How far in advance to make reservations in Paris?

[jakubc]

I would be interested in knowing the necessity/advisability of having reservations to visit 1 star, 2 star, and 3 star restaurants. As the question may be overly broad for useful answers, I am most curious about restaurants on the Cote d'Azur and neighboring areas during late November and early December, which seems like a very quiet time. Is it possible to dine at the finer restaurants without any reservations as a walk-in passing through the area? If not, how far in advance must one call. I realize that some particularly fashionable or famous restaurants might be very difficult to secure reservations at (calling exactly one month in advance, etc.) and that some of these restaurants may be opening/closing around this time.

Restaurants of special interest:

1 star or below:

Loulou

L' Epuisette (Marseille)

Une Table au Sud (Marseille)

Bastide de Moustiers (Moustiers Sainte-Marie)

2 stars:

Hostellerie Jerome (La Turbie)

Chibois (Grasse)

3 stars:

Le Jardin des Sens

La Ferme de mon Pere

Restaurant Troisgras

[Bux]

My most honest answer is that I don't know for sure. Obviously it depends on the popularity. A three star restaurant may be fully booked at any time of year. For La Ferme de Mon Pere, it may not be so quiet a time. I don't know when the winter season starts in Megeve. I've made many reservations when I was not sure I needed them. Sometimes I have managed to eat in a half empty room, but at other times I find the restaurant fully booked.

The question I might ask in return is how important is it that you eat at these places. Certainly a drive to Megeve without a reservation could be most disappointing. I like traveling wihtout reservations. Invariably my wife manages to book most of our evenings. She'll start by asking me where I absolutely have to eat on our trip. She'll block those out and it quickly becomes apparent that there's an obvious choice on the road between the ones that are musts and as soon as she points these out if becomes obvious that I'm going to be disappointed if I have to stay and eat someplace else.

[cabrales]

For three-star restaurants where I plan only to have a meal, and not to also take a room (where there are typically potential cancellation constraints), I book as early as I can. The reason is that I like to be safe rather than sorry. I keep track of reservations on an Excel spreadsheet, with indications of wait-listed positions, secured positions, etc. For example, not that I particularly like Guy Savoy's cuisine, but I was considering a Saturday dinner. Certain Saturdays in mid to late December are already sold out (despite the restaurant's general two-seating policy). Even in the event (which is not frequently the case) that a credit card were required to hold a table-only reservation, cancellation a few days in advance would be fine.

Note that it is sometimes easier to secure a lunch reservation at a three-star with less notice. If you are flexible on eating a lengthy lunch, you might do better. Stil, it would be advisable to book early, subject to the caveat below about concurrently booking rooms. It's the rooms that would be charged; I really doubt a French three star would charge diners anything in respect of the meal portion.

Further note that early booking has a number of advantages. Sometimes, if you are intent on say Restaurants A, B, C, D and E over the course of 5 days in Paris (leaving aside traveling to other cities), you might secure 3 of the restaurants you seek, but not obtain the remaining two. Now, those two might have reservations on some of the nights allocated to the already-secured reservations, requiring you to shuffle meals back and forth.

In the case of, say, Troisgros and Jardin des Sens, you might be interested in rooms and there the calculus is not as clear. However, note that the less expensive rooms tend to sell out first, such that delay might cause you to have to move to a higher rate level during busy seasons. As you indicate, late November/early December might not be the high season. However, if your schedule is firmly set, I would suggest your considering reservations.

Ferme de Mon Pere doesn't have that many rooms. When the rooms first opened earlier this year, I stayed in a room and they only had about less than six rooms. They were in the course of building more. The rooms are, as Bux mentioned, relatively expensive. However, Veyrat also has a decent breakfast (albeit not an inexpensive one) -- smoked salmon that was quite "fishy" tasting, soft scrambled eggs, various cheeses, I forget the littany, but there's a lot of food brought to the guest in a craddle-like device. The breakfast wouldn't justify the room, of course.

Of the two stars you mention, you might want to book Chibois, not that that is necessary. If you did not book, would you just show up or would you book at least two or three days in advance?

If you are sure about your itinerary, consider booking Bastide (not that I consider Ducasse's cuisine appealing; not that Ducasse is cooking there either). I am uncertain about the other ones.

Perhaps the above is tainted by my own travel habits. Outside of Paris, I like to fit in two significant meals a day sometimes. That requires significant planning re: trains, ability to drive after drinking, etc. I also cannot drive a manual. With the relatively limited availability of automatics in small town rental locations, I need to book in advance for the car as well. Knowing which restaurants I will go to also enables me to research the restaurant's cuisine, and be prepared to pre-book any dishes that have such a requirement. Generally, there are no pre-booking requirements for dishes, but the few times I have encountered such requirements, they have been for chicken dishes I would have really liked to sample. For driving, I also like to print out detailed directions from the Michelin site.

