meal at Eiffel Tower
 

I am taking my teen daughter to Paris next summer for her sweet 16. She would like to have a meal in the Eiffel Tower. I understand there is more than 1 restaurant to choose from. I'm looking for suggestions from you seasoned travelers about when & where to eat in Eiffel Tower.... like is it better to have lunch or dinner there? Best views - day or night? Which restaurant is best for a mom/daughter? Best French onion soup or cheese plate? Money is a consideration. Thank you all.

Sorry, lunch at Jules Verne will cost 98€ per person, dinner double that. You must also be dressed up.
That is before drinks and tip.
http://www.lejulesverne-paris.com/en/lunch

Consider lunch where you can look AT The Eiffel Tower - at Tour Montparnasse.

Forgot the link,
http://www.tourmontparnasse56.com/mo...html#la-visite


If you want to eat at the tower, This may work better - 41€ lunch, 85€ dinner, per person
http://www.restaurants-toureiffel.co...pril-2015.html

NO meal is better than any other, it's just what you want to do. Views are personal, also, you know what the night view is -- lights, you can't see objects. Just ask her to choose which view she wants, night or day, I'm sure she can get an idea of how they will differ.

If money is a consideration, you shouldn't go to Jules Verne, it's too expensive if you are watching your budget. But if you must, clearly you should go at lunch to save money. You cannot dress sloppily for Jules Verne, so no shorts, T shirts, or sports clothes.

There are only 2 restaurants, Jules Verne the real expensive one and 58 Tour Eiffel which costs about 45 euro for lunch and twice that for dinner. I don't think it's supposed to be that great, but I haven't eaten there. The food at JV is good from what I've heard. If you can get the Montparnasse Tower dinner for the price of 58 TE lunch, I'd go there but she probably has her heart set on the ET. Both restaurants have good views if you get the right table.

You aren't really paying for the food, you'd get better food for that price elsewhere.

There are two restaurants - one sort of moderate and the other - Jules Verne - definitely upscale. We have done the latter several times and really feel it is worth it - but for 2 people it will be in the range of $500 including a modest wine.

Unless you want to spend a significant amount you should consider a place with a view OF the tower. You can check menus and prices for most places online. Also be aware that unless you turn it down your daughter will be served wine most places - if anyone at the table orders it. Also soft drinks are very expensive and very small - basic wine will cost less - but you can ask for tap water if you want - it won't be served otherwise. (We always do bottled water - as do many people.)

And it won't be French onion soup and cheese at Le Tour.

:) I was going to say that but figured OP had either already left the room or would be soon.

58 Tour Eiffel is not "worth it." I went to a business dinner there and I could have been in any mediocre restaurant anywhere. It was night, the windows were dirty so couldn't see much.

--Curmudgen signing off.

:o) cath

We had an amazing dinner at JV. But it was the total 4 hour experience, not the food. The food did not wow is, the way one would expect given the location and price. Our windows were clean.

I've heard generally good things about Jules Verne but have never been. Maybe 58 Tour has had a facelift since I was there (5-6 years ago). It was one step up from grim.

I was at Jules Verne for lunch last year. The view is very nice, if you get a window table. Lunch was less than $300 US dollars, the food did not wow me, but the chef refused to serve the dishes my wife ordered together.(salmon and sole') Instead he served a rare veal with marrow, something whe would not eat if she was starving. That tainted our experience for the worse. If $$ is a consideration, skip Jules Verne.

I have been to both places.

I agree with ziggypop, if you are going to pay those prices, ask to have a window table , not a table 20 feet away from the window.

...and get a window table toward the Seine River so you can have a great view of Trocadero Gardens and Palace de Chaillot.

Next best is with a full view toward Champs de Mars ( the big long green park leading to the Military College.

I just posted a review of our dinner at 58 Tour Eiffel. The food is terribly mediocre but the experience isn't bad. If you go in there knowing that, you won't be too disappointed. It's still pricey. Our meal was close to $300 but it's a memory that will last a lifetime.

Here's the complete review (with iPhone food pics): http://www.theginamiller.com/2014/12...el-review.html

If you're gonna spend that go for lunch at Jules Verne.
Whassup with not getting what you ordered! COMPLAIN.

My guess GLM is mainly trying to send traffic to her blog . . . (she also thinks Paris needs more Tex-Mex places)

Wow ~ so glad I asked you all. Thanks for your opinions. I like the idea of eating at Tour Montparnasse so we can look at the ET. That might be nice at night w/ the lights on. Maybe we could eat the cheapest lunch possible in the ET another day. Yikes... hundreds of $$ for one meal is not the norm for our middle-class family! The rest of our time in Paris we will be eating food from the local grocery stores! ha ha

What is standard tipping in Paris now? NO IDEA.

Actually, I really like the views from the tour Montparnasse, I think that's a good option.

std tipping is zero in France, service is included by law in your bill. Some people round up a little and leave a euro or two on the table, but that is by no means universal as only a minority of people do it in places I frequent (which are not in the tourist areas). I have no idea what people do at real expensive restaurants as the bill is so high to begin with and thus the service is a noticeable sum (I personally am more likely to tip when the bill is low). I've never eaten in one like that so don't know the norm in places like that. Maybe someone else will.

You can't get a reservation at 58 Tour Eiffel in March, April or May of next year. The only open dates I saw are in January.

58 is changing and there is a way to get reservations -
http://www.restaurants-toureiffel.co...ID/2/RID/3770/

Honestly, save your money. It will go a lot further elsewhere. Eat at Le Ciel in Tour Montparnasse if you have to do something along those lines.