the Tour d’Argent in Paris – time to refresh

There are few restaurants quite as iconic as the Tour d’Argent in Paris … or with quite such a view!  From the bay window of the dining room you look across the Seine river to Notre Dame and the Ile de la Cité, a scene that has hardly changed for hundreds of years.

It is claimed that the tour d’Argent (the silver tower) is one of the oldest restaurants in the world, with records dating back to 1582.   It gained its name because the building was constructed with stone from Champagne with a slightly silver glint to it.

Guests haven’t always enjoyed this fabulous view.  It was André Terrail, owner of the restaurant since 1910 who built the sixth floor and moved the dining room upstairs.  He was also responsible for creating the famous wine cellar : 350,000 bottles stored on two underground levels.

The restaurant has long been known to attract a wealthy and fashionable clientèle, from Marilyn Monroe to the Kennedys, Charlie Chaplin, Emperor Hirohito and even the Queen of England.   All drawn by the Michelin starred table, the fine food, the fantastic wines and tables that look out across the city.

During the second World War, André’s son Claude, saved the cellar from the hands of the Germans by walling up the entrance.  And today it is the next generation,  his son, another André, who is the owner and director of the restaurant, he inherited it from his father at the young age of 26 – what a responsibility!

André Terrail is proving an honourable inheritor and works hard to maintain the restaurant’s reputation for excellence and the tradition for keeping up with the times while respecting the spirit of the the restaurant.

He is currently preparing a new step in the life of the restaurant and in a few weeks time, early May, there will be an auction of 3000 items whose time has come to be renewed.  An opportunity to refresh the design and the dining experience of guests.

And an opportunity for all lovers of hotel silver, or Paris souvenirs to snap up their little piece of history.

Among the sale will be tableware, silver, tablecloths and  lanterns from the façade.  There will also be many glasses.   The Tour d’Argent has one of the world’s largest glass collections, each size and shape chosen for a specific wine or liqueur.   All of the glasses are engraved with the restauant’s monogram.

Bottles will be sold from the wine cellars and complete dinner services will be available too.

You can see the full auction catalogue HERE on the site of Artcurial who is handling the sale, and if you are in Paris between the 8-10th May, then why not come along to enjoy the show and maybe even go home with a little piece of Parisian history!   I have certainly put this one in my diary.

If you would like to see details of the sale with price estimates, you can click

HERE, HERE or HERE.

And if you would like to bid by phone, then just sign up HERE

Tour d’Argent,  Paris