Places to eat with children
 

We are leaving for Paris in a few days and will be travelling with 3 small children...any ideas of places to eat??? A friend told me they never see kids in French Restaurants!!! But we will be eating much earlier than the normal French hour of dinner...staying in the 1st Arr. Thanks!!

I posted the very same question before we went to Paris last Feb (it may be findable under "Dining in Paris with a 4-year-old"). I got a range of responses - from "don't bring your brat near ME when I'm in a restaurant" to some very helpful suggestions. <BR><BR>Yes, Parisians tend not to take very young children to top class restaurants (would anyone!), but they do take them to neighborhood bistros and cafes, and so of course do tourists. <BR><BR>There are of course plenty of fast food places in Paris, including the Hippopotamus chain, which provides childrens' meals and (I think) toys and coloring books etc. But we didn't eat there - we were only visiting for 3 days.<BR><BR>Our best meals were <BR><BR>(1) La Coupole (Bvd Montparnasse) where we ate early (7pm). No child size portions, but helpful staff, and delicious ice cream (and an orange frangipane desert to die for!)<BR><BR>(2) Cafe St Michel (Bvd St Michel by the Seine) where far from being unfriendly, a waiter did a magic trick for our son (well - nothing special, just sleight of hand with the juice bottle - had our son in fits).<BR><BR>(3) a fondue in the little street near St Severin.<BR><BR>(4) Angelinas (Rue de Rivoli) for a posh tea! (that was for me, but again our son was welcomed) There were several apparently Parisian children there for treats - well dressed and well behaved. <BR><BR>Cafes tend to be open all day, and one can eat as simply or elaborately as one wants. We didn't make reservations (in Jan).<BR><BR>Other successes were the square around the Pompidou centre (cafes there are very expensive, but the fountains are great to watch). By April I guess the weather will be good enough to eat in the parks, which all seem to have cafes.<BR><BR>Have a great time! (post again if you have any other questions)

Since you are leaving in "a few days" I assume you do have some kind of list or ideas?<BR>Cafes and Brasseries are the best idea, and early.<BR>Parisians really do not take young children to restos at night.<BR>If you are staying in the first, you may be in a hotel that has a good enough place to eat for the kids.<BR>Angelinas is good as far as the food but crowded and can be quite hectic and again, small children are rarely seen,once in a while you may see an infant.<BR>

<BR>You will find notes on cafes and restaurants that Fodors forum writers say were good with their children in my note on Paris, which I am attaching to the e-mail copy of this message.<BR><BR>Ben Haines<BR>

Thanks Ruth and all for your suggestions...what a great site this is!!! Wish I had discovered it years ago!!!! I have learned so many neat things and so helpful. My husband and I travel a lot and could have saved my self a lot of heartache over the years! I have a folder with all your helpful hints and will enjoy reading on the flight over. Headed for Budapest in the fall and will have to start reading the notes from there...thanks all and will let you know how we do.