Abi Summers

Picking a restaurant

France is known for their food, and there are thousands of restaurants to chose from in the city. You’ll find your classic French bistros, but you’ll also find food from all around the world (which is one of the many things I love about living here).

When trying a new restaurant, it’s sometimes hard to know what to look out for. In my first year here, I definitely ate at some restaurants that were not good and were way more expensive that they should have been.

How to pick a good restaurant in Paris

In recent years, I’ve rarely been let down by this guide. As someone who has eaten at hundreds of restaurants across the city over the eight years that I’ve lived here, here’s some of the things I personally look out for when picking a new place to try.

You can see a list of some of my favourite restaurants here if you’re looking for a tried and tested place.

A good thing to look out for is ‘fait maison’ on a menu which means home made. There are certain rules about what is allowed to be called fait maison, but it signifies the food is made on site with raw and unprocessed ingredients.

Here are some of the things I look out for when picking a new restaurant. This doesn’t mean the restaurant will be bad if they fall into any of these categories, but it is something to consider.

Opening hours

In France, it’s very common for restaurants to only open for lunch (roughly between 12 and 2pm) and dinner (from 6:30pm onwards). This can definitely be frustrating, especially if it’s not something that you’ve prepared for. I’ve definitely been caught out by this before.

There are however some good restaurants that are open the entire day, or service continu in French. It’s just something to consider.

Someone standing outside

If you walk by a restaurant and a waiter tries to talk to you, to encourage you to come in, especially if they talk in English, it’s almost always a red flag for me.

If your restaurant is good and well rated, then people will decide to go there without being pressured. This usually happens in touristy locations like Saint-Michel.

Personally, I like to check the menu before going in, and I don’t like feeling pressured to make the decision on if I want to eat there or not.

If you see a menu outside the restaurant that has been translated into multiple different languages, this is a sign that it’s aimed at tourists. Tourists care about convenience and in the end pay more for this.

A lot of restaurants in Paris will translate things into English, but it’s usually just a line underneath the French, not an entirely separate one.

The length of the menu

If a restaurant has six pages of food that are all vastly different, I’d proceed with caution. Typical French menus have a selection of items but there’s often some overlapping items between each dish (the vegetables, the potatoes, the sauces etc). If there’s a restaurant serving both burgers and sushi you can presume that one, or both are not going to be great.

There are so many restaurants in Paris to choose from, so I’d recommend sticking to one type of food (French, japanese, italian etc).^>

How busy the place is

If the place looks busy, and has a good atmosphere then it’s a good sign, especially if you can hear people speaking French.

Tables in Paris restaurants are often super close together (sometimes the table needs to be pulled out to access the seat at the back), so they can optimise space. This style doesn’t suit everyone.

Seating

I love sitting on a terrace, but I rarely do it when I’m eating. It’s super common for people to smoke while drinking or just after their meal and I hate the smell. If you see lots of people smoking, chances are it’s French people which is often a good sign.

Smoking is accepted as part of the culture here, so that’s something to consider if you’re sensitive to the smell like me.

Location

The location of the restaurant is important. If you’re close to the Louvre or have a great view of the Eiffel Tower then you should expect to pay more compared to a restaurant further from the main touristy areas. It doesn’t mean the food is going to be bad, but it does mean you’re also paying for the location or view.

Google maps reviews

I almost always check the ratings on google maps, but I think the reviews should be taken with a grain of salt.

If I see reviews complaining about how the service, I’m not automatically put off by this because I’m aware that French service is very different to in other countries. Service in France is often slow, and that’s ok with me.

If someone dreams of eating with a view of the Eiffel Tower, they’re more likely to write a 5 star review even if the quality of the food is not that great because they’re wowed by the Eiffel Tower (and honestly, it’s an incredible piece of architecture).

Overview

I hope this list can help you narrow down your restaurant choices and avoid the ‘tourist traps’!

There is nothing wrong with being a tourist, or visiting the touristy places, there’s just so many restaurants to choose from and I hate seeing people disappointed after a meh meal when there are so many good options out there (that are often cheaper!).