Dinner hours in Paris
 

A few friends of mine mentioned that some Restaurants in Paris don't serve dinner until 7:30 pm as Parisians eat later. Is this the norm? Generally I'm a fairly routine 6 ish dinner person but unlike my dogs LOL it's not a problem to adjust my schedule. Just want to know what is common.

Your friends are correct, but bistrots and cafes serve meals all day long

Your friend was right. A lot don't serve dinner until later. If you're going to a cafe, most serve all day long but, dinner restaurants often don't start until 7 or later. And, at 7-7:30, you may find you're the only one in the restaurant at that time.

Many serves only at "normal" dinner hour, that is from about 19h00. 18h00 in Europe may be for aperitif drink but not for dinner. Still may do from 18h00 or 18h30. Brasseries usually serve food all the time. Of course if you can change your habit while in Europe, you will have much more choice.

> And, at 7-7:30, you may find you're the only one in the restaurant at that time.

I often like it that way.

1800 is pretty early to eat anywhere in Europe (and in Spain it's hours early). You can certainly get served at 1800 but it's really missingin atmosphere. I was in Italy a few weeks ago and was in a village, where as we headed for a pre dinner drinks at about 1925, we could see one couple finishing their meal in the restaurant we were going to. When we got there, sometime after 2000, it was getting busier (but no sign of the early couple) and within half an hour was buzzing with locals.

This will fit perfectly with our college kids' schedule. We may need to nap so we can stay up through our evening meal (only partly joking here). Glad it stays bright so late in Europe in the summer--that should help! Don't like to sleep shortly after dining, so will have to walk off the food.

In addition to many cafes, the large brasseries also serve continuously throughout the day. But bistros and most restaurants begin serving dinner around 7:30. And most of the Parisians don't get there until an hour or two after that.

Correct. I believe the time before 7:30-8 PM is when the staff have their dinner.

hi eliza,

agree with all the above. but there are LOADS of brasseries [more than i remember from when we were last in Paris] which serve all day. however, they don't often offer the cheaper "prix fixe" menus during those times, which can make having a meal less expensive - which is a valid consideration given the cost of feed and drink in Paris at the moment.

I find that having a late afternoon rest, if not nap, preferably with a nice cup of tea, considerably lengthens the amount i can cram into a day on holiday - giving me the energy for an early evening stroll, pre-pradial libation, then dinner, then stroll/metro back. in Paris there are also several museums/exhibitions [eg the Turner exhibition at the Grand Palais] that are open late some evenings so it's worth thinking about fitting that into your schedule.

have a great trip,

regards, ann

Most restaurants start serving at 19:00 if they do not have continuous service. That is the best time to go, as far as I am concerned. By 20:00 the service starts deteriorating and the noise level rises. If I see that a restaurant does not open until 19:30, I immediately assume that it is a snooty high end restaurant not worthy of my business. ;)

You could find somewhere to eat at 6:00pm if you really want/need to. However, it would be a different experience if you wait until later to dine. Even in NY, most locals do not eat dinner in a restaurant until after 7:00 or 7:30 ( unless with kids)and even later on Friday/Saturday. I once recommended one of my favorite restaurants to some out of town friends. They later told me they enjoyed the food but thought the atmosphere was "too old" for them as they were by far the youngest people in the restaurant. They went to dinner at 6:00pm. After 8:00pm it is a different crowd, but depending on your perspective it's either what you want or what you want to avoid. NY and Europe are similar in this regard.

One should definitely avoid having dinner at 18:00 even though it is possible in the brasseries and the chain restaurants as well as any place that marks "à toute heure".

Naturally, you are allowed to break the rules if you are absolutely starving to death. :)

The time that I find Parisian dinner hours inconvenient is when I am going to an evening concert or theater. That is when I look for places with continuous service so I can eat before the show.

In the UK some restaurants do a 'pre theatre' menu and deal usually from about 1730-1900 (a cheaper deal). However you can always eat after the show in Paris.
In the UK I if we're going out for an evening meal, we always go 2000 or later.