I'm thinking I'd like to make some reservations ahead of our trip in February. Looking for advice on:
1 - What is the best way to book
- Email directly (we went to Italy in 2016 and this worked well)?
- Use something like thefork.com?
- Some other booking venue I am not aware of?
2- Timing, is it too early to start contacting locations?
Many thanks,
if it is a real high-demand restaurant you could email them.
We just ask the front desk of the hotel to call and make reservations when we arrive. They speak the language and I think it might help to have them say "this is hotel X calling for one of our guests" since the hotel is going to stay in Paris but you are not ;-)
We have emailed with great success even with hard to get tables, as long as we looked well ahead. The email gives you the opportunity to let them know if you'll be celebrating a special occasion (it's always a special occasion, right?), any food allergies, etc. I don't think anytime is too early. If it is, they will tell you. We have used thefork.com as well, but, on several occasions our table was in Siberia and we did not feel the love at the reception desk.
I don't think we've ever made a dining reservation so far in advance in Paris. Usually we just ask the front desk at the hotel do do it for us a day or two in advance. But then again, we don't dine in Michelin star restaurants or those that are on the current "must do" list.
You don't include your location, but I'll take a wild guess that you live in North America, so phoning might not be your preference. Assuming the restaurant website doesn't have a reservation page, then an email would be the next best thing.
If you are staying in an apartment, it is relatively easy to use "TheFork" or "LaFourchette".
If you are staying in a hotel, you could ask the desk staff to recommend a restaurant, but they will likely receive a kickback and you might not like the place they send you to.
You can certainly reserve in February 2018.
Or, if you like the look of a restaurant, you can just walk in and ask to reserve. Normally, someone speaks English.
Normal meal times are: Breakfast: 7:30 to 11:30, Lunch: 12 to 2:30 PM, and Dinner: 7:30 to 11:30 PM. Some restaurants are closed on Sunday and/or Monday.
Thanks everyone. I worry my terrible French would be next to impossible to understand over the phone. It sounds like there isn't one conventional method for Paris, so we'll go with the flow as we figure it out. I really didn't want to offend anyone with a terribly written e-mail either.
I generally like to have a loose plan of where we are going to be having lunch and dinner. I find it improves travel when you are tired and hungry to not being thinking/arguing about where or what you want to do for a meal. That said, I'm primarily concerned with the Sunday evening as my understanding is many places do close on Sunday and then we are there on 2/14, and I know here at home places are booked early, so for that evening I'm trying to get something set as well.
I am doubtful we'll be going anywhere crazy high in demand. We're staying in Saint Germain area, so happy to hear of any good and casual places in that area :)
**Yes, N.A., New England.
go to the restaurant website many have booking portals on them
"TheFork" or "LaFourchette" -- now part of Trip Advisor. I have used the service a couple of times and been satisfied. When a Paris phone number is requested I give the number for my hotel. Twice, the restaurant has telephoned for confirmation the day of the reservation. I can understand that small, ambitious restaurants want to be sure every seat is in use, generating essential revenue.
In that neighborhood we enjoyed this place known for soufflé savory and sweet: https://travelsort.com/blog/la-cuisine-de-philippe-paris-review. And you can't "offend" with an email. They want to know when you want to dine, how many people, what time. Believe me, restaurants appreciate bookings through email.
When we go to Paris or other big French cities, we do not go for specific restaurants usually. It is more fun and interesting to find a restaurant district, and wander around looking at menus. If it is raining, this is less fun. But if it is pleasant, and not too cold, looking at menus, and seeing what the maitre'd will try to tell you is fun. It is also fun to watch the maitre'ds from neighboring restaurants. Sometimes a person will stop to look at a restaurant, and the guy from next door will come and ask them if they want a table, and then bring them to HIS restaurant, not the one whose menu they were examining! Our French friends do this as well. In many restaurant districts, if a restaurant has been there for a while, it has to have something that people want to buy. And, yes, as others suggest, not on the main tourist streets, but away where normal Parisians live and eat.
If you are in the Saint-Germain area, I recommend you go to either of these places:
Marco Polo - open on Monday
Semilla - open on Monday
Or, if you are in the 1st arrondissement, go here:
Regalade Saint-Honore - open Sunday until 2
Just walk in with a happy smile on your face, around 11h45 and ask for a table. Almost everyone speaks French.
We were in Paris beginning of October and not once did we ask for or even need a reservation anywhere. My philosophy has always been to pick a random street and then find a random restaurant that looks busy. The walking around and looking for a place is half the fun.
