Blend in like a local–or at least a savvy expat–with these essential French dining tips.
Dining out in France? Before you head to that charming bistro, make sure you know these essential tips for eating in France, including: table manner basics, tipping, asking for the check, getting the best dining deal, how to order, and more helpful advice.
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Manners maketh man’s meal.
“Manners maketh man,” the saying goes. And if you’re eating in France–the global center of gastronomy, where eating is practically the national religion–manners can certainly make or break your dining experience.
The French have a reputation for being rude. They are not. (Well, except maybe for some of those old-school bistro waiters.) Quite innocently, however, you may be the offender if you don’t follow French eating habits and customs.
What may be considered acceptable, or even good, manners in the United States or elsewhere may rub your Gallic hosts the wrong way–or at the very least, single you out as a tourist. Knowing basic French table manners and dining rules will almost guarantee a better dining experience.
In addition to knowing basic rules of French table etiquette and manners, it’s also useful to know how to navigate a restaurant experience in France to save yourself money, time, frustration, or all of the above. (And check out my interview with etiquette expert Mika Meyer.)
12 essential tips and rules for eating in France.
Whether a simple café or trendy Parisian restaurant, there’s a certain way of doing things when you dine out in France: How to ask for free water so you don’t have to pay through the nose for bottled; how and when to ask for the check; how to read the menu; and more. Here are the French dining rules and tips you need to know.
French Dining Etiquette and Table Manners: The Basics
1. Always, always, always say hello and goodbye.
Greetings are, of course, universal good manners. But when eating in France, greeting your host and server with a friendly “bonjour” (pronounced “BON-joohr) during the day or “bonsoir” (“BON-swah”) in the evening is essential in France, whether at restaurants or in any shop you enter. On the way out, say merci and wish them a good rest of their day or evening with a “bonne journée” or “bonne soirée.” You’ll get a guaranteed smile, and appreciation for your etiquette.
2. Hold your cutlery the French way.
The United States employs the American style of cutlery usage: eating with a fork in the right hand, tines up, while the knife rests on the top edge of the plate, left hand in the lap.
But France, like much of Europe, adheres to the Continental or European style: Keep the knife in your right hand while you eat with your fork in your left hand, tines down.
3. How to rest your cutlery the French way.
If you take a break from eating, place your fork (tines down) and knife at 8 and 4 o’clock, respectively. Then it’s right there in position for you when you’re ready to pick it back up. When you’ve finished your meal, place the fork and knife parallel at the bottom of the plate, at 5 or 6 o’clock.
4. Per French table manners, keep your hands and wrists on the table, not in your lap.
This is a big one. Americans are conditioned to keep our hands in our laps when we are not using them to eat. But this is a no-no (non-non?) in France. In a tradition dating back centuries–it showed that guests were not concealing a weapon–the French leave their hands on the table, wrists resting on the edge, for the entire meal. It takes a bit of getting used to, but this is French table manners 101.
5. The phone is not part of the place setting.
For better or worse (definitely worse), the French are scrolling, if not quite as much as Americans, then certainly more than they have before. Except at the table. The French are quite traditional and relatively formal when it comes to dining. Phone usage during a meal and resting a phone on the dining table (whether face up or down), are considered rude. So tuck it away and bon appétit!
6. French Breadiquette
If you’re like me, you see the bread basket come to the table and think, “Amazing! Snack time!” But in France, bread is not considered its own separate snack or course, but a way to sop up sauces or incorporate into the food. This is why butter or olive oil rarely accompanies bread. Exception: Some restaurants will feature bread along with butter, but it is more common to wait until food comes to eat the bread. Do I always do this? No. It’s not a huge deal. Bread is generally placed right on the tablecloth, not on the plate.
General French Dining How-Tos and Tips
Employing your French table manners is a great first step to dining-out success in France, but there are a few cultural differences that will make eating out in a French restaurant more enjoyable. Here are some helpful tips.
7. Save money and ask for the free water.
Servers will often present two options to diners: bottled still water (d’eau plat), or bottled sparkling water (d’eau gazeuse, or pétillante). But! There is a sneaky third option: “une carafe d’eau,” or simply “une carafe.” The water in France is perfectly good to drink, and most customers simply order une carafe rather than pay the frequently exorbitant fee for a bottle of water.
One note: There’s a 100% chance your water will come sans ice. Go with the flow and have it at cool room temperature like the locals, or ask for water “avec des glaçons” (with ice) if you’d like ice water.
8. You have to ask for the check.
The French have a long tradition of savoring their meals without being rushed. To this end, it is considered good service to not drop the bill until the guest is done lingering and actually asks for it. To ask for your check, simply signal the server and ask for “l’addition, s’il vous plaît,” (pronounced, “lad-ees-e-ON, see voo play). When ready to pay, they are likely to take the credit card machine to you, rather than take your credit card to the machine.
9. What to tip at a restaurant in France
The default answer to whether to tip at a French restaurant is: basically, no. The French are paid a salaried, living wage and do not rely on additional money from guests. That said, a few Euro left on the table can be a nice acknowledgement of good service.
It is also kind to leave a larger tip at the end of a high-end meal. I would leave around 10% tip for a very nice meal with good service. Thus, €20 to €30 would be appreciated and appropriate for a meal costing €200 to €300. There is really no need to go above that.
Another note: I noticed on my spring 2025 trip to Paris that some credit card machines are starting to show tip lines, ranging from 5% to 20%, so you can leave an additional amount that way. Anything in the vicinity of 20% would be excessive, though; there’s no need–even with amazing service.
10. French Menu Terminology and the Cheese Course
French menu terms can be tricky because we use some of the same vocabulary, but in a different way. Here’s how to eat like the French at a restaurant.
Let’s start with the menu. What we in America call a menu is called “la carte” in France. In France, le menu refers to a set price offering for a two- or three-course meal, typically a combination of starter, main, and dessert. You will often see the set meal offered as “le formule à [price].” Note that the formule is almost always the better-priced option, especially at lunch, and a great way to sample an assortment of dishes.
Entrées and mains. In France, l’entrée (literally, the entrance) is the starter. The main course is le plat (pronounced “le PLAH”) or le plat principal. So going back to the menu, above, you may see listed as a formule: entrée + plat, plat + dessert, or entrée + plat + dessert.
I like to go with a starter and a main, then save dessert for a treat from one of Paris’s best bakeries.
The cheese course. Cheese, if offered, always comes after the main dishes, either for dessert or in between the main course and dessert. I get le fromage 100% of the time, because France. If there is a cheese cart or tray to select from, it is custom not to try each one, but select two or three. (But then again, if you want to go for more, why not? You’re in France!)
11. Know what time the French eat dinner.
The French habit is to eat on the later side, starting around 8 p.m. Dinner times like 5:30, 6, or even 7 p.m. are considered more happy hour, time for un apéro. In fact, many restaurants don’t even open for dinner service until 7:30 p.m., which is pretty much the absolute earliest you’d want to eat in France–especially Paris. If I restaurant is open for dinner at 6 p.m., I’d be suspicious.
If you really want to go local, 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. would be the reservation sweet spot, but I tend to shoot for 8 p.m. because I need my sleep after a long day of sightseeing.
12. Wine.
Because you are in France, you can find incredible wine at very affordable prices, so take advantage. The selection can be intimidating, granted, but a restaurant generally is only too glad to help recommend a French wine to pair with your food. Starting the meal with a glass of champagne is always the right decision.
1 comment
Elaine W
Thank you for the helpful tips! I am going to France this summer and will be sure to study this. Merci!!!