Has anyone eaten lunch at the on-site Eiffel Tower restaurant?
 

I have a child who is in love with the Eiffel Tower, and I've promised to spend almost an entire day there. Haven't visited France in years, and have never eaten at the ET. I understand there are two restaurants, a very elegant place for dinner, and a more family-friendly place for lunch. Has anyone eaten lunch there, or is there some wonderful place in the immediate neighborhood that we should try instead?

Hello Kswl,
My sister and I had lunch at Altitude 95, which is the less formal and more affordable restaurant. Although the food was not exceptional, we had a table by the window and it was a memorable experience for both of us.
There are many good restaurants not far from the tower, but if your daughter is excited about spending a day there then she will love having lunch there. I wish I had been able to take my daughter to Paris when she was young. She is an adult and we haven't gotten to Paris together yet, but we did enjoy a trip to Italy this past Spring. Enjoy your trip.

Thanks! The child in question is a young man who is really interested in how the thing has been bolted together. If the food is at all edible I guess we'll eat there and enjoy the view! We frequently take visitors up to Atlanta to have dinner in the Westin Hotel restaurant that revolves. The food is just okay, but the changing views are breathtaking.

But we will be staying all day, until we leave at 8pm for the overnight train to Rome. Any dinner suggestions?

The lower one is less formal . . I was never impressed with the food in either one. My favorite place for lunch was the park behind it . . Champs du Mars . . when I lived there, we would pick up some wine, cheese and bread at nearby shops and picknic on the ground . . very pleasant at sunset.

Lots of nice restruants in the surounding neighborhoods . .

Enjoy . . Rich

Had lunch at the less expensive Altitdue 95 last month and agree that the food was nothing extraordinary but we had a table by the window with an awe inspiring view of the Trocadero. The service was very friendly and professional. Your child will love it and never forget it. In addition, the prices are very reasonable.

We had lunch at Altitude 95 in February 2003. We had the 3 course menu with 1/2 liter of wine and I believe it was about $70.00.

The views and the experience were great. The only downside is they don't have their own elevator like Jules Verne, so you have to wait in line with the others to go up. Could be crowded.

We didn't know this at the time, so I went to the head of the line, talked with the "keeper of the crowd." He let us cut in front of the others to buy our tickets for the elevator. I think we got lots of dirty looks from the people in line. ((b))

If you plan to stay all day actually in the tower, you probably need to plan carefully. When you purchase your ticket to go up in the tower, it's in two stages: up to the second level and then up to the top. Once you go up, you won't be able to go down a level and then go back up without buying another ticket and waiting in line again. So if you decide to leave for lunch, you'll have to wait in line for another ticket. (Or once you get up to the top, spend as long as you want to spend up there because once you go back down to the second level, you won't be able to go back up to the top again.)

I agree that your son will enjoy having lunch at Altitude 95. The food is Ok but he will love the fact that he had lunch there! The staff was very friendly when we were there in 2000. The Eiffel Tower is also a favorite of mine.

Thank you, everyone. I appreciate the information and recommendations---especially the caveats. I know that day will be a highlight of the trip for my son. Now 13, he asked for a model of the Eiffel Tower for Christmas when he was in kindergarten. Our last trip to Europe didn't include France, so he is really excited about this. Thanks again!

I have to say, I don't know what you are going to do there *all day* ?!?