Le Cinq at George V – Christian Le Squer and Brittany in a gilded frame

He began his working life at sea in Brittany. At Le Cinq, in the Four Seasons Hotel George V, Christian Le Squer today creates three-star cuisine in a dining room of columns, stucco and gilded chairs.

One of the dishes at Le Cinq is called Bar de ligne, caviar, lait ribot de mon enfance – line-caught sea bass, caviar and the soured milk of my childhood. Christian Le Squer spent that childhood in the Morbihan in Brittany, and his earliest memories of food are tied to the sea. According to Four Seasons, his interest in cooking was awakened when he worked at sea: the meal was a special moment on board.

Today he cooks in one of Paris's most formal dining rooms, at the Four Seasons Hotel George V in the 8th arrondissement. Le Cinq has three stars in the Guide Michelin France 2026.

01Christian Le Squer – from Ledoyen to Le Cinq

After early success in the provinces, Le Squer moved to Paris, and it was at the Pavillon Ledoyen off the Champs-Élysées that he made his breakthrough. According to Four Seasons, he held three stars there for twelve consecutive years.

In 2014 he came to the Four Seasons Hotel George V. Le Cinq had held three stars before – Philippe Legendre won the third in 2002 – but had lost one. Le Squer's task was to win it back. He did so in the 2016 guide, and by February 2017, according to Four Seasons, he had held it two years running. The restaurant has kept its three stars ever since.

02Bistro cooking as haute cuisine

Le Squer often takes an everyday French dish and elevates it. His onion soup – la gratinée d'oignons à la parisienne – is a take on the bistro classic, served on a plate instead of in a bowl. Spaghetti in a truffle-filled timbale with cooked ham and mushrooms is another dish Yonder has singled out.

Brittany runs through the whole menu. Breton langoustines are served with warm mayonnaise and buckwheat galettes, and kouign-amann, the Breton butter pastry, can appear as early as the aperitif. For dessert, Yonder has described Le givré laitier au goût de levure, a frozen milk dessert with a flavour of yeast.

Le Squer describes himself as a creator of flavours. He starts with the flavour he wants to achieve and then chooses the ingredients – a way of working he compares to that of a couturier or a perfumer.

03The dining room with columns and Louis XVI chairs

Le Cinq is a neoclassical room. Yonder describes tall columns, stucco work, paintings and Louis XIV cabinets, and Louis XVI medallion chairs gilded with gold leaf. The room was renovated around the turn of the millennium under the direction of the interior architect Pierre-Yves Rochon.

The flowers are part of the experience. The hotel's grand arrangements are created by Jeff Leatham and fill the building, from the lobby to the dining room. The wine has long been in the hands of Éric Beaumard, who, according to Yonder, is both sommelier and restaurant manager and composes the wine pairings with Le Squer.

04George V – the hotel from 1928

The Four Seasons Hotel George V opened in 1928 and was designed by the architect Georges Wybo. The hotel has 244 rooms and suites and Palace status, Atout France's highest hotel classification. It stands on avenue George-V, a short walk from the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, in the area often called the golden triangle.

Next door on the same street is the Hôtel Prince de Galles. More about the area can be found in VERA PI's guide to Paris, and we gather more of the city's tables and hotels at metromode.co – start with Paris's three-star restaurants in 2026 and the palace hotels of Paris.

05How to make the most of your visit to Le Cinq

Le Cinq is a formal restaurant, so dress accordingly. Book well in advance and ask about the wine pairing Le Squer and the sommelier put together. Have a drink in the hotel's courtyard or lobby before dinner and take in the flowers. Check opening days directly with the hotel.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.