Where to celebrate Thanksgiving in Paris

Updated by Charlotte Wilson November 10 2022

Thanksgiving is all about surrounding yourself with those you love and being thankful for everything you have, you can sure be thankful that in Paris we celebrate thanksgiving as well! Not just Americans, but many from other cultures come together to celebrate in numerous ways. This November 28th there will be many options to choose from whether it being having a nice thanksgiving meal at a good cafe (perks of this option is that there is no need to cook), visiting some bars and feel surrounded by a cheerful environment, check out cool art exhibitions, or immerse yourself in cool shows playing on Thanksgiving day! Whatever it is you’re into, we’ve got you covered.

8 places where you can have a Thanksgiving dinner

Sunday in Soho
Just looking at their menu is enough to make your mouth water! Sunday in Soho was founded by Isabelle and Ali, a pair of New York expats who found themselves missing the comforts of their roots, and founded their establishment to bring the heart of New York dining to Paris. This Thanksgiving, for €70 a head, you can indulge in their wholesome cuisine, with a seat at their Thanksgiving table. Alternatively, for €100, you can skip the cooking, and have the entire dinner to take out for your family and friends – not that they necessarily need to know that you didn’t make it yourself…

Milagro
This eatery is also run by an American couple, Justin and Lindsey Kent, whose other restauranting venture, the café Zia, just around the corner from Milagro, has reached the top spot on TripAdvisor’s list of breakfast/brunch restaurants! Little over a year since its opening, Milagro is throwing its doors wide open for Thanksgiving, both for sit-in reservations, and take-outs. With its packaged options costing €50 per person, you simply cannot go wrong! Just think about those confit turkey legs…

Hard Rock Café
This is as American as it’s going to get! From November 25-28, Paris’s Hard Rock Café is taking reservations for Thanksgiving meals, featuring all the trimmings, a slice of pumpkin pie, and an espresso martini to round off the festivities. Talk about going “hardcore” for Thanksgiving!

Izzy's
The team behind this women-run, plant-based establishment have been more than a little run off their feet in recent months, preparing to open a new cocktail bar, Abricot, in the 10th arrondissement. That said, Izzy’s is still serving the goods this Thanksgiving, with entire pumpkin pies and festive Scarborough fair margaritas available exclusively to take-out from the 7th or 10th arrondissements on Thanksgiving day itself. Make sure you get your pre-orders in now before they’re all gobbled up!

Ô Château
If for you, Thanksgiving is less about the food, and more about what accompanies it, then look no further! Ô Château, a wine cellar and tasting venue, invites you to a Thanksgiving-themed wine pairing event. For €80 per guest, you can enjoy a glass of champagne, and a succulent three course meal paired with three exquisite wines. You can even upgrade your dining experience with the addition of foie gras for €15 euros. There’s no better way to celebrate cultural harmony than with American gastronomy and French viticulture!

Tarts and Truffles
American in Paris, Lisa Arielle Allen knows what she’s talking about when it comes to sweet treats – she’s a graduate of the Ferrandi Ecole de Gastronomie no less! She now runs Tarts and Truffles, which not only sells mouth-watering cakes, pies, tarts and other goodies, but creates incredible made-to-order confections, and runs chocolate-making workshops! This November, Lisa and the team are celebrating the season with a range of Thanksgiving inspired goodies - get your hands on their delicious pumpkin and pecan pies, cardamom cookies, and fall fruit crumbles. Scrummy!

Doodads at Georgia
This 10th-arrondissement eatery is a favorite for feel-good French-American fusion food, but on Saturday, November 19th, it’ll be transformed into a live music venue with dancing aplenty thanks to the Doodads! This band started as a group of schoolchildren’s dads who joined together to provide entertainment at a school dance. They’ve since then performed at the Eiffel Tower, Times Square, and at the UNESCO headquarters! Entry is free, but the venue advises booking a table in advance to avoid disappointment!

Breakfast in America
A love of food isn’t the only thing that the French and Americans have in common – they also share a love of cinema. And it was these twin loves that inspired the founder of Breakfast in America, Craig Carlson. This city stole his heart as a young man, and after having graduated from film school, Craig returned to Paris to pursue a career in the industry. However, the comforts of home gnawed at him, and so he decided to create a classic American diner, which has hosted Thanksgiving meals annually for decades! Reserve your table in either Le Marais, or the Latin Quarter, and settle in for some seriously lip-smacking food.

