The Reality Behind Emily In Paris' Chez Lavaux Restaurant
The hit Netflix series "Emily in Paris," starring Lily Collins, just released Season 3 on December 21 (per Insider), depicting an American who deals with the culture shock when she goes to work at her firm's French locale. The show has proved popular with a worldwide audience, especially with flight attendants, according to Cheatsheet. While the show has been critiqued for showcasing too many bad stereotypes, many can't deny that other elements of the show are appealing, such as Emily's romantic predicaments, her struggles to fit in with her French contemporaries, and the various dreamy Parisian filming locations.
Emily's chosen neighborhood happens to be in the "fifth arrondissement, on the Left Bank of the Seine," per Time Out. This locale is also known as the Latin Quarter and features Roman ruins, some of which have been there for over 2,000 years, according to Snippets of Paris. This may well be the romantic Paris you imagined amongst the narrow cobble-stoned streets featuring plenty of cafés with terraces.
Amongst one of the locations used most often in this area is French restaurant "Chez Lavaux," where a neighbor and romantic interest of Emily's, Gabriel (actor Lucas Bravo), works as a chef. While the eatery's name is fictional, the facade is that of Italian restaurant Terra Nera located at 18, rue des Fossés Saint-Jacques, Paris. That's not the only difference.
It's not always as it seems on TV
Like many shows, while the outer shots of the quaint dark red, very French-looking exterior in Netflix's "Emily in Paris" make you think the entire scene must be set there, the interior shots were filmed in another location. If you were to visit Paris' Terra Nera, you may be somewhat disappointed to firstly find no Gabriel to be seen in the kitchen. In fact, you can't see the kitchen or its employees at all from the seating area, according to Insider, and you wouldn't get the same French fare or see the same decor.
Before the Italian restaurant took it over, the shop was once a butcher shop in the 19th Century. Fans of the show are certainly welcome at the restaurant. "Emily" has made the eatery extremely popular and you must now reserve a table if you wish to dine there. Also, according to the France Hotel Guide, "a meal and a dish named after Emily were added to the menu." The set menu features a cocktail Americano o Spritz, Burrata e Pomodorini (fresh mozzarella and tomato), Tagliata di Manzo (sliced pan-seared beef) or Filet de Boeuf Emily (filet of beef), and a Tiramisu Della Casa priced at 39€.