Lucas Carton: the Place de la Madeleine institution is reborn with Cyril Lignac, between Art Nouveau decor, great French classics and a new desire for conviviality.
Facing the Madeleine, Lucas Carton has just written a new chapter in his story. Reopened on September 28, 2026 after several months of transformation, the legendary address now entrusts its kitchens to Cyril Lignac, with a clear ambition: to revive a large Parisian house without transforming it into a museum.
The bet is attractive: to preserve the soul of a place which was one of the highlights of French gastronomy while giving it a lively, generous and immediately desirable cuisine. A renaissance orchestrated by Lapérouse Holding, which intends to awaken the great sleeping Parisian addresses.
A house steeped in history
The history of Lucas Carton dates back to the 19th century. In 1860, the establishment was named “La Taverne de France” before becoming “Lucas” in 1880. It was then that Louis Majorelle commissioned the famous sculpted woodwork which still constitutes one of the treasures of the restaurant today, classified as a Historic Monument. The name Lucas Carton appeared in the 1920s, when Mr. Carton took over the house.
In 1933, Lucas Carton became the first restaurant in history to earn three Michelin stars. Then Alain Senderens wrote a major page in French gastronomy there for almost four decades. After several more discreet years, the house needed a new lease of life.
Today, it is Cyril Lignac who takes over. And there’s something delicious about the story: the chef sent his CV to Lucas Carton 25 years ago, with no response at the time.
The great French classics according to Cyril Lignac
There is no question for the chef of making a clean sweep of the past. His cuisine is part of the great French and bourgeois repertoire, with this generosity which constitutes his signature. The classics are simply brought up to date, with more lightness and creativity.
The menu immediately tempts you: Crispy tart with button mushrooms, homemade duck foie gras, artichoke, hazelnut and golden brioche, langoustines flambéed with Corsican citron, flaky beef pie with foie gras or even poultry with supreme morel sauce.
Sharing cuisine is also expressed around beautiful pieces and generous dishes. The menu currently includes a Sole meunière, a burger, an Angus beef chuck confit with black garlic, a crispy sweetbread with capers and piquillos, a Châteaubriand or even a one kilo Baltic black rib of beef to share.
And because a meal by Cyril Lignac cannot ignore the sweet, the desserts also play the comfort card: Grand Marnier flambé soufflé, vanilla mille-feuille and pecan praline, raspberry-mango pavlova or Grand Cru chocolate mousse and hazelnut praline to share.
A magnificently awakened Art Nouveau decor
For this rebirth, the decor was entrusted to Lázaro Rosa-Violán, with one goal: to restore without freezing. The Majorelle woodwork, historic benches and chairs, bronze and copper sconces and sculpted details have been preserved and restored.
Added to this heritage are antique pieces, works of art, custom-made fabrics and a dominant burgundy color which gives the whole a theatrical, warm and intimate atmosphere. The result is less a reconstruction than a dialogue between eras.
And the place is now on two levels, for 186 seats. On the ground floor, the 84 seats in the large historic room allow you to dine under the famous woodwork. Upstairs, four lounges offer more confidential atmospheres, from the Salon Arcade with a view of the Madeleine to the intimate Salon Belle Époque for only 8 guests, like a private dining room.
Lucas Carton, an address to find
This new Lucas Carton therefore does not seek to reproduce the legendary table of yesterday. He chooses instead to bring his heritage to life, around bourgeois, generous and festive French cuisine.
An address to rediscover the pleasure of the great classics in an exceptional setting, but also to experience a new story. And this time, it starts with Cyril Lignac.
Lucas Carton
9 place de la Madeleine, Paris VIII
- Monday to Friday, for lunch
- every day of the week, for dinner
Info & Reservations
