Cafe Marly (Louvre)

it really is right in the Louvre, in the Richelieu wing facing the pyramid.

We stopped in for a quick lunch at Cafe Marly the other day and thought it lived up to the many recommendations we've received. In almost any other setting as touristy as this one, I'd expect something pretty awful (and all the food court restaurants in the Carrousel du Louvre are just that). But Cafe Marly is a very nice cut above.

We had tomato/mozzarella salad, ham/melon appetizer, that kind of thing, and it was all done very nicely, the kind of food you'd be perfectly happy with in a much grander setting. Though I suppose the Louvre is hardly un-grand! The cloisters are deep enough that there's some refuge from the sun on a boiling hot day, as well.

Many friends have also recommended it for hot chocolate and coffee in the winter months, though that was the furthest thing from our minds as the thermometer flirted with 100 degrees F the other day...