Quaint Oyster Bar in the 6th arrondissement of Paris

Huîtrerie Régis

In France, a boulangerie is a bakery, a fromagerie is a cheese shop, a chocolaterie is a chocolate shop, and a patisserie is a pastry shop. But can you guess what a huîtrerie is? It’s an oyster shop! Huître (pronounced wee-tra) means oyster in French.

I stumbled upon this little huîtrerie because it’s only a couple blocks away from one of the hotels that I like to stay at in Paris. There are a lot of great huîtreries in Paris, but I really like the charm of Huîtrerie Régis. It is a tiny little restaurant with only six small tables that, out of necessity, are very close together. They also have 4 or 5 tables outside.(Summer!) When you walk in, you can see what looks like local French people on their lunch break, entertaining clients, or enjoying dinner with friends or family. It is very elegant inside, with white linen table cloths and beautiful fixtures. Providing their guests with the best products, together with impeccable service is something they take very seriously. The staff is always friendly, helpful, and professional.

I am very picky about my oysters, and I am always very impressed with the freshness and quality of the ones I get at Huîtrerie Régis. For decades, the quality of this little place has been winning over critics. Condé Nast: “…the best oysters in town…” and The New York Times: “The place is often packed. And the oysters are spectacular.” Huîtrerie Régis sources their oysters from Marennes-Oléron, which is north of Bordeaux. There is a large basin off of Marennes where you will find the oyster farms. They are farmed in shallow ponds that contain an abundance of plankton, which the oysters love to feed on. The blue algae in these waters give them their greenish color, and it is also responsible for how delicious they taste. Marennes is one of the main providers of oysters for France. There’s even an oyster museum there!

Once seated, they bring you bread and butter. It’s the really good bread ~ soft on the inside, and crunchy on the outside. I ordered a variety of a dozen oysters. My very favorite is always the Belon oyster, also known as European flats. These oysters are matured, or finished, in the Belon river in Normandy. Something about that time in the river makes these oysters taste incredible. They are very meaty, and taste like the sweet saltiness of the sea. The Belons are a little more expensive, but so worth it. Sometimes I just get a dozen of the Belons. If you have someone with you who doesn’t like oysters, let them a try of one of these and you might just convert them!

One other thing that makes Regis so special is their wine list. They have picked out a few wines that are classic pairings for the seafood they serve, like Sancerre and Muscadet. They also have several other beautiful wines by the bottle, like Chablis, and a Savagnin from the Jura region.

You can find other things on the menu here too like prawns, whelks, crab, and sea urchin. The menu also includes some assorted cheeses as well as foie gras, pate, and charcuterie. They offer a few desserts if you feel like something sweet at the end of your meal.

Huîtrerie Régis is in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, and very easy to get to by metro. Closest metro station is Odeon.

Huîtrerie Régis
3 Rue Montfaucon
Paris, France, 75006
Mon-Fri Noon-2:30 & 6:30-10PM
Sat Noon-10:45PM
Sun Noon-10PM

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