[Jonathan Day]

In my experience it is always helpful to reserve in France, except at tourist places that are basically designed for walk-in customers. A call at 5 pm for the same evening is helpful even when the place is not full, because you tend to get a better table and better service.

A growing number of restaurants have non-smoking areas (Chibois in Grasse has a beautiful non-smoking dining room) and an advance call is useful for one of these tables, if that is your preference.

For Loulou I would book at least three days in advance. In high season Chibois tends to get booked a week to 10 days ahead, and even in December I have been unable to get a booking 5 days ahead of time. As Cabrales notes, lunch bookings are almost always easier to secure.

[Bux]

In my experience it is always helpful to reserve in France, except at tourist places that are basically designed for walk-in customers.  A call at 5 pm for the same evening is helpful even when the place is not full, because you tend to get a better table and better service.

This is excellent advice. In France it's considered a sign of respect for the restaurant and you'll be treated with greater respect if you call first. The French are a very formal people in many ways and this is the form they prefer. Even if you are sure there will be tables, it's best (read "nicer") to call ahead even if it's only a half hour ahead.

[jakubc]

Bux, JD, and Cabrales:

Thank you very much for your extensive and thorough input. I will certainly follow some of the advice laid forth. My visit to France will be a first one, and I wanted to have some flexibility in my itinerary so as to be able to focus on the things which seem most interesting at the time and to not feel as though I am on a business trip.

That said, I have started to make reservations: the first is for La Ferme. I look forward to reporting back on my experiences.

Cabrales:

I have followed the long and eloquent discussions on haute cuisine in which Ducasse is often mentioned with great interest. My only exposure to him has been twice in NY over the past year. I believe that I can see where both his supporters and detractors are coming from. My last experience was mixed, with my spring menu being quite bland although my friend's beef and lobster menu was excellent. Two of off the menu items--en extra course of lamb and a wonderful bonus dessert--made the experience much better. My first visit a year ago was really quite an epiphany though. A few weeks afterwards I decided that I needed to start learning French and to go to France. Incidentally, I would say that the most enjoyable meal I have ever had was in Toronto at Susur this spring. The trip was work-related, but on my last full day, I stopped by the restaurant and asked to look at the menu. I made a reservation for later that evening. The spontaneity of the experience added to things, although without doubt the meal would have been great without that little added thrill.

[Bux]

I consider myself fortunate to have discovered French food in my relative youth and when I had very little money. It enabled me, and later my wife, to travel spontaneously and be delighted with bistro food wherever we stopped. It's hard to do that after you've achieved a certain level of dining sophistication, and probably harder these days than it was then. The relative quality of the ordinary meal in France has decreased over the years and one needs to choose the simple restaurants with great care and the really good ones are often booked as far in advance at the haute cuisine multistarred restaurants.

I still think it's wise for a first time traveler to France to eat in a variety of types of restaurant as you plan. When we're driving through any area in France, the latest edition of Michelin, and usually the GaultMillau guide as well, are in the glove compartment for help in spur of the moment choices at any level as well as, in Michelin's case, city maps. Don't be afraid of trying a place not in the guides however, especially for a light lunch. In order to ensure a good appetite at dinner, we often look for creperies and saladiers which enable a lighter than the traditional French meal. It's still often difficult to grab a snack in rural France without resorting to fast food. I'm not above keeping a bag with one or two pastries in the back seat to stave off a mid afternoon hunger. Bear in mind that in rural France one cannot eat at any time of day. Even in Paris, most restaurants serve lunch and dinner, but are closed in between those two meals. Cafes and brasseries often serve non stop. Patricia Wells' The Food Lover's Guide to Paris is a good introduction to French food and dining customs.

[jordyn]

I'm making a brief foray to Paris later this month. Obviously, I view this as a good chance to take in some good cuisine. Unfortunately, it's been planned sort of last minute, and as a result I'm in the position of trying to make restaurant reservations just a couple of weeks ahead of my trip.

I managed to get dinner reservations at Arpege on the Monday I'll be in Paris, but am striking out on the weekend nights I'll be there. On Saturday, I've tried Guy Savoy (booked) and L'Ambroisie (closed temporarily); on Sunday, Piere Gagnaire (booked). Obviously, there are plenty of other choices, and I'm not limited to three star places, but I'm curious if I'm reaching a dead end because there's no hope at getting a reservation, or because I'm not being resourceful enough.

