Eating out in France: How to reserve, order, and ask for the bill like a local

It is easy to assume that eating out is the same everywhere, but once one actually arrives in a foreign land, it becomes apparent that the experience can differ in both big and small ways. One of the world capitals of gastronomy, France has its own customs with regards to eating out. I’m summarizing my last ten month’s worth of personal observations, which will hopefully serve as a shortcut to key vocabulary and interactions. Note that this article describes the typical experience in Parisian establishments serving French food. For other cuisines or fast casual places, some steps might be skipped or different.

Types of establishments

Before we walk through a theoretical dining experience end to end, let’s first get to know a couple types of common French establishments: cafes and brasseries. Many cafes in France serve far more than just coffee, and therefore resemble what North Americans would refer to as restaurants. Serving coffee, beverages, and a selection of foods, they usually have plenty of table seating. There are certainly small Starbucks-style cafes, but after some time living in Paris, I no longer expect those when I see “cafe” in the name. That being said, it is still totally appropriate to sit down and order only a coffee; patrons are not obligated to order a full meal.

Another common type of establishment to know are French brasseries. They are known to serve traditional French fare and alcoholic beverages. Easily recognizable by their outdoor seating under red canvas awnings, they are a great place to catch up with a group of friends or simply people-watch. Classics that Parisian brasseries offer include burgers, steak and fries, and croque monsieur (ham and cheese sandwich).

Making a reservation

The easiest way to make a reservation is through an app called TheFork. Many restaurants are on the platform and it is easy to filter by cuisine, location, and availability. There are even restaurants that run promotions of 10-50% off the à la carte menu.

If a restaurant doesn’t take online reservations, then you may want to call directly. If doing so in French seems intimidating, remember that there are really only a few key phrases to have ready.

1. The greeting

• E.g., Bonjour, j’aimerais faire une réservation s’il vous plaît.

2. Date and time

• E.g., Le 29 janvier à 19 heures (France does not use am/pm)
• All dates are read as regular cardinal numbers (not ordinal numbers like in English), with the exception of the first day of the month, which is le premier. So for example, February 1st would be le premier février.

3. Size of party

• E.g., Pour 4 personnes.

4. Your name

• They may ask for your nom et prénom (last and first name). Be ready to spell it out and know how each letter is pronounced in French. Or for fun, just pick a standard French name that they are sure to know the spelling of.

5. Phone number

• Avoid panic by jotting down how your phone number is said in French. In France, phone numbers are written as pairs of digits (e.g., 12-34-56-78-90) and read as five numbers (e.g., twelve, thirty-four etc). But if it is easier for you to simply dictate ten digits, they will understand too.

Et voilà, there shouldn’t be any surprise questions. For this reason, calling for reservations is one of the best ways to get comfortable with making calls in French.

Showing up to a restaurant

If you have a reservation, simply inform the waiter by evoking your name. “Bonjour, j’ai une réservation au nom de [name]”.

If you don’t have a reservation, you can ask if they have any seats available for your party. “Bonjour, vous avez une table pour [number] personnes ?”

You may be asked two questions:

1. Whether you’re looking to eat or just drink. Pour manger ou pour boire?

• Eat: Pour manger s’il vous plaît.
• Drink: Pour boire s’il vous plaît.

2. Whether you’d prefer indoor or outdoor seating. À l’intérieur ou en terrasse?

• Inside: À l’intérieur s’il vous plaît.
• Outside: En terrasse s’il vous plaît.

Decide with your group beforehand to avoid being caught off guard. I’m still not totally sure why, but Parisians really do love to sit outside, even during the winter.

Reading the menu

Like elsewhere, in France it is common for waiters to take orders for drinks first so you may want to read the boissons menu first. One unfamiliar acronym you might see is cl. This is short for centilitre, and one centilitre is equivalent to 10 millilitres (ml). So for example, a 750ml bottle of water would become 75cl. Sorry American friends!

As for the food menu, some important words to know include the following:

• Entrée = Appetizer
• Plat = Main course
• …du jour = …of the day
• Maison = House, homemade
• Formules = Combos, sets

You can also ask if they have an English menu by saying Vous avez un menu en anglais s’il vous plaît?

Placing your order

A few moments later, the waiter will come around to take your orders. You can reply with:

• Oui, on est prêts. We are ready.
• Encore quelques minutes s’il vous plaît. A few more minutes please.

To order like a local, confidently say Alors, je vais prendre… et… s’il vous plaît (So, I will have… and… please).

Once everyone has ordered, ask for une carafe d’eau to get a refreshing pitcher of tap water. If you just ask for water without using this very specific and common phrase, be prepared for the possibility of being charged for a glass bottle of glacial water.

Bon appétit!

Enjoying the meal

If you ordered an appetizer, the waiter will wait until you finish before bringing out the main course. So if you don’t plan on finishing the appetizer right away and instead want to eat it alongside your main course, consider letting the waiter know that it’s fine to bring out the main course. Otherwise both of you risk waiting for each other in confusion.

Restaurants in France prioritize discretion in their service more than those of some Anglo-Saxon cultures. Your waiter will not be coming around every few minutes asking if everything is alright. They will also not be introducing themselves or asking if it’s your first time dining there. Many foreigners interpret this as rudeness or coldness, but it’s just a matter of cultural difference; French patrons don’t necessarily appreciate being repeatedly interrupted when they haven’t asked for anything. If you do need help, politely signal to a waiter with excusez-moi.

Once everyone finishes their main course, the waiter will bring the dessert menus but you’re certainly not obligated to order anything. It is also common for the French to drink a small coffee instead of having a dessert.

Before taking away plates and cutlery, waiters usually ask if you’re done: C’est terminé? That key word is relatively easy to catch so simply let them know oui or non.

Paying the bill

Ask for the bill by saying L’addition s’il vous plaît. If the party prefers to split the bill, that is a normal and acceptable request to make: On va diviser par [number] s’il vous plaît. Tipping is not necessary.

As he brings the cheque, you may hear the waiter say Ça a été? He’s asking how the food was. You can say it was good by replying with Oui c’était très bon merci. I wouldn’t recommend saying it was horrible, but that’s not just in France.

Heading out

I hope you enjoyed your meal! Take your time to continue sitting and chatting with your party. French waiters don’t pressure patrons to leave after eating and paying. This is one thing that I really appreciate about living in Paris.

If there is anyone greeting you on your way out, wrap it all up like a pro by saying thank you and good bye: Merci au revoir. Then, take the métro home and fall into a food coma because dinner started at 8pm and now it’s 11pm – sorry, 23h.