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Paris - Michelin-starred restaurant lunch - silly (?) questions

Posted by (WV) on

Bonjour!

I have just made a lunch reservation at a Michelin-starred restaurant for an upcoming trip to Paris. This will be my first Michelin experience. I have a couple of questions--kindly keep your laughter to yourself if they seem silly. (Just kidding, I can take it!)

  1. I will be on my own on the day of my special lunch. From what I've read, solo diners shouldn't have any problems. Is that generally the case? Any advice or words of experience here? (To put this in perspective, I live alone and frequently dine/travel solo. This isn't necessarily a question of my comfort. I suppose it's more a question of what to expect from staff, seating, etc.)

  2. How much time should I expect the meal to last? I want to linger and savor, but I am also mapping out the rest of my afternoon plans and want to be realistic about how much of the afternoon will be remaining after lunch. Would two hours be reasonable for a three-course lunch? What's been your experience?

Merci beaucoup!

Posted by
3984 posts

Can you tell us which restaurant? I think that three hours would be enough but you may have picked a place that is known for slower than usual service. Usually the lunch slot at a restaurant is 12 PM to 2 PM so 3 hours is plenty of time. For example at L'Arcane Restaurant, the lunch service is 12 to 1:30 and they take the last order at 1:30 and make it clear that they will be closed at 4 PM. As to eating alone, I would not expect any problems or issues from the staff if you have a reservation for one. I've never had a problem with service when eating alone at a restaurant in Paris.

Posted by
2319 posts

Michelin starred or not, there is no difference if you are the only guest or if there are 2,3,4 or more guests at the same table.

As for the duration of the meal, it depends on the menu you choose. I see that at Nicolas Flamel there is a choice between 4 menus:

Lunch menu, or the Signature menu in 3 courses or 5 courses or 7 courses.

Even with the 7-course menu I don’t think it will last more than 2h/2h30.

In my opinion, when going to a Michelin-starred restaurant, you might as well take advantage of it and take the 5-course version

Posted by
286 posts

Well, being a huge Harry Potter fan, I'm assuming that restaurant is owned by JK Rowling? Because I would think that would be copy writed?

Posted by
10621 posts

Correct History Traveler. Not only did he live in the building, but also it's the oldest house in Paris.

Edit: more research shows some controversy as to whether the building was built in the Renaissance, and if Flamel lived 1600s. The research says he housed workers in the building. I'm sure J.K. Rowling would know. LOL.
This is from one of my favorite books for visiting "Paris: Secret et Insolite", an old copy, highly recommended.

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