Avoiding crowds while eating out

When we travel, we try to eat outdoors as much as possible, but when it's not, we often do takeout. Your strategy might be helpful, also, but be aware that if you sit down for table service in France, you can expect to be there for a long time. The philosophy is to linger and enjoy your meals, and the servers will act accordingly.

Have you thought about a wearable, personal air filtration device? I don't know how good they are, but it might be worthwhile, in your situation.

Restaurants start dinner at 7 or 7:30 and are usually full at 8 or so and they tend to be very crowded. If you have a serious issue, then your only really good option during this period when terrace dining is unlikely, is to have an apartment and eat dinner there -- whether cooked from the excellent foods available in the market or take out. There is a lot of good take out food in Paris and some restaurant do it as well. There is really no time when crowds are thin in restaurants. You might find eating in the afternoon between lunch and dinner hours in places with continuous service would be less crowded. Tables tend to be closer together in France than the US and restaurants are crowded.

I agree with BB....eat outdoors or do takaway.

Most restaurants in France don't "open early" except those catering to tourists. Cafe's, on the other hand, are open all day. You can get proper meals at them. And most have outdoor seating. (Expect the outdoor seating to be busy as people will stop and linger over a coffee while watching the crowd go by.)

A few thoughts...

• Dining at "opening bell" is definitely an option. France especially is very plugged into The Fork -- basically their Yelp, which also has a good platform for making reservations. I'd recommend making reservations, so that you can confirm first available seatings. You might have the restaurant to yourselves if you snag a table when they open the door!
• Are you committed to staying in hotels or can you rent apartments? An apartment with a kitchen can give you flexibility to "eat in" when you wish. And that doesn't mean you are losing out on the French food experience. Open air markets allow you to shop for your ingredients like a local, including prepared or semi-prepared foods made on site or in the region. Gourmet grocers, delicatessens, and even food trucks can give you similar options.
• Unfortunately, March/April might be too early for some cafes' outdoor seating, but not all. Look for propane heaters and you might be able to sit away from the madding crowd under a nice heat lamp.
• Another option is to seek out food halls, often converted covered markets or warehouses. These are NOT like the mall food court!! Gourmet food halls are springing up in Paris, Marseille, Nice, Lyon, Colmar, etc. etc. What they give you is flexibility. You can take your food to a quiet corner of an airy hall (assuming it isn't wall-to-wall on a busy weekend!) rather than being stuffed into a small room.

Bottom line -- French dining doesn't have to be a packed bistro. I think you can find additional options without sacrificing any of the experiences that come with eating your way through France for two weeks. Bon appétit!

Look for propane heaters and you might be able to sit away from the
madding crowd under a nice heat lamp.

In France it is now prohibited to heat or air condition the terraces of cafes, bars and restaurants, or any outdoor public space.

Definitely go at 7 for meals. I've got an early stomach and I just cannot adapt to a later dining culture, lol. There are also cafes that advertise they have "service continu" which means they are open all day. I look for these as well.

If you give us the area where you are staying some forum members might have suggestions for restaurants that might not be busy early on.

Let us know how things work out for you! I am sure there are others on the forum who are in your immunocompromised situation.

In France it is now prohibited to heat or air condition the terraces of cafes, bars and restaurants, or any outdoor public space.

😲😲😲 Oops! Guess it has been a while since I've looked for those. Well, same logic applies ... if you can find a quiet outdoor corner. I know in Germany they sometimes have blankets on the chairs to help keep you toasty.

I haven't been to France since COVID. In northern Europe I encountered many absolutely packed breakfast rooms in hotels in 2022. A few were in the basement, with low ceilings. Somehow, I didn't get COVID, but I felt I was risking it every day. I always opt out of hotel breakfasts when doing so saves money, but sometimes the cost of breakfast is embedded in the hotel rate, and I'm too cheap to skip a paid-for meal!

Eating at a restaurant early, as in right when it opens, will be your best option for limiting exposure to crowds inside. Having a reservation will help, ensuring that the place is expecting you, and there’ll be no wait to get dinner started before many more diners arrive.

Remember that outdoor dining is essentially the Smoking Section - and there’ll likely be plenty of people lighting up.

France is a pretty large country. I wonder where in France you're planning to visit.

Thanks for the input. Our plan is to spend two weeks in France, Paris > Loire Valley > Lyon > Nice. This is helpful. We’ll have to try out different options. I’ll loop back and post what I learn.

I’ve had some very nice salad from grocery stores or delis in France. You might want to try to limit your number of restaurant experiences, if needed.

A related comment - if you’re traveling by train, I would buy the first class seats. You will have less people in the train car, and other people aren’t walking through the car if you can reserve the first one.

This past summer in Paris at dinner I would sit close to the front or was shown a table close the front or outside, good and effective cross ventilation with the front entrance open and windows too. Time-wise I had dinner from 7:30 to 9.