Never Eat at These Paris Restaurants! (The 10-Second Test)

Every Parisian does a quick visual check before walking into a restaurant, and almost no visitor knows it. In this video we show you the 10-second test we use to spot tourist trap restaurants in Paris, red flag by red flag, so you stop overpaying for forgettable meals and find the places locals love.

Red flags outside and on the menu

• A facade covered in flowers: great for a photo, then keep walking.
• An English menu posted outside, or little flags of every country.
• Someone at the door calling you in.
• Windows covered in review-site stickers.
• An empty terrace at 1 p.m., which is peak lunchtime.
• A huge menu with onion soup, bourguignon, pizza, burgers and spaghetti. A kitchen can’t cook 30 or 40 dishes well.
• A “chalkboard” menu that is just printed and framed on the wall.

Where tourist traps cluster

The first restaurants next to big sights like the Eiffel Tower are usually traps: you pay for the view. Rue de la Huchette, between Notre-Dame and Place Saint-Michel, is lovely to walk through, but don’t stop to eat there. On Rue Montorgueil and Rue Mouffetard, about half the places are good, so use the checks. Areas with fewer sights, like the 11th, have to please picky French diners. Walk a couple of blocks and turn a corner, and you will usually eat better for less.

Green flags and other checks

Look for a short menu, “fait maison” (made in house), the chef’s name, a full room at 1 p.m., French diners and happy staff. On Google, scan the five-star reviews for fake patterns and read the one-star reviews for recurring complaints. Treat Instagram-hyped places with some skepticism. Once you sit down, watch for a server pushing bottled water instead of tap water, no bread on the table, or tables being turned over fast. Bread served with butter at lunch or dinner is another red flag.

To skip the guesswork, our guide to the 125 best restaurants in Paris lists places we have tried and love. A Devour food tour early in your trip will also teach you what to look for and what to order.