoint, served warm with their irresistible sauce (everyone loves salted butter caramel, right?). As for the tiramisu, it was definitely creamy but with absolutely no taste of Nutella (or coffee, for that matter). Not bad, but a lot more neutral than we were expecting.

Perhaps we should have chosen a lovely ice cream by Pedone (founded in 1959), which has several outlets on the Left Bank (list here). Next time eh…

So, our general impression of Villa Marquise? Interior design like an Alice in Wonderland fever dream, a menu of classics generally well executed, and slightly hit-and-miss desserts.

The long terrace is definitely an advantage, the perfect place for lunch, brunch (served at the weekend) or an evening drink.

It’s also great for Instagram selfies! You know you want to… 😜

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Villa Marquise (here) is open every day of the week from 8am to 1am

Online booking here

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Une publication partagée par VILLA MARQUISE (@villamarquise_paris)