Indoor dining in Paris restaurants during COVID

When we were there in the fall you had to present a vaccination pass to eat indoors but the tables were not widespread. Lots of places did have temporary outdoor terraces build on parking spaces -- particularly bistros and cafes -- but those were all taken down November 1 so only restaurant that normally have outdoor dining still do. Now they are not requiring a vaccination passport, so yeah -- risky.

Sorry to say that there are no measures in place anymore. Some restaurants will have digital menus instead of paper copies, and most places will have hand sanitizer at the entrance or at the table... And that's about it.
However, the temporary terraces will be back starting April 1, and outdoor lunches will definitely be a possibility if the weather stays the way it currently is!

FYI, tables were never really spaced apart in Paris - but restaurants were closed outright for a long time.

I’ve been a bit concerned about this issue as well — one of the reasons we didn’t book museums for the most part while in Paris (have a few in Italy though 😬) and focused on outdoor options instead. I have been debating whether to cancel our Loire Valley tour. But I think we will keep it, and wear our masks and maintain as much distance as possible while all in the van. Of course, depending on how things are when it is time to go to Europe, that may end up cancelled.

One thing we plan on doing is outdoor cafes/picnics for breakfast and lunch, and any indoor dining booking early in the evening to increase the odds that the restaurant is not yet crowded. We were going to do a food tour in Paris, but I decided to curate a list of shops to visit on our own rather than be in closer contact with a group of people we don’t know. Also, I believe the vaccination rates are better in Paris than they are in the US, so even without the requirement to show proof, it’s probably better than where we live.

It’s definitely hard to find the right balance between trying to live a normal life and still be as safe as possible.

Balso's described the situation accurately.

I am delighted to learn that the outdoor terraces will be allowed again in April. We mostly eat dinner in; buying food in Paris is so much fun. but it is nice to be able to have lunch outside without having to resort to bakery sandwiches.

In December, restaurants were just like the "before times," no partitions, no distancing.

But it's like going anywhere, whether home or away, you get all your shots and hope for the best. Grocery stores, restaurants, gyms, bars, anywhere.

"Some restaurants will have digital menus instead of paper copies"

Yes, so this threw me for a loop on my Fall visit. I was not skilled with how to read QR codes with my phone camera and had no idea what to do when a restaurant didn't have a paper menu. I just ordered something off the specials board! I have practiced quite a bit since I returned from that trip, lol. So...just make sure you know what to do when presented with a QR code taped to a table.

We are going in early May and plan to do a combination of take out in our hotel room and outside lunches. We will go inside if it is quiet at a non busy time. We need to be very careful because of some increased risk factors but also don’t want to further delay travel. So lots of walks, shorter times inside and masks on when indoors. Luckily we don’t typically do crowded activities and have been to the high profile places like the Louvre so will skip all of that this trip. We are desperate for a change of scenery and Paris will give us that!

Remember you can always get takeaway to eat in your room from the nearest Carrefour or Monoprix, and it's pretty darn good. I also saw a takeout Chinese place near my hotel that would have worked.

Just spent a week in Paris, returned home on March 19. While there we ate outside at most places, but not everywhere. There was no social distancing that I could see and no other precautions other than hand sanitizer everywhere. It didn’t bother us a bit ., we’ve been fully vaxxed with booster and feel it’s time to come out of the bubble we’ve all been living in.
Nothing mean spirited about it, everyone has a right to feel however they want to about Covid precautions, vaccinations, etc. There was one taxi driver that asked us to mask up which was fine. Still required on metro but very few masks worn other than that.

Hope this helps .

Thanks for your answers, everyone!

Question: do you avoid restaurants in the USA as well? Do any places actually still use social distancing?

When cases are very high (as they are in France right now), yes, I avoid indoor dining in the US. I wait for the wave to pass. I don't apply different rules just because I'm in a different country. But it's harder to avoid indoor dining on vacation, so I was just curious what recent visitors were seeing.

Public transportation - do we need N95 or will regular paper or cloth masks suffice?

I don't think the rules specify which type of mask, so it's really a matter of your comfort level. We have N95s for things like flights and taxi rides, and KN95s -- which have the ear loops so go off and on more easily -- for general walking around/buses.

Pam: what does one do when presented with QR code taped to a table? I have not the slightest idea. Anyone else have advice on this?
Kerouac: just read your post. Thanks for this excellent information about a printed menu.
Suzette: I understood the taxes were considered public transportation, therefore masks were required. Was your experience different?

"what does one do when presented with QR code taped to a table? I have not the slightest idea. Anyone else have advice on this?"

OK, here's what you do. Open the camera on your phone like you were going to take a picture. Hold the camera over the QR code and center in the yellow brackets. A small name will pop up at the bottom and you touch that and poof a menu (or whatever) opens.

I suggest you practice with this at home. On the localTV news I watch they often have show QR codes with links to further information. Also on Good Morning America in the Deals and Steals section they will pop up a QR code on the screen. You can also see them in the grocery store, etc. Here's one to practice on from the local TV station. Even though the sign is set at an angle my phone would still read it.

https://www.kxly.com/want-a-yard-sign/

You do not need a special app to read these. (Editing to add this is on my iPhone. Balso has posted below that you may need an app if you have an Android phone so go with their advice if that’s the case. )

My experience in Bordeaux last Fall was that they did NOT have a paper menu available. Of course I could have gotten up and gone somewhere else but I was hungry, had a wonderful table outside in the shade facing the Cathedral and wanted to enjoy the ambiance!

If your phone is Android and not Iphone, you might need a third party app (or Google Lens which might be natively installed). At least I do, and my phone is not that old.
Also, obvious as it may sound, you need a data connection (wifi of mobile).

There are 100s of places (restaurants, bistros, cafés) everywhere in Paris that have permanent outdoor terraces/seating areas, you never have to eat inside, even pre-covid, if you don’t want to. No need to do takeaway, picnic, or grocery store food unless you want to.

Thank you Balso. I do have an iPhone so should have specified that.

Just leaving Paris now where we spent 9 days. Most of those days we had lovely weather and most always sat outside to eat and drink. The outdoor patios were very crowded; no social distancing. Also be aware that many people smoke here at the outdoor patios. Inside a few restaurants were tightly packed as well. You do see frequent hand sanitizer. Cannot recall any paper menus or touchless menus where we went. We wore our masks in all museums, stores, exhibits and on the metro. Not outside or in cafes. Have a great trip.

We leave tomorrow after 20 days in France (11 of those in Paris). I echo what Regina says above about restaurants.

I’d add that over the past three weeks, we’ve seen a steady decline in voluntary masking in public venues (the indoor masking rules changed the day before we got here). As an example - on March 17, about 50% of the visitors to the Fondation Louis Vuitton were masked. Today, April 2, about 10% of the visitors at Musee D’Orsay were choosing to wear masks. Both museums were very busy, no social distancing in lines or in the galleries. At our hotel, all of the staff and most guests are not masking in the public spaces. We just chose to keep our masks on at all times and feel comfortable doing so.

Masking in the metro and on buses is still required and we were impressed with the high level of compliance on the lines we rode (I’d guess 90%).