Casual dress/dining in Paris
 

We will be wearing mostly jeans - we're an active, casual couple. We also enjoy good food, however. Any ideas on where to eat where the food is good but the vibe is casual and we won't offend anyone? I want to try Le Potager in the Marais as well as the felafel place everyone is talking about. I also sort of want to take my beau to Ma Bourgone in Place de Voges. (sp again!) Would jeans be bad here? Any other ideas? Thanks!

cooncat,
There are probably lots of places where you can get away with jeans, but why not just wear a comfortable pair of neutral colored pants and not have to worry about it?

I agree.

Also jeans are heavy, hot and take forever to dry.

((I))

I was just in Paris last week. Almost all young(er) Parisians wear jeans. I wore jeans or black pants and felt very comfortable everywhere. You wouldn't wear them to any starred Michelin restaurants however. :-)
So, just about any casual cafe or brasserie you will be fine. But, do bring some other choices as well just in case.

We are there for a week at the end of April. How hot will it be? We like jeans, and look more "European" in them than we would in khakis. I don't even have a pair that would look stylish. Then you have to deal with shoes...I do have some black cropped pants and a khaki pair now that I think about it...but my guy is def. a jeans guy. He'd actually rather wear shorts, so I've won a small battle there.

Jeans are wear everywhere in Paris. The difference reside more in the accessoires, and the shoes. I even go to the Opera in jeans but with the proper blazer, an oxford shirt, weston shoes, etc... So do wear Jeans like Diesel brand there are the hot fashion now and you wil fit in perfectly.

Cooncat-
My hubby is a shorts guy too. He wore dark jeans or microfiber trousers in dark blue or green (great because they don't wrinkle). He brought only one pair of shoes; black lace up that worked well with everything.
End of April should be warm spingtime weather with possibility of rain.
I agree with Lucky, it's all in the accessories. I wore scarves every day and was taken for French or Italian rather than American all the time.
BTW, is your screen name because you have a Mainecoon cat?

Kristina - Yes - I have two Maine Coons, actually! Love them to pieces!
Thanks for the dress advice. We are probably more like students in our dress habits. I will take scarves, but honestly my guy is going to be so out of his element! I should clarify that by good food, I mean quality. Very simple foods - grilled fish, lots of veggies and salads..and some regional specialties for him. I'm vegetarian. I'll splurge on fish and cheese tho, while in Paris. Anyway - we really are more comfy in casual environments.
Sharon

You will be comfortable in jeans in April, weather-wise. It's still cool at that time of year.

For dinners in a bistro or cafe, hubby takes one pair pleat-front jeans that have a crease and wears a jacket of some kind. I wear black slacks, a jacket and scarf. (we travel in cooler months, ie. Mar/April, Sept/Oct).

Thanks on the clothes...what about the food/cafes with a casual atmosphere...?

Just keep your eyes open as you are out site-seeing during the day. That's how we found our most appealing dinners in the neighborhood of our hotel.

Le Perraudin, 157 rue St Jacques, 5th
I'll plagiarize from myself:

They had a 28 euro menu. We had escargots, boeuf bourgignon, Evian (extra), a half bottle of Beaujolais, and for desserts, profiteroles and tarte tatin. The food was very good, the atmosphere like a typical French bistro that you’ve seen in movies—checked tablecloths, etc. Very pleasant service. Casual dress was fine, one young couple was in jeans. We liked this place a lot and I hope to go back.

I wouldn't do the pleat front pants. He'll look old.

I have trouble believing there aren't any cafes or bistros that people can wear jeans in in Paris. Although people often dress nicely there, its not like jeans are never worn- especially if you have on a sophisticated top (men and women) and jewelry (women). I would imagine there are several places near the Universities that would fit the bill.

Cooncat-
What part of Paris will you be staying in? When I get home, I'll look up some of the places we ate for you. I need to do my trip report too....
BTW, I have a Maine Coon too. He's not purebred, but he thinks he is.:-) He's got the best disposition of any cat I've ever had.

no problem with jeans in paris. i work there several months out of the year and i can assure you that there is no problem.

try cafe de l'industrie and cafe charbon..i think they are what you are looking for.

Merci tout le monde! Kristina - I'll be in the Latin Quarter - Blv. St. Michel area. My last cat was part maine coon as well, they are the best. Total goofballs and follow me everywhere.

