La Closerie des Lilas: A Brasserie with History in Its Walls
La Closerie des Lilas has been around since the 19th century. It sits at 171 Boulevard du Montparnasse, right where the street meets Avenue de l’Observatoire.
At first, it was just another café, a spot for people heading to the bal Bullier, the dance hall across the street. But over time, it became something else – a gathering place for artists, writers, and thinkers who shaped Parisian culture.
Where Paris’ Greats Once Sat
By the early 1900s, this place was buzzing with painters, poets, and revolutionaries. Hemingway drank whiskey at the bar and wrote here. Fitzgerald handed him The Great Gatsby on the terrace.
Before them, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, and Zola met here, sketching, debating, and dreaming up the future of art. Later, Sartre, Beckett, and Picasso made it their own. Even Lénine played chess here before making history.
Still a Place to Linger
Today, La Closerie des Lilas is a restaurant, a brasserie, and a bar. The mahogany counter is still there, with Jean-Claude Meynard’s painting Closing Time hanging above it – a tribute to the late-night regulars of the past.
The terrace, once Hemingway’s favorite spot, is now a quiet corner with greenery all around.
The food is classic French, well-executed. The filet de boeuf Hemingway comes flamed with cognac, a nod to the old days. Oysters, foie gras, and seafood are menu staples.
It’s the kind of place where waiters wear jackets, and the service is polished but never rushed.
A Piece of Paris That Hasn’t Changed
Writers still gather here. Since 2007, the Prix de la Closerie des Lilas has been awarded each year to a female French author. It’s been in films, too – Le Vieux Fusil, Adieu Paris, and more. But mostly, it remains what it always was: a place to sit, eat, drink, and think.
Some spots in Paris are all hype. This one never needed the attention, it just kept going.