Dining solo - comfortably and relatively inexpensive - in Paris

Perhaps you can define "a lot" for us. That would make it easier to suggest some bistros/restaurants. Thanks.

I can't think of a single place where one is not comfortable eating alone in Paris.

You'll be comfortable anywhere, as kerouac says. Inexpensive...hmm, I'm not the right person to ask. What price range are you thinking about and what do you like to drink with your dinner?

Have a great trip!

During my first solo trip to Paris, I was on a budget. I found myself treated quite beautifully by staff. Maybe I reminded them of their Grandmere? Anyway, I'd walk, check the menus posted and make a decision. Without exception I was given a nice table and being alone, I think they went out of their way to give me a table by a window. And, I sure wasn't the only solo female diner at any of those places. Lots of Grand Dames dine solo. And why not?

Across the eastern facade of the Louve is a very nice restaurant I'd recommend "Le Fumoir". I saved that for my "special meal" which to me was Thanksgiving Day.

I also had the best salad of my life there...foie gras, apples, greenery and the dressing had pamplemouse! (Grapefruit)..dynamic flavors.

I eat alone wherever I feel like in Paris. I don't see that you need specific recommendations. Just walk around and look at the posted menus and pick a place that suits your tastes and budget.

I've never been uncomfortable eating alone in Paris. However, I know that some women are uncomfortable eating alone wherever they are, I hope you're not one of them. One of the advantages of dining in Paris is the posted menus so you should be fine.

You won't go wrong with this one:

Restaurant L'Insulaire,
16 rue Gregoire de Tours, 6th arr.
Metro: Odeon - or Mabillon

Very small, so go early to snag a table in the open window where you can watch the passersby while you eat. They make one feel very welcome.

Price: Dirt cheap
Food: Excellent

good advice above.

Gailellen,

Poke your head into the bars and look at what they have to offer. There is usually a chalkboard inside behind the bar. The selection is usually limited compared to restaurants: sandwiches, cheeses, soups, gratines, quiches and the like. Making up for the limited choices (per establishment) is the high quality and low prices. Poke your head in even if your not ready to eat to make mental notes for later.

If you are uncomfortable eating alone, I suspect that is your issue and it will be with you anywhere you eat. It's not a matter of the restaurant. Okay, I can see some occasional exceptions for some candlelit expensive restaurant for romantics couples, but how common is that.

I eat alone wherever I want and am not uncomfortable doing it. Why would I be, I'm entitled to eat the same as anyone else.

If you just want a casual cafe, I like Cafe des Phares on the west side of place de la Bastille. No one will give a hoot if you are alone there.

Near the Cluny Museum--if you are in the 5th--is the Rose of Summerard on Rue Sommerard at Rue St. Jacques. Inexpensive Chinese/Thai and the owner and his family are very welcoming.

In the passages under the Louvre there is a food court/shops where you can have a very cheap lunch and obviously in this type of setting you would not feel uncomfortable eating by yourself.

Also near the Louvre on Rue Rivoli--near Angelina--is The Welcome Cafe. The waiters all speak English and they have daily specials. I like to sit outside with a coffee and watch the parade of oddballs and fashionistas who walk by.

Just remember to order lots of wine and you won't mind eating by yourself.

Thin

I will say that Fouquet's on the Champs Elysées has been known to turn away single women in the evening. They have been taken to court for this and received major fines, but it is also true that it is a well-known hangout for high end hookers looking for petrodollars.

My price range would be: under 20 U.S. for dinner and under 15 U.S. for lunch. I have eaten solo in the U.S. many times and I have been treated quite well most of the time. I haven't done solo dining overseas before. Thanks Gailellen

p.s. I don't drink so alcohol- only water with dinner and lunch - so I haven't calcuated that cost into the meal totals above. Gailellen

Another thing you can do, gail, is go to a Monoprix or panini place and buy a sandwich and bottled water and sit on a bench in a park for lunch. I think there are benches on the Viaduct des Arts close to the Gare de Lyon. Or you could go over to the Jardin des Plantes.

Thin

gailellen, don't let your no alcohol preference keep you from considering bars for a bite. The bars are not as alcohol-centric as US bars.

My favorite meal was at Le Cigale Recamier (Metro stop: Sevres-Babylone). Excellent service and incredible food. (Their almond suffle is superb!) Try for a outside table that faces the street because it's a great spot for people watching. Please avoid Bouillon Racine like the plague. They seat all of the English speaking tourists together on the first floor and give the locals much better service upstairs.

Gailellen, your price range is very easy to respect in Paris. And as of today, a lot of restaurant prices went down due to the VAT changing from 19.6% to 5.5%.