Necessity of lunch reservations?

I have made a few dinner reservations for the week my wife and I are in Paris. But i%26#39;ve made zero lunch reservations. How difficult is it to find a during-the-week lunch-time table at places like Les Papilles, Le Timbre, Chez Janou, Chez Marcel, Le Pamphlet, Willi%26#39;s wine bar, Le Relais de l%26#39;Isle, ... ?

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There are thousands of restaurants in Paris. Forget about the ones you have read about in guide books. Just get a few blocks away from any major tourist attraction, and wander. Look at the restaurants until you find one that has a menu you like, prices you can afford, nice smells coming from the food, and lots of French being spoken by the diners.

It should take no more than 5 minutes to find some really good food.

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You will never go wrong making a reservation.

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%26gt;%26gt;You will never go wrong making a reservation.%26lt;%26lt;

I would suggest you can, if you reserve somewhere that is recommended by Rick Steves.

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If you have your mind set on a given restaurant, it is better to make a reservation if only to avoid being disappointed. Otherwise, no.

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we don%26#39;t make lunch reservations because we don%26#39;t want two elaborate meals a day (or if we do, we forgo dinner reservations)

But if you have your heart set on a particular place, then reserve -- particularly well known or fancy places. We had a nice lunch one time at Les Ombres and one definitely needed reservations for that.

We normally either get a sandwich from a bakery or make our own picnic -- grab a savory crepe -- or pick a cafe with a nice menu and get a salad or %26#39;plat%26#39; -- and that doesn%26#39;t need a reservation -- the French have wonderful luncheon salads of which %26#39;Salad Nicoise%26#39; sp? is but one

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Thanks for the replies. I%26#39;ve purchased a few books on Paris, but i%26#39;ve given the Steve%26#39;s book a pass... just on principle ;)

After lurking here for weeks reading about the summertime crowds in Paris, I%26#39;m curious if there%26#39;s an appreciable drop in tourists once September and October roll around?

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Hi -

Rick Steves%26#39; Europe Through the Back Door is a great resource for folks planning their first independent trip to Europe. He does a great job of walking folks through the necessities of overseas travel so I recommend it to many first timers. He also does a great job of making the great museums of Europe less intimidating.

Sydneynick and I have the same attitude toward eating in Paris. I don%26#39;t make advance reservations for meals for two reasons. I have no idea what I%26#39;m going to feel like eating on any particular day, and I hate having my expensive tourist time ruined by having to keep an eye on my watch so I can conform to a self-imposed schedule for a meal, of all things. I%26#39;d much rather poke through a neighbourhood to find a place that appeals at the moment.

In my experience, things really don%26#39;t slow down in September although there are fewer students and teens travelling, so it%26#39;s a little quieter. October is when the lines are shorter and the reservations easier to get.

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I don%26#39;t really disagree with 1BC about Rick Steves%26#39; books. The problem is that, as these books are intended as a resource for first-time travellers, the places he recommends are often full of people who do not understand the country, culture, or cuisine.

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If I were a tourist in Paris, I would be too busy to worry about putting a big constraint in the middle of the day that could cut short my morning enjoyment of the city and/or take a big chunk out of my afternoon activities.

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Thanks again. I can see where it would be easy to %26#39;over plan%26#39; and over-schedule. And, for me, lunch reservations have that feel about them. But the %26#39;hordes of tourists%26#39; posts gave me pause.

Having said that, i just now found info on a Paris-to-Versaillees road race that i wish i planned for. From the eiffel tower to versailles with 20k other runners.

http://www.parisversailles.com/