Le Dôme
Le Dôme, also known as Café du Dôme, is a restaurant in Montparnasse, Paris, opened in 1898 on the boulevard of the same name. Between the wars it was one of the great meeting points for painters, writers and art dealers, and today it operates as a fish restaurant.
History
The café was founded in 1898 by Paul Chambon, from Auvergne, at number 108 on the Boulevard du Montparnasse, on the corner with the Rue Delambre. From the early twentieth century it established itself as an intellectual meeting place and became known as the 'Anglo-American café', reflecting the presence of the American literary colony.
Before the First World War it was the most popular and fashionable café in Montparnasse, ahead of La Rotonde. Gossip, messages and professional contacts circulated freely there, forming an informal market of artistic and literary opportunities. Over time its clientele became more international, and its name became tied to the School of Paris.
The business passed to the Bras family in 1970. Today Le Dôme is a high-end fish restaurant with a comfortable, old-fashioned interior. The Michelin Guide once awarded it a star.
Culture
Le Dôme belongs to the tradition of Parisian literary cafés, alongside La Closerie des Lilas, La Rotonde, Le Select and La Coupole. It appears in works by Hemingway, Miller, Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, and on screen in Agnès Varda's Cléo from 5 to 7. The term 'Dômiers' was coined for the international group of artists and writers who frequented it, among them Picasso, Modigliani, Kandinsky and Anaïs Nin. Today its appeal lies in the history of the room and in a seafood-focused menu, with dishes such as oysters and sole meunière.