French and American Artistic Harmony

As we give thanks for friendships at Thanksgiving, it’s worth thinking about the intercultural friendships we enjoy, not least the lasting amity between France and America. To this end, there are a couple of fantastic exhibitions in Paris this November, which capture the beauty of this transmarine partnership!

Art Deco, France-America
The Roaring Twenties saw a dazzling age on both sides of the Atlantic, with stunning flapper dancers – like Joséphine Baker – , swinging jazz, and new heights (literally!) in architectural design. This exhibition at La Cité Architecture and Heritage Center celebrates the mutual inspiration between the two nations in the age of Art Deco, and how these influences manifested. Visit the exhibition with tickets starting from €6!

Monet Mitchell
The exterior of the Fondation Louis Vuitton is striking enough as it is, but its current contents are just as fascinating. Until February 27th, this renowned exhibition center is hosting a number of works by France’s Claude Monet – yes, he of Water Lilies fame – and American abstract-expressionist and Francophile, Joan Mitchell. The collection of works act as a dialogue between the two. Visitors are guided through the conversation as each artist captures the respective environment around them. This enchanting exhibition charges €16 for full rate admission, with a number of possible price reductions depending on your situation.

Bar to Bar

If you are in the mood to party on Thanksgiving day, there are a couple of American-themed places you can visit with good prices and great vibes.

Bugsy's Bar
Named after the infamous gangster, this USA-themed joint near the Champs-Élysées is versatile enough that you can begin your evening with a good old fashioned, and end it jumping up and down with a Guinness in hand, cheering as your team scores in the final few minutes. Bugsy’s atmosphere is always lively, so it’s a great place to feel the love on Thanksgiving.

Harry's Bar
Supposedly the first cocktail bar in all of Europe, Harry’s was literally dismantled from its original home in Manhattan, and reconstructed here in Paris! It had its grand reopening, as luck would have it, on Thanksgiving Day in 1911, so not only will this bar celebrate the season of gratitude, but also its birthday! Did you know that this bar is also the supposed birthplace of the Bloody Mary? Surely then it’d be rude not to order one or two…

ENGLISH STAND-UP COMEDY

Soothe your soul with some English standup comedy by two of the funniest French comedians in Paris. How to Become a Parisian in One Hour by Olivier Giraud is a hit! Tickets sell out fast and his show is one of a kind. Olivier will have you laughing over his opinion about Parisians and visitors from around the world. If you’re lucky enough, he’ll pick you to accompany him up on stage and win a complimentary copy of his bestselling book. Oh My God She’s Parisian is another hilarious show that you can’t miss – Julie Collas’s style is truly off the wall, and it’s the perfect alternative to traditional Thanksgiving plans! With either show, you’re sure to learn or recognize a thing or two about daily Parisian life.

Thanksgiving Jam Session

The Oasis 244
Having dinner while listening to some original songs, poems, and jokes from visitors and locals might be just the ticket on Thanksgiving. You can even push yourself outside of your comfort zone by sharing with the crowd from the stage of The Oasis 244. Whether you’re with friends or visiting solo, you’re sure to be enveloped in a friendly and creative atmosphere. The open mic registration begins at 8 pm and ends at 11:30 pm.

Le Baiser Salé Jazz Club
If you’re in the mood for some jazz fusion, Le Baiser Salé has got your back. Known to be one of the best Jazz clubs in Paris and perfectly located in the center of the city, this club will be open on Thanksgiving and a live band will perform a whole range of swinging tunes. With international influences in every note, you’ll get a good feel for what true jazz music sounds like. November 22nd’s schedule starts at 9pm and features Jean-Baptiste Loutte on vocals, drums, and guitar, as well as some special guests.

Theatrical Thanksgiving

Among the stereotypical French cabaret shows and classic Molière plays, you may be a little surprised to discover quite how much American representation there is on the French stage!

Joséphine Baker The Musical
This giant of the Roaring Twenties may have abandoned her American homeland at a young age, but she never left anyone in doubt of how grateful she was for her adopted home in Paris – and isn’t gratitude what the season is all about? This Thanksgiving, celebrate a life that was thoroughly well-lived, from the burlesque scene to the silver screen and high-risk Resistance-era espionage – all told through song and dance! What’s not to love? Discover Joséphine’s story through the original biographical musical this festive season.

Lion King The Musical
The bright lights of Broadway have come to the city of light! This iconic musical blew the socks off every audience member in New York and London, and now you have the opportunity to experience it live, and in the most beautiful city of them all. Now isn’t that something to be grateful for? Make sure you book seats with a view of the surtitles, to access those heartwarming original Broadway lyrics.

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