Visiting Montmartre’s Most Painted Restaurant (Worth It or Tourist Trap?)

In this video we have lunch at Le Moulin de la Galette in Montmartre, the restaurant under one of the last two windmills in the area and the scene of a famous Renoir painting. We usually skip places like this, so this Moulin de la Galette review answers the question: worth it, or tourist trap?

A little history

The windmill was once a wheat mill. When it was no longer needed, it became a place to dance and celebrate, back when Montmartre was the party district of Paris. Renoir, Van Gogh and Manet came here to drink and paint, and reproductions of Renoir’s paintings hang where you sit, under the windmill.

What we ate

• Set menus at €34 for two courses or €44 for three when we filmed, plus an à la carte menu.
• Grilled shrimp skewers with quinoa and a sweet tomato sauce: decent, nothing extraordinary.
• Coq au vin, recommended by the waiter, which was ordinary. Colleen said it is not the place to try it for the first time.
• Duck breast with potatoes, which was fine.
• The crêpe Suzette, flambéed, a fun show and well made.

The bread was a good sourdough baguette, and the tables were set with cloth napkins and nice glassware.

Our verdict

Colleen gave the food two and a half stars and found the welcome rushed. Antoine was pleasantly surprised by the friendly service. The bill came to about €87.50 for two when we filmed, with water and a coffee but no wine. For that price you can eat much better around the corner. If you only have a handful of meals in Paris, come for a photo but eat elsewhere, unless following in the painters’ footsteps is on your bucket list.

Find the restaurant on the map here. For better meals nearby, browse our guide to 125 Paris restaurants, plan your visit with our Paris Guide Bundle, or let a local guide you on a Devour food tour.