La Mère Catherine hosts group meals, seminars, weddings, birthdays, private events and tour groups, from 15 guests to 140 seated or 160 standing in its largest room. Two rooms and a patio can be booked privately, and the whole restaurant can be hired for an event. La Mère Catherine stands at 6 Place du Tertre, in the village of Montmartre, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, a few steps from Sacré-Cœur.
Seminars and company events
The restaurant offers group menus from 15 guests and private hire of a room or of the entire house. For a company, it works as the dinner of a seminar day, a client evening or an end-of-year party in a historic Paris setting. The team builds each event to order and lists optional services: a vineyard visit, a caricaturist, a magician, floral decoration, a French Cancan show, musicians and singers, a DJ, a photographer and a photo booth. The restaurant is open every day from 7 am to 2 am, which leaves room for both lunch and late evening events.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings are among the events the restaurant names, along with birthdays and family gatherings. The Salle d'Honneur, with its private entrance, private bar and grand piano, is the natural choice for a wedding dinner, and the adjoining patio gives guests an outdoor area during the reception.
Rooms and capacities
The Salle d'Honneur is the largest space. Together with the patio it seats 140 guests or takes 160 for a cocktail. It has its own entrance, a private bar and a grand piano, which suits a dinner with live music or speeches.
L'Atelier is on the first floor and has two separate areas. It seats 80 or takes 110 for a cocktail, and its windows overlook Place du Tertre and the painters' square below.
The Patio adjoins the Salle d'Honneur. It can be booked on its own or combined with the back room, for up to 40 guests, and gives a quiet spot away from the busy square.
Catering
The kitchen serves traditional French cooking: onion soup au gratin, sole meunière, frog legs à la provençale, house foie gras, tarte Tatin and profiteroles, with a broad wine list. Group menus are designed for parties of 15 and more. Live music plays every evening from 7:30 pm, with singers and musicians on the restaurant's stage. Seasonal menus are offered for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
History and setting
Catherine Lemoine founded the restaurant in 1793. The building had served as the presbytery of the parish priest of Saint-Pierre de Montmartre, a church dating from the 15th century, and Danton and his followers met here during the Revolution. The house witnessed the Battle of Paris of March 30, 1814. According to the restaurant, Russian Cossacks who came up to Montmartre called for their drinks with "bistro", meaning "quickly", a story often linked to the origin of the word. In the 1950s it was one of the most sought-after addresses in Paris. Quotations from Danton and paintings of Montmartre still decorate the walls.
Getting there
The address is 6 Place du Tertre, 75018 Paris, at the top of the Butte Montmartre near Sacré-Cœur. The restaurant does not publish metro or parking details, so plan guest arrival on foot through the streets of Montmartre, and ask the team about access for coaches or deliveries for a large group.
