Ducasse sur Seine – Paris, served on a silent electric current

Ducasse sur Seine is the only restaurant in Paris that moves while its guests eat: a 38-metre, glass-walled boat that casts off twice a day from Port Debilly, directly opposite the Eiffel Tower, and slides without engine noise past the Louvre and Notre-Dame. Built with the river-tourism operator Citysurfing and the Caisse des Dépôts, the vessel was officially opened on Monday 10 September 2018 as the first 100% electric restaurant boat on the Seine, a distinction it still holds. Below the dining room, a brigade of 36 cooks and pastry chefs works a fully equipped galley, sending up menus of three to six courses designed jointly by Alain Ducasse and the boat's own chef. It is selected in the MICHELIN Guide, recognition less of pyrotechnics than of discipline: cooking proper, seasonal French food to the minute, on water, for up to 200 passengers at a sitting, service after service, without ever missing a beat.

01The room and the setting

Everything about the boat was built to disappear into the view. Its elegant hull was drawn by the naval architect Gérard Ronzatti of the Seine Design agency, while the interior — warm materials set against walls of glass — was given to the couturier-designers Maurizio Galante and Tal Lancman, who also oversee its artistic direction. The ship runs to roughly 38 metres and some 300 tonnes, carries a licence for up to 200 passengers, and is powered entirely by electric motors rather than diesel.

There is no moment of departure to notice. The hull simply detaches from the pontoon at Port Debilly, in the shadow of the Trocadéro gardens, and the meal begins as Paris starts to scroll past the windows like a long tracking shot — the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the bridges, lit differently by day and by night.

02The chef

The galley is led by Jean-Philippe Berens, one of the thirty-six chefs who carry the title of "cuisinier-lieutenant" within the Ducasse group. Profiting from the chef's know-how, Berens is one of the 36 cuisiniers-lieutenants of Alain Ducasse, and the Top Chef 2020 candidate showed his talent in several houses, including the Plaza Athénée and the Prince de Galles alongside Stéphanie Le Quellec, as well as at the Hôtel de Paris in Monaco. He has led the kitchens of the Ducasse sur Seine boat since July 2024, putting seasonal produce delivered on board each morning and cooked on the spot at the centre of his menus.

Insider tip

Lunch and dinner cruises depart daily from Port Debilly; book ahead, smart dress recommended.

03The cooking

The boat is a genuine restaurant on water, fully equipped with a kitchen where chef Jean-Philippe Berens and his brigade of 36 cooks prepare dishes using the finest seasonal produce. Berens presents a modern and refined French cuisine, entirely prepared on board with fresh products delivered early in the morning. The house style follows Ducasse's own grammar of flavour — marinades, salt-crust cooking, reduced jus — built to taste intense rather than heavy, with a vegetarian "Cookpot" of slow-simmered grains and vegetables always on the menu, running to spelt and purple artichokes in autumn.

04What to order

The current repertoire, shown on the restaurant's own menu pages, runs to marinated scallops with purple oxalis and gold caviar, and John Dory served simply with sea algae, beetroot and yuzu. On the meat side there is a sautéed beef fillet with wild mushrooms and a parsley jus. For lunch, chef Jean-Philippe Berens proposes a three-course menu built around a starter, a main course and a dessert per person. Those wanting the full theatre of the evening order "Paris est une fête", a table positioned to make the most of the view over a 1h45 cruise, built around a cold starter, a hot starter, a fish course, a meat course, two desserts and a wine pairing, with a small attention at the end of the meal.

05Wine and drinks

The cellar is run by Bernard Neveu, director of sommeliers for the Ducasse group, who built the list as a journey through French terroir to match the journey through Paris — more than a hundred references in all, kept in a dedicated onboard cellar holding around a thousand bottles at the right temperature and humidity. Pairing menus are offered alongside every lunch and dinner cruise, from a simple three-glass accompaniment to the full six-course "Paris est une fête" service with champagne.

06When to go and booking

Guests can embark on a lunch or dinner cruise aboard Ducasse sur Seine for a unique experience in the heart of Paris, a city of art and culture by day and a sparkling City of Light by night. Lunch runs to a three-course menu with a choice of three starters, three mains and three desserts from 115€ a guest, or a four-course lunch with wine pairing from 285€. Dinner, billed as "Nuit étoilée", runs from a four-course menu at 175€ to a five-course menu with wine pairing at 325€, with "Paris est une fête" at 530€ a guest. A smart dress code is recommended for the cruise, and the boat is accessible to guests with reduced mobility. Booking ahead is essential, since each sitting is a fixed departure rather than a table held open all evening.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.