Sunday Lunch in Paris
 

On a recent Sunday in Paris,I was looking forward to a good seafood lunch...The waiter at a well-known restaurant on Avenue Wagram reminded me that it was Sunday,the kitchen was closed and that I could look over the sandwich menu...Kitchen closed on Sunday!Is that the exception or the rule in Paris? I am sure that our resident Paris correspondent Joelle has the answer to that one...Happy New Year...David Connor

I did not know I had become the official Paris resident correspondent! Well, live from Paris at 10 AM, what I can say is that the famous Paris restaurants mostly work like businessmen. This means they are off during week-ends! Some of them will be open on Saturday evenings but that's it. Just e-mail me directly if you want me to have a look and find the few exceptions that are open... But there still some good restaurants, more casual ones, open on Sunday lunch time. But I won't mention the problem of Sunday evenings, it's even worse, a real "casse-tete"!

Hi Joelle!
My family returned from Paris 2 days ago. We had a wonderful time. Thank you very much for translating the information about my daughter's nut allergy into French. We did as you suggested and transfered the words onto a card which we showed to waiters and food vendors. Everyone was very helpful and she experienced no problems. Merci! Linda

Hi,
I just returned from Paris, it was work orientated. However, I did get to lunch in Paris at a cheese specialty cafe. It was outstanding, 3 courses of cheese. I kept the business card if you would be interested, it's at home, I could give the street and name to you on Monday when I return to work. I'm 31 and could not find any disco's at night to people watch at, any suggestions?
Thanks,
Glenn from Michigan

I lived in Paris for two years and return there frequently. Yes, dining on Sundays is a problem for travelers. Many restaurants close on Sunday, and some even the entire weekend! However, there are quite a few that are open for Sunday lunch (that usually means they close around 3:00), so you must plan ahead! Nearly any guidebook with restaurant listings will indicate whether or not the establishment is open on Sundays. Alternatives to starvation on Sunday evenings are: 1) the "Hippo" chain, serving steaks, etc. is open, and 2) going to the Belleville district (19th & 20th) to the numerous (and enormous) Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants.