Le Saint Joseph – a starred chef's playful return to bistro

Le Saint Joseph sits on a quiet stretch of the boulevard de la République in La Garenne-Colombes, a residential Hauts-de-Seine commune within a tram ride of La Défense's towers. Behind its modest façade is a bistro with real pedigree: chef Benoît Bordier earned a Michelin star at the Paris restaurant Jean in 2006, then spent years working alongside Bruno Doucet across the La Régalade bistros before he and his wife Catherine took over Le Saint Joseph in 2017. The cooking that has followed is unpretentious in tone but restless in imagination – roast celeriac scattered with peanuts, grilled cashews stirred into tarama, a saffron risotto finished with whelks, rosemary and lard. It holds a Bib Gourmand in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide France, the distinction for cooking of real quality at a fair price, and it draws a loyal following from across the western suburbs for Bordier's slightly mischievous way with bistro classics.

01The room and the setting

The dining room is small, air-conditioned and unshowy, with a terrace that opens in fine weather beneath parasols. The entrance sits discreetly just off the Place de Belgique, La Garenne-Colombes' best-known crossroads. The easiest approach is by the T2 tram to the Charlebourg stop, right by the restaurant, or by bus lines 73, 176 or N24 — all practical given the restaurant's position in a town more commuter suburb than postcard Paris.

02The chef

Benoît Bordier trained under Jean-François Rouquette at La Cantine des Gourmets before taking the reins at the Paris restaurant Jean, where he earned a Michelin star in 2006. He then became, as French trade press has put it, a travelling companion of chef Bruno Doucet across the various La Régalade addresses, sharpening the generous, produce-led style that still runs through his cooking today. It was at the Hôtel de Crillon, years earlier, that he first met Catherine, who now runs the dining room. Together they took over Le Saint Joseph from its previous owner, the Breton chef Denis Jublan, in April 2017 — a restaurant that was, by then, already something of a neighbourhood institution.

Insider tip

Open Tuesday to Saturday; book by phone or via the website; reachable by tram T2 to Charlebourg.

Bordier has been candid about not wanting to overturn the place wholesale: he kept the bistro spirit of the Saint Joseph intact and layered in his own, more gastronomic touches by degrees. Gault & Millau currently rates the kitchen 13.5 out of 20, describing a gourmet proposal priced fairly and drawing a crowd to this discreet table.

03The cooking

The menu-carte changes with the seasons and, by the restaurant's own admission, with the chef's mood — this is cooking with a sense of humour built in. Signature touches include grilled cashews worked into a tarama, roasted celeriac scattered with peanuts, dry sausage paired with Brussels sprouts, and a saffron risotto finished with whelks, rosemary and lard. Elsewhere, poached cod comes with a Campari-spiked condiment, and a limoncello baba is dusted with black and brown sesame. It is cooking that takes classic bistro comfort and tilts it just slightly off balance, without ever losing its sense of generosity.

04What to order

At lunch, the restaurant offers a Menu du Marché built around starter, main and dessert, alongside a shorter two-course option of starter and main or main and dessert — both built from what the market and the season provide. On the à la carte side, look for the roast celeriac with grilled peanuts, the saffron risotto with whelks, rosemary and lard, the poached cod with its Campari condiment, and, for dessert, the limoncello baba finished with black and brown sesame.

05Wine and drinks

Catherine Bordier composes the wine list herself, and it is built around surprise rather than pedigree alone, with a deliberate focus on bottles made by women winemakers. It is a concise list rather than an encyclopaedic one, chosen to match the kitchen's playfulness rather than to intimidate.

06When to go and booking

Le Saint Joseph is open Tuesday to Friday for both lunch and dinner, from 12:15pm to 2pm and 7pm to 9:30pm, and on Saturday evenings only, from 7pm to 9:30pm, as published by the restaurant in October 2026. Tables can be booked by phone or through the restaurant's own website. For a gift, the restaurant also sells voucher menus for two — from 92 euros for the menu alone, up to 165 euros including an aperitif and wine pairing with water and coffee included, as listed in October 2026.

07The neighbourhood

La Garenne-Colombes is one of the smallest communes in the Hauts-de-Seine, wedged between Colombes, Courbevoie and Nanterre and within sight of La Défense's business towers. The Place de Belgique, a few steps from the restaurant's door, has been the town's principal crossroads since the 1930s and is served by the same T2 tram line that reaches La Défense in a matter of minutes — a reminder that this bistro, however rooted in its own street, is never far from the centre of things.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.