It’s on boulevard Saint-Germain, not far from our hotels, that Ralph Lauren opened his flagship store a few years back. It’s his biggest in Europe, and houses his second restaurant (the first is in New York), called Ralph’s.

We decided to make the most of the glorious summer weather and have a meal in the buildings superb shady courtyard, but is the food as smart as the brand? Here’s out review.

It has to be said – there aren’t many beautiful, calm, leafy terraces like this in Paris. If you’ve visited the secret garden at  La Belle Juliette – which is just as lovely – you know that these spaces are to be cherished.

We chose a lovely summer day to have lunch at Ralph’s, and arriving early meant we had the place to ourselves. The large courtyard is protected form the sun by vast parasols, and even after the warm weather leaves us, there are super cosy rooms inside. We were welcomed with a wide smile, the seating is comfortable…. It’s the sort of place where you feel immediately at ease, somewhere special…
The menu is fairly simple – salads, sandwichs, burgers and a few steaks with eye-watering prices, even for this chic area (as much as 65 euros!).

While we made our choice, a small bowl of deep fried olives was left on our table, and they were delicious. The crusty bread helped us stave off our hunger too.
We ordered a Long Island melons salad, a Ralph’s Club Sandwich and a vegetarian burger (not to be found very often in restaurant in Paris).

The salad was super fresh, with a touch of mint, heirloom tomatoes, red onion and ricotta, and the presentation as a cube was stunning. Perfect for a summer lunch.

The sandwich arrived with two layers of turkey, some bacon, tomato, and a large bowl of green salad. Confidently done.

As for the vegetarian burger, which came with ranch-style french fries (whatever that means), it turned out to be a delicious spicy beanburger served with slices of super smooth avocado. Bravo!

Each of the three mains impressed us. Some people might say that they are basic, but why be complicated when you can turn out such great dishes with such aplomb?
Prices are expectedly high, and even the desserts aren’t cheap – between 12€ and 18€.

Nevertheless, we couldn’t resist, and we chose a slice of New York cheesecake with blueberry sauce (apparently New Yorkers like their cheesecake heavy on the sugar), seasonal fruit with iced yoghurt (marvelous stuff) and ‘Ralph’s favorites’ – a selection of three mini-desserts: a brownie, a cheesecake and a praline mousse. This mast one provoked numerous gasps of ecstasy from the person eating it (and we’re not joking).
The meal was very filling. Even the coffee we ordered after dessert came with a huge bowl of caramel-covered popcorn, and we just couldn’t finish it.
Ralph’s isn’t cheap, although other places in the area are at a similar level, but we were surprised how absolutely delicious it was. Real care has been taken with tastes and presentation, the staff are great and the surroundings are magical.

What a great meal! We hope to be back soon…
Ralph’s (here) est ouvert tous les jours de midi à 23h (pas de service le dimanche de15h à 19h30)

Website: ralphlaurenstgermain.com

Tel. +33 (0)1 44 77 76 00

Facebook: facebook.com/RalphLaurenStGermain

Twitter: twitter.com/RalphLauren

Instagram: here

To check out all our photos of Ralph’s, click here.

A photo posted by Julia (@julieborawska) on Jul 24, 2016 at 1:34am PDT