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Paris 7th- Dinners with 6 people/teens- need reservations? Where to go?

Posted by (Mars, PA, USA) on

We are renting two small apartments in the 7eme for a week. There are 3 adults (Us + Brother) and my older kids ages 20, 18, 12. We're on a tight budget, but want the kids to experience dinners out most nights, so we're trying to budget enough for this (We'll eat breakfast in and try picnicing for lunch some days to save $). My husband/I have been once before and dinners were such a memorable part of the trip (La Varangue-Steve Smith was there!). We used RS book and never made a reservation. I'm assuming I can't do this with 6 people? I'd like to eat most dinners in the 7th, more specifically within walking distance of "home"- We're on rue Amelie, and l'Universite near there (so, close to rue Cler). I want to be able to get back to bed easily (I can take my youngest home early if need be) after those wonderful late meals. I have the Paris 2008 RS book, and I've eaten at a few of them but don't know much more.

So, any suggestions on places, how/when to make reservations (do I need to call before we leave the US?), are there places to avoid with a large group (still don't quite get the difference between restaurants, cafes, etc.)? Are there places we can just "show up"? Anything else I should know eating with kids (they're adventurous eaters and I'm prepping them so they'll be able to order on their own hopefully)? Thanks all!

Posted by
7209 posts

As for La Varangue, we showed up with 4 people as did our friends who were traveling with us. There was plenty of room. Also, just across the street is a great little pizzeria...you could always split up if want.

Posted by
26 posts

I was in Paris with a group of 7 and never had trouble getting a table without a reservation at any of the restaurants we went to (most were RS book recommendations -- our favorite was La Varangue). We just always arranged our dinner plans so that we arrived early in the evening when there were still plenty of tables

Posted by
11507 posts

Restaurants, most expensive ( generally) , tend to be more formal , food takes longer to arrive, LOL and menus have more eleborate foods( this is a generalization big time, but it helps to think this way) , Restaurants are for "dining".
Careful ordering the wine the sommelier suggests, could be 20 euros or 200+ euros, LOL

Bistro and Brasseries, these are my choice for most dinners, they tend to be a bit livelier, no waiters in white gloves here lol , but , still nice rooms, cloths on table( in most places) food more middle of the road price wise. Wide selection of types of food ( depending on each place of course)Get a carafe of the house wine, it will be cheaper then a coke..

Cafes, cheap and cheerful( by the way , cheap is a relative term here, LOL ) . Plain food, soups, salads, steak and fries, casual service, quickest meal. Good for a grilled cheese and ham( Croque Monsieur) and a beer... LOL

Posted by
213 posts

Thanks all. So it sounds like I don't need reservations for 6 unless we're eating somewhere fancy (which we aren't)? I guess I should have been more specific on budget. We are hoping to keep all food costs (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks) at about 50 Euros/per person/per day. This sounds like a huge amount to us, since we don't get to eat out much at home. Do you think that's doable if we eat breakfast in and try to do a picnic or two for lunches? Breakfasts- Thought the kids could bring their favorite cereals and I was wondering if the bakeries discount anything if you buy a box full, or is everything buy the piece? Lunch- We'll never be back to the apartment as we'll be touring, but I thought I could swing a picnic or two if I bring a collapsible cooler from home? The picnics sound lovely, but what do you do with the small/soft cooler when you get to the museums in the mornings? Maybe I could plan this for days when we're closer to home? I think most dinners out might work?

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