El desayuno es el nuevo lujo gastronómico: este lo demuestra, habiéndose convertido en una parada obligatoria para quienes visitan París

Breakfast is the new gastronomic luxury. Massimo Bottura had it in his mind when he explained how after-dinner service could make a difference in the hotel industry. And indeed, he put it into practice at Casa Maria Luigia, which has become a destination for foodies thanks in part to its legendary breakfast of cakes and cotechino sausages.

Many have understood, even here in Italy, how inviting breakfast is, a treat to be cherished in a world of more or less stale buffets. Portrait understood this, making its breakfast a social event in Milan (and later bringing it to Florence, with a view of the Ponte Vecchio). And, remaining in the world of great chefs, Niko Romito understood it too, transforming the disadvantage of being far away from everything into an opportunity to unwind, treating himself to two days of peace and quiet between dinner, bed, and breakfast.

In short, the fact is that yes, we like waking up to something delicious, whether sweet or savory. But not only that: we also feel that sometimes it's more fun than a dinner out, one of those fine dining experiences that can easily become excessively long and demanding. The trend is to streamline them, of course, and make them more enjoyable, to meet the needs of a changing public, both in terms of demands and budget.

And there it is, the other reason we love a good breakfast: it's a small luxury within our reach, certainly more so than a dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant. A gift, a treat we can afford more easily than a dinner at a famous restaurant.

The starred breakfast at Le Tout-Paris

Hearty, cheaper than a dinner (and it doesn't matter if, considering the courses and ingredients, they actually are), more fun, less demanding, and more Instagrammable. Ultimately, these are the reasons why luxury breakfasts are the new object of gastronomic desire, especially among the younger generations.

If you don't believe us, you can try booking a table for petit déjeuner at the Michelin-starred restaurant Le Tout-Paris. Spoiler alert: it won't be easy, because that breakfast has already become a must-try for anyone passing through Paris.

Of course, it's also true that we like to win easily. We're on the Seine, inside one of the most beautiful hotels in the city, in Europe, and in the world. Le Cheval Blanc is a hotel where luxury and elegance permeate every corner, including its restaurants. The three-Michelin-starred Plénitude, where chef Arnaud Donckele serves his menu of sauces in a wonderfully French setting. And then two one-Michelin-starred restaurants: the Japanese restaurant Hakuba and the brasserie Le Tout-Paris, with its colorful furnishings overlooking the most coveted view of Paris, including the Eiffel Tower.

And it is right here that every morning the Parisian ritual that has become more trendy than queuing at Cédric Grolet's pastry shop takes place: the coolest Michelin-starred breakfast in the city.

Also open to non-hotel guests, Le Tout-Paris's petit déjeuner offers a €70 per person (not cheap, of course, but we're still in Paris, with a view of the Eiffel Tower) the chance to soak up the incredible luxury of this place for a few hours. And eat excellently, too.

Everything is à la carte, because buffets can be terribly vulgar, especially when you have to wait in line. You choose your hot drinks (organic coffee, espresso, filter coffee, but also a wonderful selection of teas and herbal teas) and then decide what to eat, choosing from the marvelous menu of Maxime Frédéric, Pastry Chef at Le Cheval Blanc Paris, World's Best Pastry Chef 2025 according to The World's 50 Best Restaurants. At your table, you're served a selection of classic, buttery Parisian viennoiseries, and a basket of bread to eat in bites or butter (we're in France, come on), and either way, bite generously.

And then there are the cheeses, and the eggs (do you want to come to France and not eat a superb omelette?), the pancakes, the salmon, and everything else.

The feeling is truly one of abundance (though measured, served gracefully at the table, not snatched from a large communal table where people can fight over it), at an overall affordable price, perhaps that of a gift for a special occasion. And then, in the end, the price difference compared to any normal breakfast isn't that different from that of a dinner at a trattoria or a Michelin-starred restaurant.

And yet, to have breakfast here, there's a waiting list: must that mean something?