Are there more clever, or quasi-secret ways that I should be trying to arrange for reservations than e-mailing and calling, as I've been trying thus far? If I book at a hotel with a good concierge, like the Hotel Vernet that has been suggested here on eGullet, is there a reasonable chance that I might be able to get access to a table that I can't as a normal peon?

(Note: I really just have no idea what the protocol is here. There are plenty of places here in the U.S. that I would be unsurprised to find completely full and not bookable two weeks in advance of a weekend night, so I'm certainly willing to accept the answer that I'm just out of luck on this trip.)

[cabrales]

On Saturday, I've tried Guy Savoy (booked) and L'Ambroisie (closed temporarily); on Sunday, Piere Gagnaire (booked).

jordyn -- Here are methods I have successfully utilized at the places in question, focusing now on only the three stars.

-- Saturday: At Guy Savoy, call them again and say you are open to really late reservations (mention 10:30 or 10:45). See if that helps. Also, they do pull people off the wait list, so be sure to put yourself on it.

Your alternative to Guy Savoy for dinner is Lucas-Carton. If they indicate they're full, state you would love to have the small table to the immediate right of the entryway (the one that is normally utilized when the restaurant is full for solo diners). They will tell you that table is cramped, and you will say you are comfortable occupying it even as a two-top. If you get the table, fine. It's not a good table, but you will not be affirmatively uncomfortable. If you arrive and they give you another table, as they have every time I have arrived using this strategy, that's perfect.

-- Sunday: Try Le Cinq, the new three star. I believe they are open definitely for dinner on Sundays and possibly for lunch as well. For lunch, there is a reasonable (under 75 euro prix fixe lunch).

I appreciate you might want to sample Gagnaire's cuisine. Keep on calling them, with Le Cinq as backup. Call them starting from about four or three days before. I don't know how many of the reservationists speak English, as I speak to them in French.

Edited February 8, 2003 by cabrales (log)

[Bux]

Not that this helps, but you realize that many Parisian restaurants are closed on Sundays and even Saturday for lunch, dinner or both. Reservations sometimes often open at the last minute. Leave your name and hotel, and even call them the day before or the morning of the night you want a reservation if you have an open date. A good concierge can help get a reservation at a place you want, sometimes even late in the game and he can also help by suggesting places that might have an open table and might offer a great meal. If all else fails, I'm not of the opinion that three, or even two star meals are the sum total of all Paris has to offer in terms of gastronomical treats. There are brasseries and bistros, that are memorable in a different way. A few days in Paris with only one three star reservation is hardly a sad situation.

[jordyn]

Bux: By all means, I will go home a happy fellow if all I manage to do in Paris is see Paris and eat at Arpege.

I'm just greedy.

On the other hand, I also can't afford to eat at two or three star restaurants every meal, so I'll certainly be taking in some of the other pleasures of Paris as well.

[seawakim]

On Saturday, I've tried Guy Savoy (booked) and L'Ambroisie (closed temporarily); on Sunday, Piere Gagnaire (booked).

jordyn -- Here are methods I have successfully utilized at the places in question, focusing now on only the three stars.

-- Saturday: At Guy Savoy, call them again and say you are open to really late reservations (mention 10:30 or 10:45). See if that helps. Also, they do pull people off the wait list, so be sure to put yourself on it.

Your alternative to Guy Savoy for dinner is Lucas-Carton. If they indicate they're full, state you would love to have the small table to the immediate right of the entryway (the one that is normally utilized when the restaurant is full for solo diners). They will tell you that table is cramped, and you will say you are comfortable occupying it even as a two-top. If you get the table, fine. It's not a good table, but you will not be affirmatively uncomfortable. If you arrive and they give you another table, as they have every time I have arrived using this strategy, that's perfect.

-- Sunday: Try Le Cinq, the new three star. I believe they are open definitely for dinner on Sundays and possibly for lunch as well. For lunch, there is a reasonable (under 75 euro prix fixe lunch).

I appreciate you might want to sample Gagnaire's cuisine. Keep on calling them, with Le Cinq as backup. Call them starting from about four or three days before. I don't know how many of the reservationists speak English, as I speak to them in French.

WOW, Cabrales. Those are some great tips.

I wish I had them when I went to Paris a few months ago and got "unlucky" on more than one occasion. Not that I'm planning on going again this year, but when I do I hope to be to be able to call on you.