While I generally sit back and smirk at all the "how should I dress in Paris?" posts, I can't get over that here is someone saying they WANT to dress like Parisians, and others are telling them NO, dress like Americans in Khakis. Too funny!!

Hey Patrick - I was really just asking about places to eat that would be jeans or casual clothes friendly. I'm not too hung up about what I wear. I wear so much black in the states, that it's not a stretch for me to look somewhat French but the language always gives you away. (That and the occasional "OK now which way do I go" when getting out of the Metro!) :-) I can't believe that students don't wear Nikes and jeans or whatever, but maybe I'm naive. We'll wear dark clothes and be on our best behavior, and hope that's good enough!

cooncat, we are leaving Friday! We were there last year in February, and I didn't take my jeans because I was going to Paris, you know!? But at the end of the trip I knew I would take them next time! The only time my hubby was incorrectly dressed in jeans was when we popped into a nice restaurant without reservations. They were able to seat us because we were early, then everyone with reservations - at 8 pm it seemed - came in wearing jackets and ties and furs! (I take one pair of nice dress slacks and some dark khakis, because that and jeans is what I mostly have!)

Oh, knowing your hotel I actually DO have a restaurant suggestion (found walking near our hotel):

Bouillon Racine
3, rue Racine - 75006 Paris
tel: 01 44 32 15 60

It's in off Bd Saint Michael near Rue des Ecoles, in the Sorbonne/Cluny-ish area. It was/is VERY "french" and I think just the kind of place you're looking for.

Hi Cooncat:

I think the falafel place is the As d'falafel and I can assure you that it is casual. Almost anywhere in Marais or Latin Quarter is mostly "casual friendly" Rue Montorgeuil in the 2nd is great......as someone earlier mentioned the only real exceptions might be starred restaurants, and even some of those are okay for lunch. I think just as important as pants, IMO, are shoes. Jeans look very different with leather flats than tennis shoes for instance.........but you will see, Paris is constantly getting more casual than "the old days"

Cooncat-
I've started posting my trip report. Look for the heading "springtime in paris (and lyon)".
I don't have any Left Bank recommendations, but if you're willing to cross over, most of the places we ate at were great, any you could wear jeans to many of them.

"I wouldn't do the pleat front pants..he'll look old..." GET REAL!!!

He'll "look old" if he looks that way from the neck UP; age will NOT be what people will be looking to figure out below the beltline.

I have a couple of Left Bank suggestions for dining in casual dress. Jeans will be fine. Try L'Affriole in the 7th at 7, rue Malar. It is a delicious meal - 3 course prix fixe with extra goodies between courses and fabulous chocolate truffles at the end. Also, try L'Petit San Benoit at 11, rue San Benoit in the 6th. It is a casual, old fashioned bistro with typical bistro food. If the weather is nice they have outdoor seating. You will need reservations at L'Affriole but not at San Benoit.

Two places we enjoyed in the Latin Quarter where even the waiters were wearing jeans and the food was wonderful:

Le Petit Prince de Paris, 12 rue de Lanneau, 5th arr., 01 43 54 77 26.

Les Fetes Galantes, 17 rue de l'ecole polytechnique, 5th arr., 01 43 26 10 40.

Thanks again everyone. I'm going to write down your suggestions. We will probably picnic a lot during the day if the weather is decent. But we'll need dinner spots for sure.
We arrive April 20!

Hi cooncat,
We will also be arriving in Paris on April 20th. Maybe we'll be on the same flight. Airfrance from the westcoast.Have a happy trip.
Parfym

You can get away with jeans on practically any occasion. For casual places then you may as well stick to your everyday jeans - I'm assuming that they're relatively fashionable.

If you're going somewhere dressy then wear jeans that have some metallic thread/finish. Dior Homme produce a pair with a "luster" glaze which is most suitable for the evening.

Parfykm - we fly out of Chicago! Bon Voyage!

bookmarking

jayne, just curious...

what do you mean by "bookmarking"?

Hi S,

Jayne is use a relatively inefficient method to save a thread.

She can now look up her name and 'bookmarking' to find the threads that interest her.

Two better ways are to save the link in the "Favorites" folder on her browser, or to right click on the title and save the link to a Word document.

((I))

Ira, I am thinking you have added an extra step to the process. Jayne can just click on her name and all the threads to which she has posted will appear. That's what I'd do, rather than search for my name and the word bookmarking.

Aside from bookmarkign, I also use the Email This Thread, sending it to myself, so I can drop it in my travel folder in my inbox.