The Verdict
Daniel Rose, the American chef who made his name at Spring and went on to Le Coucou in New York, reopened La Bourse et la Vie in 2015 as a tiny jewel-box bistro at 12 rue Vivienne, by the old stock exchange. The menu is deliberately classic: steak au poivre, duck a l'orange and pot-au-feu, each cooked with more precision than the genre usually gets.
The Kitchen
Daniel Rose runs La Bourse et la Vie as a study in classic French bistro cooking done exactly right. The Chicago-born chef, who built his reputation at Spring before opening Le Coucou in New York, took over the historic 'La Bourse ou la Vie' address in 2015 and kept its bourgeois canon. The signatures are a black-pepper-sauced steak, a duck a l'orange and a pot-au-feu, plus starters such as eggs mayonnaise with crab and a lemon meringue pie to finish.
A la carte mains start around €36 at dinner, with a lunch plat du jour from about €24. It is a Gault&Millau-listed bistro rather than a Michelin-starred room, and the cooking is the point. The kitchen runs Monday to Friday only, closed at weekends.
The Room
The room is genuinely small, a handful of tables and a curved banquette under brass and mirrors, snug enough that booking ahead matters. It is warm and close rather than grand, with attentive but unstuffy service. Dress is smart-casual, lunch is the quieter service, and the bistro sits near metro Bourse in the 2nd arrondissement.
Best for First Date
Book La Bourse et la Vie for a first date because the room is small and intimate enough to lean in, the classic menu is easy to navigate, and the bistro setting keeps the evening warm rather than formal. Examples: an early-relationship dinner that wants charm over spectacle, a quiet celebration for two, a Paris date that leans French without the tasting-menu marathon.
Not For
Not for large groups or anyone after a long tasting menu. The bistro is tiny, the format is a la carte classics, and weekends are closed, so skip it if you need a big table or a Saturday booking.
Common Questions
Who is the chef at La Bourse et la Vie?
Daniel Rose, the Chicago-born chef who made his name at the Paris restaurant Spring and went on to open Le Coucou in New York. He reopened La Bourse et la Vie in 2015 in the former 'La Bourse ou la Vie' premises, cooking classic French bistro dishes with unusual precision.
What should I order at La Bourse et la Vie?
The classics it is known for: steak au poivre in a black-pepper sauce, duck a l'orange and pot-au-feu, with eggs mayonnaise and crab to start and lemon meringue pie for dessert. The menu is a tight roster of French bourgeois cooking rather than a long carte.
How much does La Bourse et la Vie cost?
A la carte mains start around €36 at dinner, with a lunch plat du jour from about €24, starters from €18 and desserts from €10, as of 2026. A full dinner sits in the upper-bistro range, so budget accordingly and reserve ahead for the small room.
Where is La Bourse et la Vie and when is it open?
It is at 12 rue Vivienne in the 2nd arrondissement, by the old stock exchange near métro Bourse. It serves lunch and dinner Monday to Friday and is closed at weekends. The dining room is small, so booking online or by phone is recommended.
Is La Bourse et la Vie related to Spring restaurant?
Yes, through chef Daniel Rose. He ran the acclaimed Paris restaurant Spring, now closed, before reopening La Bourse et la Vie in 2015. Diners who remember Spring will recognise the same precise hand applied here to classic bistro cooking rather than a tasting menu.
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