Are reservations typically required for restaurants in Paris, especially for dinner? We'll be going next week and I would like to have a few in mind but mostly go with the flow depending on where we are when we start to get hungry but I'm wondering if we'll be able to find a spot?
Also, any can't miss restaurants? I know there are a TON so I'm not stressing myself out too much to plan every restaurant, just want to know if there are some that come highly recommended!
You will always find someplace to eat but if you want to eat at places you have identified as good or that you want to try, reserve. Often for small neighborhood places, reserving a day ahead is plenty. For others, a few days or week in advance suffices. For some more in demand places, it may require several weeks. If you see a place walking around that you would like to eat in that evening, just stopping by at noon and booking for the evening may be fine. Places that look empty are often completely reserved for the evening and in fact do fill up with reserved patrons. We learned this the hard way.
Place that have plenty of space to just walk in often do for. a reason. There are a lot of mediocre or even fairly terrible places to eat in Paris.
Loads of good restaurants...some require reservations..it really depends on day, time etc.
Id go for regional cuisine or crepes, best value and simple but good. See list below:
https://theparisshortlist.com/best-comfort-food-in-paris/
Also, you cant leave Paris without going to a traditional Parisian bistro like ones on here.
https://parisbymouth.com/restaurants/classic-bistros/
Stick to residential neighborhoods ie. away from busy touristy areas (although some good ones in business areas)
Will depend where you will be staying,
In the 7th could I suggest Café Constant.
In 21 days in Paris, we never made a diner reservation. Never went to a Michelin starred restaurant either. We have have at several Michelin *** outside of Paris with no reservation but did get turned away once at lunch in Alsace.
Thank you! We’ll be staying in Marais will eat all over
If the place is popular, you could be disappointed if you arrive without a reservation. There are more and more restaurants in Paris that use tripadvisor for reservation booking, which is simpler than calling or emailing to ask for reservations. If you don't have reservations and the place is popular, it's best to show up when they open to get a table.
What time are you planning on eating? If it's early, you won't have problems eating at the places that are open all day, which tend to not be as good 'service continu/continuous service'.
There are a lot of very good restaurants in Paris but it depends on what you want. One of my favorite restaurants is Restaurant de la Tour which is close to the Eiffel Tower. It's run by a husband and wife team. We live here and go a few times a year. Although it is in a tourist area and caters to tourists in the evening (when you need a reservation - reserve by email), it caters to a local lunch crowd and at lunch you generally do not need a reservation. Look it up on tripadvisor for reviews and pictures.
The Internet makes restaurant bookings easier. Some Paris restaurants rely on Facebook rather than maintaining individual websites. Several booking agencies are on-line. I use The Fork/la Fourchette, an associate of TripAdvisor. While it doesn't cover everything, it has the advantage of making reservations in English. It also offers advice and reviews that I have found useful. In small restaurants with good reputations, a reservation is reassuring, especially on weekends.
Except when booking for luch with clients, I have never booked a restaurant in France. The only time I booked in Paris was one xmas eve, and the place had plenty of room
Typically, we do not make reservations unless it was for Michelin starred restaurant. However, for our upcoming trip, we have made reservations for a couple of restaurants. These are smaller restaurants that have been in articles recently (Septime, Tannat, etc.) We still plan on wandering into a place for lunch and a few dinners.
Always a good idea to reserve ahead (even just a few hours ahead) if possible even if you don’t have to, i find we’re treated better and get a better table.
We (just 2 of us) tried walking into Bofinger w/o a reservation the other night, a weeknight, and they had no tables available.
Just got home to Chicago from 9 days in France, 6 in Paris. Also stayed in Le Marais entire Paris portion of trip. Although nowhere near Le Marais, we had one of the absolute top restaurant experiences of our life at L'Ami Jean, a bit east of the Eiffel Tower. Ambiance + food was an A+. All sorts of everything in Le Marais. Unsure if you like coffee, but most in Paris is an over-extracted, burnt mess. I found Fragments and Ob-La-Di were both great, and Fragments opens at 7 every day, great for early risers. Also enjoyed Le Mary Celeste in Le Marais, and had an outstanding lunch at L'Ange 20 just off Place de Voges. Reservations recommended for both. The neighborhood we were in, "Temple", had an awesome nightlife scene with numerous restaurants as well, specifically all the places on/around Rue de la Corderie. Have fun.
Thank you everyone for the replies! We probably won't stress too much about a reservation and will consider just reserving a table the day of if we go by somewhere that looks really great.
@Zachgiles: thanks for the info! I'm not a coffee drinker but my husband LOVES it so these will be great to know.
While two people are often fine, I hate to wait or move from one place to the next in search of food. The busiest evenings are Fri and Sat: I'd book on those nights. Not necessarily more than a day in advance. I highly recommend the aforementioned Thefork app if you don't want to call.
If a restaurant is worth considering, it is worth reserving. I never go to any restaurant in Paris without first calling.
