I visited Gabriel's restaurant from 'Emily in Paris' in real life. There was no French food in sight, but the location and Kir royales made it a must-visit.

As a fan of "Emily in Paris," there was no way I'd miss out on the chance to visit Gabriel's restaurant from the show in real life during a trip to France in November.  

Throughout each season, the restaurant has been the setting for some of the most dramatic and romantic scenes in the Netflix show.

From steamy moments between Emily (Lily Collins) and Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) to delightful scenes showing Gabriel's grandmother helping him in the kitchen, it appears to be the center of many storylines. 

In season three, Gabriel tells Emily he dreams of earning a Michelin star with his restaurant one day. As Insider previously reported, getting recognized with a Michelin star is no walk in the park. 

On top of ensuring the quality of the food is consistently excellent, a Michelin requirement, Gabriel explains to Emily that a restaurant aspiring to get a star needs to catch the attention of the Michelin inspector team first.

After that, anonymous inspectors may dine at the restaurant at any time to assess if all guests were served top-quality food every shift.

According to the BBC, Michelin inspectors' approach is still largely shrouded in mystery. However, it reports that restaurants must also impress with the quality of the products, mastery of flavor and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef in their cuisine, and value for money.

In season one, Gabriel – one of Emily's love interests – is introduced as the chef at a French restaurant called Les Deux Compères, which he renames L'esprit de Gigi in season three. 

In real life, filming took place at an Italian restaurant called Terra Nera. Like the show, the real restaurant is bustling with diners. 

Just like in "Emily in Paris" diners at the restaurant could opt to be seated at tables on the half-in, half-out terrace, which looked like it opens up in warmer weather. 

More than that, the exterior color of the restaurant was exactly the same as it looked in the show. In one scene in the first season, you can almost see the actual name of the restaurant name written in cursive gold on the canopy of the terrace. 

Guests at Gabriel's restaurant appear to have a window into the inner workings of the chef's kitchen.

In episode three of the third season, viewers can see kitchen staff busying away, prepping meals, and bringing out dishes from the kitchen. 

Inside Terra Nera, I couldn't help but notice how different some interior design elements looked in real life compared to the show. 

The most noticeable change was that no open kitchen provided diners with views of the chefs. Instead, a selection of wines lined the restaurant wall where the kitchen was in the show.

There was also a massive display of desserts and charcuterie items in the middle of the restaurant, which isn't visible in the show. 

As fans of the show will recall, episode four of the latest season of "Emily in Paris" sees Emily and her Savoir coworkers Luc and Julien toast to her unemployment with a Kir royale, a classic French cocktail.

When she asks what the drink is, Luc explains that a Kir royale consists of crème de cassis topped with Champagne. "The perfect drink to sip and do nothing as the Ferris wheel turns," he says. 

I have to credit my friend Amy for ordering Kir Royales at Terra Nera. She'd come across the drink on a previous trip to Paris and said it's the perfect aperitif.

When the drink arrived, the first thing I noticed was that it was less pink than it looked to be on the show. I gave it a swish, took my first sip, and found it to be light and sweet. 

What's more, the sweetness of the liqueur, which comes from blackcurrants, wasn't totally overpowering. I could still taste the flavor of the Champagne. 

In season two, Gabriel shows Emily how something delicious and elegant can be made from something so "misunderstood" as a leek. 

"Leeks have a transformational quality," he tells Emily. "You can't rush them. You have to coax the flavor out. A good reminder is to keep the heat low and take it slow."

I used to rarely go for leek dishes when I come across them on a menu, but Gabriel made leeks look so appetizing that I've had to rethink my choices. 

Our first taste of the menu was a Caprese salad that cost 14 euros, or around $15. A heap of arugula was placed in the center of the plate surrounded by thick wedges of tomato and mozzarella topped with balsamic glaze.

The flavors were good, but I would've preferred more balsamic glaze and perhaps finer slices of tomato and cheese. 

Overall, the presentation lacked the sophistication of the meals served at the restaurant in "Emily in Paris." That said, I had to remind myself that Terra Nera was not Gabriel's restaurant. It was more so a casual neighborhood dining spot than a restaurant working toward Michelin status like it's portrayed to be on the show.

In the opening scene of the episode, Emily is introduced to Gabriel's grandmother Gigi, who is in Paris to lend a helping hand to her grandson during the reopening of his restaurant.

While prepping for the reopening, Gigi makes Emily try the fish soup she's preparing for the restaurant, which she said isn't made from a recipe.

"There are no recipes. It's not a list of things, it's a feeling," she added. Clearly, Gabriel's restaurant is not only serving fancy-looking food but meals with substance. I was curious if Terra Nera would be able to deliver the same quality with my main.

The seafood linguine at Terra Nera cost 24 euros, or around $26. Before it arrived on the table, I wasn't expecting to be wowed, given the simple starter.

But I was actually pleasantly surprised. The noodles were cooked al dente and the dish itself wasn't overly fishy – I also loved how the flavors of the clams blended with the cherry tomatoes. 

The simple presentation of the dish also made me think of Gigi's unpretentious fish soup, made from the heart rather than a recipe. 

The slice of lemon pistachio cake, which cost 8.50 euros, or around $9, was taken from the food display in the center of the restaurant. It was then plated with whipped cream and glazed with caramel. 

Amy and I were slightly disappointed by the dessert after feeling such a high from our main courses. Some bites of the cake were pretty dry while others were much moister.

It did help to scoop bites of cake with whipped cream, but it left us wondering how long the cake had been on display since it was baked. 

A dimly-lit bathroom was located at the bottom of a winding staircase.

On the way there, I passed by the kitchen, which seemed tiny compared to how it looks in "Emily in Paris." It was tucked away at the back of the restaurant, unlike how it appears on the show.

The producers and creators must have sought a different location to shoot the restaurant's interior because it was nothing like it looked in the show. 

The culinary experience at Terra Nera was slightly underwhelming because of how incredible the dining experience appears to be at the restaurant in "Emily in Paris." But that said, it was an enjoyable evening overall.

The food was generally satisfactory, the service was smooth, and I left full. And just like Emily in season three, I got to try a Kir royale for the first time. 

What's more, the location of the restaurant made for the best post-meal stroll a fan of the show could ask for. After dinner, Amy and I wandered around the square the restaurant is on, which is also the same place where Emily's apartment building and favorite bakery are.

It was the perfect end to a generally lovely evening where I was able to live out my "Emily in Paris" fantasy.