Is Flunch food good food?
 

I was told that in Paris theres a restaurant called Flunch which is the French version of Old Country Buffet but with French foods. Is their food any good for first time visitors and is it all you can eat?

Its a basic cafeteria chain with adequate food. Nothing of great interest. It is not all you can eat.

Flunch is not all you can eat - I don't think the French have grasped that concept yet. It's pretty low-end stuff, but edible and inexpensive. It's not where I would choose to eat as a first-time or many-time visitor, as there are so many other better options, but I did take my kids to one once in Bordeaux because it was there when we were hungry and we didn't feel like traipsing around looking for something better.

It is about the same quality as OLd Country Buffet but not all you can eat.
We had lunch there somewhere in Provence because we were hungry also and in a hurry.
It is fairly inexpensive and has a large selection of food.
I wouldn't seek one out, but it was fine for what it was.

Thank God the French have not "grasped" the "all you can eat" concept.

60% of Americans are obese because of this disgusting habit.
PS: I'm from the US.

tammyjo,

If the person who recommended Flunch is the same one who recommended "Hotel dog droppings", perhaps you should get travel info elsewhere...

It's the Very Old Country Buffet.

They serve inexpensive -- and, as Morgan said, adequate -- food that, regardless of what food snobs may say, won't kill you or make you sick. I've actually heard rumors that real French people eat there.

???
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

But it is OLD

We've eaten at a Paris 'Flunch' a couple of times. It's a good inexpensive place especially if you've got kids. (no, it isn't a high-quality French restaurant, but it has decent, affordable, edible food with lots of choices). Good for if you need to balance the budget with plain fare in order to splurge on a couple of nice restaurants, for instance. Has a salad bar, fruit bar, menu with 3-6 hot plates (steak/frites, for instance), cold case with wine, bottled water, or get a fountain drink with ICE. Circle around the 'cafeteria' area with your tray, pay the cashier, go sit and eat. Average price for one person probably 8-12 Euro. And, you can eat "French" there instead of McDonald's to avoid that onslaught of outrage ;)

Tpaxe
Is that a travel related response? Or just afternoon meanness?

Elberko
Tasteless remark!

janeg,

My post referred to a previous post by tammyjo, which Fodor's eventually pulled. She posted the same thing on Frommers:

http://www.frommers.com/cgi-bin/[email protected]^[email protected]

Lighten up elberko, I thought the question posed on Frommer's was the funniest thing that I heard today

???
I thought it was funny, too.

We eat at Flunch when we visit a particular supermarket on booze/ cheese runs.

We usually pick an overnight with a lovely restaurant for the evening meal and just have a ligh meal at the Flunch within the supermarket complex.

The "eat all you want" thing is referring to their salad buffet which comes included as a starter with most main meals or can be purchased in itself. It's a nice salad buffet with a nice range of salads and pates.

All fairly standard stuff, not gourmet, nothing special, but perfectly palatable and adequate for a quick meal.

So does the "F" in Flunch stand for Français? Or Fried? Fantastic? Foolish? Forgettable?

I think it is okay to eat in a place like that for lunch when you don't want to spend a lot of time or money. I like another French cafeteria chain which is near the Flunch at Les Halles, Melodines. I think their food (Melodines) is actually pretty decent, just as good as many cafes, and the price is right. I wouldn't eat dinner at Flunch myself.

Flunch has been around many years, and is from English -- the f is for fast... fast lunch.

Several years ago at a bistro in the Montparnasse area where they featured "American breakfast" - bacon, eggs, pancakes, home fries, etc. - the waitress told us they had a problem figuring out wording for free refills on the coffee, that the concept was just totally unheard of at the time. They settled on <<a volonte>>, I believe.

I am not certain that a place like this could survive economically if "real" French people didn't eat there.

These Flunch places have never claimed to be any sort of "upscale" eating place but their food is perfectly adequate if you like the selections.

And, let's face it, the folks who are doing the "booze and cheese" (now THAT's great nutrition!!!!!) have agreed that it won't kill you.

