Loulou is the kind of place you go for the setting, not the food — and honestly, that's okay. Tucked inside the Musée des Arts Décoratifs with a terrace overlooking the Louvre, it's one of the most photogenic lunch spots in Paris. The Mediterranean menu by Benoît Dargère is pleasant but inconsistent; you're really paying for the real estate. Go for a long sunny lunch, order a glass of rosé, and pretend you're on vacation.
A Mediterranean lunch terrace with a direct view of the Louvre — the setting outshines the plate, but on a sunny day, you won't mind.
Book well ahead and specifically request terrace seating — indoor tables don't get the Louvre view that makes this place worth it.
The terrace is the main course
Let's be honest: you don't come to Loulou for a culinary revelation. You come for that terrace. Set inside the Musée des Arts Décoratifs at 107 Rue de Rivoli, the outdoor seating area looks straight onto the Louvre's façade and the Tuileries — it's genuinely one of the most stunning lunch settings in Paris, and on a sunny day, it's hard to beat. The restaurant leans into a Mediterranean identity under chef Benoît Dargère, with seasonal dishes that aim for sun-drenched simplicity: think grilled fish, pasta, burrata, that kind of thing. Some plates land well; others feel surprisingly flat for the price point.
The reviews tell the story. Google sits at 4.0 from over 4,000 reviews, but Tripadvisor is noticeably harsher at 3.7. One reviewer summed it up perfectly — "l'œil et l'estomac" — a feast for the eyes, less so for the stomach. Another called the cooking "très simple et pas très bonne." Yelp reviewers echo the same: good but not great, and cheaper elsewhere. The service can be brusque when it's busy, and it's almost always busy. Reservations are essential, especially for terrace seating.
So here's the deal: come for a long, lazy lunch when the sun is out. Order something simple — a pasta, a salad, a glass of Provence rosé — and soak in what might be the best people-watching terrace in the 1st arrondissement. Just don't expect the food to match the view, and you'll have a great time.