Dining alone in Paris
 

Will I stick out like a sore thumb eating alone in a Cafe/Resturant during the evening in Paris? I'm in my mid 50's and my husband is not going on this trip. It's my first time in Europe and I do like good food. I'm not used to eating alone, but I want to go to Paris and if that's the only way then...! <BR>Has anyone had a problem dining alone in resturants?

I don't think a woman dining alone would have any problems at a Paris restaurant. <BR>My general finding is that the Parisians tend to leave you alone. I asked my wife for her "take" on the situation. <BR>She agrees with me. She says she has seen more than one solo diner in our trips to Paris. I would stick to the nicer areas of town, however. I don't think you should go wandering around Montmarte at night, period. <BR>Our hotels the past two years have been in the 6th and 14th Arrondissements. <BR>Boulevard Montparnasse is well lighted at night and tends to be crowded. There are quite a few good restaurants between the Tower and the end of the avenue somewhere on the east side of the crossing with Boulevard Raspail.

I dine alone in Paris a lot and find it easier than in the US, at least in cafes. It is quite common for a woman to sit down alone in a cafe, regardless of the hour, don't worry. I don't go to fancy restaurants much so can't speak too much for them, but I think it may be more "difficult" there, not that they wouldn't serve you but I was treated extremely rudely in a St-Germain restaurant because I was a woman alone. The food was good, but the service people completely ignored me and I am pretty sure that was the reason as there was no other explanation (I speak French and was dressed nicely)--they attended to and waited on couples who came in after me long before taking my order, etc. That was the Relais St-Germain right on bd St Germain which is too bad as it is a very good restaurant with some of the best profiterolles in Paris, which is why I went there. If you can get over being snubbed (it just took me forever to get my meal, etc), they didn't do anything else unusual to me. I have eaten in modestly-priced restaurants also with no problem and was not treated rudely, so my advice is no problem with bistros, brasseries, and cafes; more expensive restaurants may ignore you and treat you poorly. But, for nice sidewalk cafes (and many serve decent meals like grilled liver, steaks, etc), I feel more comfortable in Paris dining alone than in the US--you will see many women of all ages seated alone in cafes.

Alma - <BR> <BR>I took my last trip to Paris alone, and was quite comfortable dining solo at the moderately priced restaurants at which I dined. Many were recommended here on the forum and/or by Cheap Eats, and were for the most part smaller places on the left bank. I was able to find half bottles or small carafes of wine nearly everywhere, and one restaurant which did not have half bottles allowed me to open a full-sized one and pay only for what I drank. (Much more accomodating than most U.S. establishments!) <BR> <BR>I usually bring my travel journal along with me, and write notes about my day (and my meal!) while waiting between courses. The people-watching is also fun. Enjoy your trip!

I would agree with Christina's comments about dining alone. I also find it is much more comfortable to dine alone as a woman in Paris as opposed to the U.S. I think that this may be because of the abundance of cafes and brasseries, which offer a very casual and convenient dining environment. You'll see plenty of other people sitting alone, so you don't have to worry about standing out.

Alma - <BR> <BR>I took my last trip to Paris alone, and was quite comfortable dining solo at the moderately priced restaurants at which I dined. Many were recommended here on the forum and/or by Cheap Eats, and were for the most part smaller places on the left bank. I was able to find half bottles or small carafes of wine nearly everywhere, and one restaurant which did not have half bottles allowed me to open a full-sized one and pay only for what I drank. (Much more accomodating than most U.S. establishments!) <BR> <BR>I usually bring my travel journal along with me, and write notes about my day (and my meal!) while waiting between courses. The people-watching is also fun, and I've often struck up a conversation with those sitting next to me, or even my waiter! (I speak some French, but am far from fluent.) Enjoy your trip!

I had a problem only once in the Loire Valley. My husband had depostied me at a restaurant along the Cher while he ran up a hill to get a quick photo of a castle before dusk. The photograph won a prize at our local fair, but dinner did not! I think the waiters thought I must be of ill repute because I could not get even so much as a glass of wine until he re-appeared. They let me sit. I could not make eye contact, let alone parlez vous. Perhaps I should have brought a poodle to sit below the table and they might have mistaken me for a local, eh?

As a humorous (maybe not) sidenote to this topic, I have read that one expensive, snooty cafe in Paris will not allow women in who are unaccompanied as I think they are presuming you are a hooker or something. This is Fouquet's on the Champs-Elysees, which I would not go to anyway as I don't like hanging out on the Champs-Elysees and it's very expensive. I would also boycott a restaurant who had such a policy, out of principle, anyway. I doubt if there is a real problem with hookers in that location at Fouquet's but who knows; I suspect they just don't like the idea of women alone, think it's tacky or something not up to their standards.

I have had diner alone 2x before and had no problem. It is similar to eating alone anywhere. Bring a book... <BR> <BR>I will be in Paris the 1st week of Oct and plan to dine alone 2 nights. Here is an idea. lets plan diner together so neither one of us is alone, email me.

Hi Alma: <BR> <BR>I just got back from spending 3 months alone in Paris-my husband and I are moving back there (he is French) but he is still living here while I was job hunting, househunting, etc. So the point is, that I dined out a lot by myself. I am a middle-aged businesswoman and also dine out in the US alone and I don't see too much difference-maybe I just notice the food more than the service :) <BR> <BR>I did notice that the table seating is usually somewhat obscure back by the kitchens, etc. which I also find to be true in the US. You can try making reservations to get a sense of how you will be treated if you want-but I mostly just showed up a bit early-like 7:45 instead of 8. I ate in lots of ethnic restaurants or mid-range restaurants in central neighborhoods like the latin quarter, montparnasse and around the Louvre. I think the journal idea is a good one-French dinners tend to be long and sometimes too long if you are alone...another good reason for Thai and other ethnic choices. <BR> <BR>In general, I got good service wasn't hassled and had good food-so in general, it wasn't a bad experience. I used the time out restaurant guide a fair amount if I was wanting to try new choices because they are mid-range, the guide is in English and available all over Paris and via the web and they categorize the restaurants nicely. <BR> <BR>Have fun and eat well <BR> <BR>Jeanne

<BR>Dining alone--male or female==is not at all unusual in europe especially in France <BR> <BR>I have seen women dining alone in every category of restaurant in France and unlike here in the US they do not require a book to sink their nose in. <BR> <BR>Really you shouldnt give it a second thought===this is one of the last few good things that makes the difference between here and there <BR> <BR>Have some escargots for me <BR>AH