Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
»
Brasserie
Very much like a cafe, except that it serves full meals (generally non-stop
from 11am to 11pm) as well as drinks and coffee.
»
Cafe
Serves basic food (cold and toasted sandwiches), coffees and drinks.
»
Restaurant
Most serve lunch and dinner five or six days a week. For standard opening
hours,
Click here
.
Navigating Menus
The length of a restaurant's menu (
la carte
) varies widely, from just a few rotating dishes
to several pages of choice.
Set two- or three-course menus (known as
menu
) are commonplace, particularly for
lunch; they generally offer less choice than ordering à la carte but tend to be cheaper.
Customs & Etiquette
»Forget balancing your bread on your main-course plate; crumbs on the table are fine.
»Using the same knife and fork for your starter and main is commonplace in many in-
formal restaurants.
»
Santé
is the toast for alcoholic drinks;
bon appétit
is what you say before tucking in.
»The French generally end their meal with a short, sharp espresso coffee.
»Splitting the bill is seen as crass - except amongst young people.
»Service is generally included so leaving a tip is optional.
