If it's not too cold (or if you don't mind cold weather), you could try a picnic in one of the parks. Some of the best lunches I've had in Paris consisted of a crusty baguette and a few cheeses with a good bottle of wine, all in the comfort of Parc Monceau, the Jardin du Luxembourg, the Place des Vosges, or the Buttes Chaumont.

Please stop saying this; it's extremely foolish advice. The average person on the street in Paris does not have conversational skills in English and moreover may even resent you for not at least making an effort in French.

Anyone visiting Paris should at least review a traveller's phrase book before the trip.

So you may think. I've seen people in jeans at the Ritz Bar.

I think it's more the whole outfit than the jeans themselves - and, whatever you do, please don't pair them with running shoes and oversized t-shirts.

As for a good restaurant... It's been a few years, but I loved a little restaurant called Pain, Vin, Fromage. Excellent fondue and great atmosphere.

That said, if you've been dreaming of "lunch in Paris," then I think something along the Champs Elysees or a little cafe with a view of the Eiffel Tower might hold more appeal.

Completely agree with Landing Gear's suggestion to learn a few basic phrases in French. I've found Parisiens to be lovely - and the phrase, "Excusez moi. Parlez-vous Anglais?" (as opposed to saying, "do you speak English?" in English) will do wonders for how you are treated.

LandingGear: To be fair, I think slawecki was trying to draw a distinction between the potential consequences of being too dressed down for a special meal at an upscale restaurant and not being able to speak French at the upscale restaurant. The point was that not being able to speak French won't keep you out of the restaurant but being dressed too casually might.

Of course, it is better to be able to employ a few simple, polite French phrases, in the upscale restaurant the OP hopes to go to, and elsewhere in France. And of course, she shouldn't expect that the average French passerby speaks English. But I don't think that slawecki was suggesting otherwise.

And, ocApple, it is true that some Parisiennes get away with pairing an expensive pair of jeans with an even more expensive jacket and are welcomed in upscale restaurants throughout Paris. But they're French, and we just can't manage the same look with elan. And, I would add that I live in Paris, in a very upscale neighbourhood and I see very few women (other than students) in jeans, and I never see any woman over the age of 25 in jeans in a nice restaurant (although I do see a lot of Chanel jackets).

Merci infiniment de tout les conseil
 

Not wanting to be the "Ugly American", I'm not afraid to walk thru Paris with my little translation book in hand. As long as I've memorized the basic Bonjour, Bonsoir, Je m'appelle..., Pour allez...., C'est combien, ca?, Oui, Merci, S'il vous plait, Je parle tres peu le francais, and Ou sont les WC s'il vous plait----- I think I'll survive. I managed in Japan on less Japanese so I think I can make it thru 2-1/2 days in Paris. And I've still got almost 6 months to brush-up.

As for lunch, as a 28 year Alaskan, I'm quite happy with casual and cold so amazingview's picnic idea is appealing, as is ocApple's Champs Elysees cafe ( I do have 2 days for lunch). Perhaps I'll visit one of the upscale restaurants for dinner and get dressed-up proper (ie: sans jeans) ... just because I can. ;)

Another option to consider for your meals is to double your fun and reduce the costs by going somewhere special for a drink and entree, and then somewhere else for dinner. For example, when a friend was visiting us last fall, we took her to Le Dome in Montparnasse for oysters and an aperitif (because the restaurant is quite spectacular-looking) - but then we left and had an inexpensive dinner at a creperie (she loves crepes). You just want to plan it so that you go relatively early (e.g. 7:30-8 pm) for your first course and let them know that you're just staying for an aperitif and entree (this will reduce the risk that the staff will be cranky about you taking up a table at the peak of dinner service for a relatively small bill).

Some other friends were visiting last weekend and they got dressed up a bit, went to the champagne bar at the Sofitel Trocadero hotel and then went to Les Bouquinistes for dinner.

I have never been there on my own, but one of my favourite restaurants in Paris is Pomze. It's on the Right Bank, in a classic converted Haussmanian apartment (up one floor, with a bit of a view through leafy trees to the street). The decor is very clean and modern, but warm. All of the menu items involve apples (the restaurant is partly sponsored by an apple growers' cooperative). I expected the restaurant to be gimmicky, but in fact the dishes are very inventive without being gimmicky for a gimmick's sake. They have a very good value prix fixe dinner menu at 35 euros for 3 courses, and you can have a degustation of 3 small glasses of (alcoholic cider) matched to your courses. I've always found the service to be very professional and friendly. I expect that they would treat a solo woman traveller very well. The only caution - it's a relatively small restaurant with a limited number of tables, so book ahead (at least a few days, and perhaps try to go Mon-Thurs). Check out www.pomze.com.