[mogsob]

I believe that if you stay at the Crillon Hotel, you get preferred seating at Les Ambassadeurs. Regardless, I have been able to get virtually last minute reservations there when staying at the hotel.

[Bux]

I believe that if you stay at the Crillon Hotel, you get preferred seating at Les Ambassadeurs.  Regardless, I have been able to get virtually last minute reservations there when staying at the hotel.

Didn't les Ambassadeurs just lose a star? In country inns, it's guaranteed that you get a table for dinner at the restaurant. I wonder how much preference is given to guests at city hotels. I suppose it may be in proportion to the fame of the restaurant and its relationship to the hotel. I'd expect many restaurants to hold a table for hotel guests wanting last minute reservations.

[hughw]

Last week, we called a couple of restaurants (Aux Lyonnaise and Mon Vieil Ami) for reservations for the week of 19 February. They laughed at us (in a nice way) for being crazy Americans and told us to call back a week or two ahead. On the other hand, Comptoir said they were full, no way - come for lunch.

So my question is for a restaurant like Le Cerisaie or Chez L'AMi Jean, how far in advance should we call for dinner reservations to insure we get a reservation but not be labled an obnoxious, anxiois, obsessive, neurotic New Yorker? What about Benoit or Tallivent for lunch?

[Margaret Pilgrim]

For ordinary bistrots like you mention, or for lunch reservations at better rooms, I usually call around 2 to 3 weeks in advance, whenever it feels comfortable for me and depending on the day of the week for which I want reservations. I have never had anyone react bemused by my advance requests.

I will add that perhaps I am a reverse snob, but I often gage my desire to visit a place by my experience with the person I speak to on the phone when I call for information.

We have never had a bad experience when the person on the phone has been pleasant and helpful, and, and this I find very wierd, we have most often had less than great experiences when the person on the phone has been uncaring or rude. Is there a connection?

[grace3]

I arrive in Paris on 2/5. I have made all my dining reservations. I sent my list to my hotel concierge and let them make the reservations for me.

Le Comptoir does not take advance reservations. They say to call the day that you want the reservation. I told the concierge to skip Le Comptoir..Cramped seating along with other complaints about the place, to have great food at bargain prices is not for me. I would rather pay more for great food in lovely atmosphere with excellent service! To each his own....I have Taillevent, Senderens, Violon d'Igres along with others....

Enjoy your planning.....

[orangewasabi]

I made my Taillevent reservation 6 weeks in advance, by email. They were perfectly gracious during the reservation process as well as in person so if they were laughing at my neuroses (and they wouldn't be the first) they hid it well.

On the other hand, we walked into Mon Viel Ami at 12:30 with no reservation (and very little hope) and were seated easily, it didn't fill up until about 1:15.

a funny anecdote, at MVA, my dh & I worked thru the menu with my handy Scribo food translation dictionary. Then we shared the dictionary with the table next to us. The table next to them, 30 minutes later, asked the server for help . . . and was given an english menu. Who knew!

Edited January 7, 2007 by orangewasabi (log)

[John Talbott]

There is reason to pop up this topic since dfunghi has asked elsewhere

If one wanted to have that one outstanding meal in a 1 or 2 star or a no star like Sendere (sp?) is it too late to book now for early November?

[nikkib]

not sure about the * but i got a reservation for 5 on a friday night at senderens in Oct at 830pm with no trouble at all - via email (in french) on website

[robyn]

A fair number of high end restaurants in Paris only take reservations one month in advance. Some two months. So I don't think it's late to be trying to make reservations for October/November now. Robyn

[John Talbott]

Last Wednesday in the “Dossier,” the FigaroScope gang listed reservation times for Friday dinner for two for these "most popular" restaurants:

10 days - Chez l'Ami Jean

15 days - Le Carré des Feuillants

Le Pré Catelan

L'Ami Louis

Apicius

Le Cinq

La Maison Blanche

1 month - Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée

Pierre Gagnaire

Alain Senderens

Les Ambassadeurs

L'Ambroisie

La Tour d'Argent

1 1/2 months - Guy Savoy

2 months - L'Astrance

Comptoir du Relais

Le Meurice

Guilo-Guilo

3 months - Jules Vernes

4 months - Comptoir du Relais

5 months - Spring

Edited October 8, 2008 by John Talbott (log)

[robyn]

With world economies going the way they are - I think those time frames may change. Robyn

[roosterchef21]

With world economies going the way they are - I think those time frames may change.  Robyn

←

That's a good point!

[robyn]

We had lunch today at Guy Savoy - great lunch - best meal of the trip. And I would be pretty sure you don't have to reserve 1 1/2 months in advance. Robyn