This confidential restaurant, two stations from Paris, hides an unexpected terrace…

As soon as you step through the gates, the hustle and bustle of Paris fades away. This hidden spot, steeped in history and bordered by orchards, reveals a terrace with a breathtaking view of the Iron Lady. Welcome to Domaine Reine Margot.

A historic address at the gateway to Paris

In Issy-les-Moulineaux, two stations from Porte de Versailles, Domaine Reine Margot – MGallery seems like a mirage. Its name is not just a tribute: it was here, in 1606, that Marguerite de Valois – better known as Reine Margot – took up residence to escape the plague and court intrigues. Today, this listed estate is reborn as a 5-star hotel, thanks to a renovation by Jean-Michel Wilmotte.

The site now houses an 83-room hotel, a mineral spa bathed in light, a rum bar housed in a former chapel and, above all, a restaurant opening onto an edible garden, christened Marguerite 1606. The result is a rare ecosystem where heritage, cuisine and nature merge.

Marguerite 1606: plant-based bistronomy in the heart of the countryside

What makes this restaurant exceptional is not only its cuisine, but also its anchorage in the living landscape that surrounds it. Nestled between a vegetable garden and an orchard, the restaurant offers a menu with a vegetal flavour, imagined over the course of the harvests. Here, the dishes reflect what the hands have picked: braised white asparagus, sea bream carpaccio with green broth, or sweetbreads and artichokes in textures.

At lunchtime, a business formula allows you to enjoy a meal in 45 minutes, without compromising on quality. In the evening, the table becomes more contemplative: homemade aperitifs as the sun goes down, followed by springtime delights such as filet of Saint-Pierre with baby carrots or roast rack of veal. For dessert, homemade profiteroles and chocolate soufflé serve as contemporary Proust’s madeleines.

A terrace like nowhere else

But the real aesthetic shock comes outdoors. The terrace of Marguerite 1606 opens onto a hectare of carefully ordered nature, in the pure tradition of 17th-century gardens. More than a setting, the vegetable garden becomes the backbone of the experience, a gustatory extension of the plates. On the horizon, the Eiffel Tower appears, distant yet majestic, almost unreal in this bucolic setting.

At weekends, the restaurant is transformed into a family H.Q., with Sunday brunch, coloring, educational walks in the garden, children’s workshops… People come for the roast chicken, stay for the marshmallow area and the fresh herbs to smell, pick and taste.

The experience continues until dusk

In fine weather, the terrace becomes a lively stage, with homemade sorbets during the day and a brazier in the evening. Musicians join the party, turning dinner into a gentle, almost festive evening. A second, more confidential terrace, facing the estate’s chapel, offers an ideal refuge for early-morning tête-à-têtes or coffees.

But that’s not all. For the curious, the greenhouse at the end of the garden can be transformed into a private room for a secluded lunch or an intimate celebration. Every corner of the estate seems to have been conceived as a variation of experience, a moment suspended in time.

Between immersion, awareness and discreet elegance

What’s striking here is the balance. Domaine Reine Margot is neither a blinged-out Parisian hotel nor a staid retreat. It embodies a form of ecological luxury, where every element has meaning. The architecture respects history, the cuisine follows the natural cycle, the spa opens onto the garden, and the bar distills exceptional rums in a secret chapel.

400 references from all over the world are stocked in showcases worthy of a sensory museum, for intimate tastings under the glow of stained-glass windows.

Why you’ll never forget this lunch

Domaine Reine Margot is not an address: it’s a discovery. Its atmosphere, its food, its terrace, its secrets… everything contributes to creating that rare feeling of having been truly elsewhere, less than 15 minutes from Paris.

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