We've found the Time Out restaurant guide to Paris to be the most reliable source for choosing restaurants.

Kate_Canuck,

Thanks for the Le Dome recommendation. I've been lurking on the OP's thread as my wife and I will be in Paris in October. I saw Le Dome in another guide, and it stood out as something I thought we'd want to try. We've done the formal (Taillevent, Ducasse) in the past and were looking for something a bit more casual. The TimeOut guide is a good resource.

Surely you jest.

Personally I use Gayot and have been using it since it was Gault-Millau.

I don't know about TO Paris, but TO New York is staffed by college kids and recent graduates and in terms of restaurants, is of questionable intergrity given a recent scandal.

Well, no, I'm not kidding. We're not uber-foodies and not the least bit interested in the next trendy restaurant. Generally, we're looking for restaurants ranging from moderately inexpensive to moderately splurgy (but for Paris, below the level of any Michelin-starred restaurants) and we're also sometimes looking for cuisines other than French food, so the wide range of restaurants in the TO Eating and Drinking Guide to Paris suits us well. We find the detailed, somewhat idiosyncratic (and occasionally funny) descriptions to be helpful in giving us a sense of what the dining experience is like. The Zagat guide also covers a wide range of restaurants but its user reviews are sometimes too brief and cryptic to be helpful. I can't think of a single restaurant we've chosen based on the TO Eating and Drinking Guide to Paris reviews (among 25 or so) that we didn't enjoy. Not necessarily perfect, but enjoyable. Of course, we don't limit ourselves to TO-reviewed restaurants. A lot of the places we go to are in our arrondissement, or that we've heard about from friends at work.

I had a quick look at Gayot, and searched for the names of a number of restaurants we've enjoyed in Paris and selected through TO. Only a few showed up (e.g. Le Stella and Marius), a few got decent ratings (e.g. La Gare) that I would question and a number of our favourite restaurants (eg Pomze) aren't covered. I didn't see a lot of "splurges on a moderate budget" reviews, nor did I see many reliable, affordable bistros or reliable, affordable restaurants serving foreign cuisine. But thanks for the reference anyway. The Gayot website looks it will be quite useful as we plan a few splurges before we leave Paris later this summer.

Chacun a son (guide de) gout, I guess.

On reading through the thread I saw no mention of MAKING A RESERVATION.

If you want to have lunch at anyplace vaguely upscale in Paris you will need to reserve. And now is not too soon for many places, even if lunch is months off.

You are very unlikely to get a place at Tallevant or the Grand Vefour unless you reserve way in advance.

Time to get on the 'phone. :)

I've lunched over the years at most of the major Michelin spots, including the ones recommended above (except for Grand Vefour) and dined or lunched at many another fine restaurant, and never had a problem when I was alone. While I've enjoyed most, and many were excellent, I have to say I've had only two fabulous meals, one at a restaurant now gone, the other at Pierre Gagnaire, which I recommend highly.

The need to reserve holds true not just for the upscale places. If a restaurant is good, regulars will call ahead--conversely, if a restaurant is empty at prime meal time you might think twice about going in. It's especially important for lunch, which is usually served only from 12-2. By 1:30 lunch is gearing down so if you walk in at 1:40 and spot an empty table they may refuse to serve you -- nothing personal, just the way things are done. This doesn't hold for cafes and brasseries, which are good choices for a meal outside of "normal" hours. However, the pace may be a bit more rushed than in a regular restaurant.

If you're not choosing a temple of gastronomy or a ragingly trendy spot you don't need to worry about reserving months in advance. For the neighborhoody places a day or few in advance is probably fine. If a restaurant is praised in more than one current review or guide, then plan a little further ahead.

When sightseeing I often prefer to let serendipity dictate my route, which means forgoing lunch reservations. I've been turned away from La Ferme St-Hubert (many delicious cheese-based choices beyond Croque-Monsieur) more than once, and when I did luck into a late seating they had run out of my favorite dessert. But if the weather is nice I like to maximize my out-and-about time, and save time (and calories) for an afternoon pick-me-up of cafe and ice cream or a pastry.

Some of the best meals at reasonable prices are to be had from younger chefs running small restaurants in out-of-the-way neighborhoods, usually open for dinner only. A woman alone who shows thoughtful interest in the food and wine will be treated well. So don't hesitate to have that special solo meal in the evening.