Paris - Fine dining while on a bus
 

Has anyone done this? It almost sounds a little gimmicky and corny - until you read the reviews on various websites and then it sounds kind of amazing. A bit on the expensive side, but considering it is such a unique experience, we are thinking of trying it when we will be in Paris in mid-September.

Comments?

Gourmet Travel accross Paris Discover Bustronome®

No but it's food for thought. Thanks for posting. Never heard of it before.

Pricey, n'est-ce pas???

I can't imagine putting up with the stopping / starting / swaying / shifting of being in a bus while trying to dine in a city with so very many extraordinary restaurants at just about every price range. YMMV.

Agree with kja. Can you enjoy your meal and actually see anything out the window at the same time? I'd really rather be "parked" at a restaurant.

We saw the bus when we were in Paris and it did look pretty nice. We could view some of the chef's preparations and they looked yummy. I would be curious to read reviews of someone who actually did the tour.

Some ultra touristy things can be the highlight of one's trip -- we are all different. This does not appeal to me personally, but I can easily imagine some people finding it wonderful. I see a sort of parallel to people who love the idea of riding in a stretch limousine.

Never done this myself but I see this bus pass by the place I work all the time and I think it's actually a pretty good concept. Why not? Check the reviews and see what others have to say who have actually done this (if you get no first hand reviews here) and then decide for yourself.

Of course if the bus were electric, it would be better. There's no point in polluting unnecessarily just to eat a meal. In another three years or so, the problem should be solved as internal combustion engines are phased out.

There are plans to start this in London too . . . Same company. Don't know the route but traffic in London is so awful I can't imagine it being able to do a lunch or dinner route on a specific time table.

I have a (Parisienne) friend who did and she loved it. I would think it would be best after dark, which could be a very late dinner in summer!

We took the Bustronome during the Christmas season 2 year ago and LOVED it. Our niece came to Paris to visit us while there and we took her on is as a Christmas gift. The FOOD is FABOULOUS and the service is excellent. My niece is allergic to seafood and I called a week before our reservation to explain this. They prepared a special meal for her and is was almost better than the one we were served. You get Champange to start, Wine with the courses and a large bottle of sparkling water. Make your reservations early as it fills up - here are some pictures from our trip.https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5947861ff0.jpg
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It looks like fun to me. I have to try it next time I am in Paris.

Thanks, denmal, for the info and great pictures!

Thanks to scdreamer. Checked it out and made a reservations for lunch in mid May. Do a brief review when we come back.

Thank you for the pictures. We kept seeing this bus while in Paris and wondered about it. I could see the chef working away. Did you have to hold on to your glasses?

Agree and second denmal opinion and experience. Food was quite good, experience was also quite good. Would definitely recommend. Did this a few years ago Even better, start out with a cocktail at the Peninsula Hotel in Paris as the bus loads close to that location.

Macross...no there are holders in the table for the glasses. The bus does not go that fast but there are holders. The bus loads on one of the street of the arch de triumph.

So ... took one for the team and we did this tonight.

Not my favorite experience, but I will say that the views of all the monuments from the vantage point of the very tall bus were amazing.

The downside: The food was mediocre, along with the service. It wasn’t that they didn’t try, but rather they were a bit too ambitious with the menu, and with the movement of the bus and the upstairs/downstairs dash between the kitchen and the tables ... just didn’t work, in my opinion.

We kept gazing out the windows at the sidewalk restaurants below, wishing we were among the diners enjoying the beautiful evening. The temperature on the bus was somewhere between stifling and sweat-lodge, and all I could think of was getting a breath of fresh air. I was ready for it to be over about an hour in to the two-and-a-half-hour foray.

So, I would give this experience a thumbs down. Your mileage may vary.

Melbourne has fine dining on a tram. This service has been running for many years and is very popular.

I've had fine dining on a train (The Hiram Bingham in Peru). The food was very good and the scenery unbeatable. I'm not so sure about fine dining on a bus.. the movement go the bus (swaying, stooping, turning, etc would be distracting for me, I would think.

Thanks for your report, scdreamer.

Thanks for reporting back! Like a few others, I've had fine dining on a train -- my experience was in upstate NY. Quite different, I would think. I'm sorry the experience was as you describe.

OWe agree with scdreamer. It a gimmick not worth it

I had dinner in the dining car of the train from Nairobi to Mombasa. The curry was not wonderful, but the views of the giraffes on the savannah were. I don't think it would be as amazed watching Paris traffic while passing in front of monuments that I had visited during the day. It would be much more exotic if the bus drove through some of the more difficult suburbs where people never go.

We did this twice : once in Bruxelles, once in Saint-Tropez. Food was good - they had hired michelin chefs. Less good than at their own restaurants, but it was stil lok. View was obviously superb.

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