I'm sure there are better options but sometimes when you are in a hurry these places are lifesavers (no pun intended).

Although the Flunch I go to is in a location that sees many UK visitors (for the supermarket) the majority of fellow customers are indeed French.

Oh and Singletail, we don't actually go there to just sit and drink booze and eat cheese!!!

Popping over to France from the UK to shop is often referred to as the "Booze Cruise" since so many only buy alcohol because the tax differences mean greatest savings on that. When I mentioned it I also included cheese to round it out a little! Actually we buy wine, cider, biscuits, cheese, chocolate, vinegars and dressings and all sorts of other things but I didn't think my shopping list was necessary in order to evaluate the advice I gave.

The restaurants we eat in for dinner are very nice indeed and a world away from Flunch.

But we're not too snobby to insist or pretend that we're above other more down-to-earth venues for lunch.

Thanks Christina, your explanation of flunch being f(ast)lunch says it all. On my trips to France so far I've missed it, and methinks I'll keep it that way!

Flunch is also present in some spanish shopping malls and is expensive (by spanish standards). it is international basic cafeteria food here, nothing worth trying with all the amazing spanish cuisine.

saludos,
jer...

If the average price is 8 to 12 euros, many nicer Paris places can give you a 3 course lunch for about the same price with much tastier food. For example, I often have lunch at Les Fous de l'Ile on the Ile St. Louis at a cost of 11.5 euro for a 3 course meal (appetizer, main course, dessert). The food is all fresh, very good quality, good value for money. A carafe of water is free and, although I've never eaten at Flunch, I suspect the ambience is a bit nicer.
On the road and in a hurry is a different story--while driving around Europe we have no qualms about stopping at highway restaurants or even Ikeas (they offer some not bad meals at unbeatable prices).

I'd agree that in Paris and most large towns you can find great alternatives for about the same price.

However if you're in a situation where you're driving around France and would like to stop in a service station or local shopping complex en route, Flunch is a perfectly acceptable meal stop.

If you want all your food experiences in France to be unique and special and "authentic" French cuisine then it's not for you but otherwise... it's alright.

There's another chain that's similar to Flunch and I can't for the life of me remember it's name. Anyone able to think of it for me?

Eat in Flunch if you're short of time. The last time I used one was in Nice when I had no more than an hour between trains, and saw one next to the station. In my opinion, the food is generally better than in a self service restaurant in Britain but, unless you want a quick cheap meal, there will always be better choices. They are popular with French people who want a quick cheap lunch - students, shop and office workers, etc.

Thanks all for the information, especially about Flunch not being all you can eat. My BF and I have never been to France before nor have eaten any real French food. Someone told us that Flunch would be a good place for our first meal because being a buffet, we'd be able to view and pick our food instead of ordering something we didn't understand and be surprised by being served a fish head or a nearly raw meat dish. We'll try to be more adventurous with our dining after we've settled into the Parisian atmosphere. I think Flunch will be "bien"

Tammy Jo
If that's your worry, you can probably relax. Restaurants in Paris are, as you might imagine, very used to visitors and most offer menus in English if asked.
Whilst some like to be snobby and insist that they would never dine in a restaurant that even has menus available this is certainly not always a sign of an inferior establishment.
You'll be fine!
GOOD LUCK and enjoy your trip!

Study this French food glossary, identify foods you'd like to try, note foods you want to avoid. Then, in Paris, read the cafe and restaurant menus that are posted in front of every establishment, preplanning one or two choices before you go in.
www.intimatefrance.com/glossary.html

Just off the main street not far from the train station in Avignon you can find a Flunch cafeteria (at least it was there a few years ago). For about 10 dollars, I had for lunch a green salad, roast chicken with potatoes, bread, cheese, fruit salad, wine and coffee. Of course it wasn't the best food I ever ate, but it was reasonably good and the clientele were all local folks on their lunch breaks. I spent about 15 minutes in the line before being served...wouldn't hesitate to go back again.