If the paintings on the walls of Caviar Kaspia from the Russian tsarist era could speak, they could fill history books. In 1927, the restaurant's founder Arcady Fixon, a refugee from the Russian Revolution, began to seduce the Parisian public with the exotic flavors of his homeland. Shiny black sturgeon eggs, served with blinis or potatoes, and ice-cold vodka became the epitome of glamor and indulgence. From 1917 onwards, many Russian aristocrats and artists chose the city on the Seine as their place of exile, where they were welcomed with open arms.

Caviar Kaspia
17 Pl. de la Madeleine, 75008 Paris, France
Tel.: +33 1 42 65 33 32
Web: caviarkaspia.com

Francis Amiand

This so called charming invasion, as Marcel Proust called it, had a great influence on the art and fashion of Paris. Gabrielle Chanel and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, whose Kitmir studio produced the highly fashionable Russian embroideries for the fashion designer in the 1920s, are said to have dined under the paintings in question. In the 60s, Yves Saint Laurent and his fashion muse Betty Catroux became regulars. Karl Lagerfeld is said to have always ordered cold king crab on salad, 150 grams of Beluga caviar with blinis and crème fraîche. At the latest with Vogue editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld, who liked to stop off here with her entourage not only during Fashion Week, Caviar Kaspia finally became the canteen of the Parisian fashion world - and still is today. Getting a table in the evening after the shows is like winning the lottery. Due to the high demand, the restaurant no longer offers online reservations anyway; guests are selected by telephone.

Trends come and go - but Caviar Kaspia remains. This is all the more paradoxical as the restaurant, you can find it on Place de la Madeleine since 1953, has always been peculiarly old-fashioned. With its heavy oak paneling, carpets, showcases of Limoges porcelain, azure tablecloths and oil paintings of carriages, time seems to stand still. The facelift that owner Ramon Mac-Crohon gave the old interior last fall is minimally invasive. For him, there was no question of touching the original atmosphere of the place. On the contrary, the old-fashioned and the historical are essential parts of the Kaspia myth. The contemporary spice was and is provided by the illustrious guests - and of course the merchandising products that he initiated with VIPs such as Virgil Abloh, Giambattista Valli and Carine Roitfeld.

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At first glance nothing screams of Instagram post, which is perhaps why the selfies of Cristiano Ronaldo, Cara Delevingne, Robert Pattinson and Bella Hadid from Caviar Kaspia are causing a worldwide sensation. Thanks to social media, the traditional Parisian restaurant has become so trendy that some guests steal the azure blue ashtray and sell it on e-bay for over 100 dollars. Mac-Crohon used this hype to expand to new locations in Dubai, São Paulo, Los Angeles, London and most recently to The Mark Hotel in New York immediately after the pandemic. The contrast between old and young and modest and decadent seems to capture the spirit of the times. And all of this is rooted in a very simple recipe: the irreverent combination of a simple potato and sturgeon eggs, the luxury product par excellence.

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Caviar Kaspia
17 Pl. de la Madeleine, 75008 Paris, France
Tel.: +33 1 42 65 33 32
Web: caviarkaspia.com

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