Paris Restaurants That Don’t Require a Reservation
Ahhhhhhh. Paris. City of love. City of light. City of beauty. City of restaurants that almost all require a reservation!
It’s wonderful to have reservations at a great Paris restaurant.
But, sometimes you might prefer not to be tied to a specific schedule and required to eat at a certain time. Those are the times realize that you need a list of GOOD Paris restaurants that don’t require a reservation.
On a recent trip to Paris the city was in bloom and we were so enthralled by the gorgeous spring weather that we would lose track of time and find ourselves suddenly hungry with no dinner reservations.
The search began for that most elusive of places – a no reservations required Paris restaurant that actually has delicious food.
When you visit Paris you will probably want to take the time to make at least a couple of reservations at the places you really, really want to eat. But for those other days?
Those magical, lost in the moment days when a dinner reservation is the last thing on your mind?
Here are some delicious options for the elusive good paris restaurants that don’t require a reservation.
Table of Contents
Best Paris restaurants that don’t require a reservation!
Freddy’s:
Freddy’s is a hip and happening little place! It is crowded and stylish. Seating is not particularly comfortable, but the food and wine are worth it. If you can get a place at the bar (sadly, we couldn’t) then grab it.
Freddy’s serves small plates and we shared 4 of them. We had fried zucchini with an amazing sauce. Then there was Freddy’s fried chicken, which, yes, were basically chicken strips…but elevated chicken strips.
We added risotto with asparagus to our list and were so glad we did. After those three plates we decided to have just one more. Our server recommended the razor clams which were fresh, buttery, garlicky, and delicious.
Great wine, great ambiance, great food. Definitely go to Freddy’s if you need a no reservations Paris restaurant!
Frenchie Bar a Vins:
Frenchie Bar a Vins is the casual, cheaper, no reservations required, little sister of Gregory Marchand’s restaurant Frenchie. Getting a reservation at the main restaurant is a tricky proposition, but you can walk right in to the wine bar…that is if you get there early enough!
There can be long lines if you go at peak hours and the place is a tad loud and crowded and chaotic. But the food is worth it!
Mr. Marchand has been quoted as saying that he wanted this to be a more spontaneous eatery and I think it delivers.
It has small plates of interesting and innovative, yet somehow classic French food as well as a wide variety of wine by the glass. Be prepared to wait and be prepared to have to flag down one of the servers. Once you succeed in attracting their attention the servers are friendly and helpful.
I have never eaten at the main restaurant, but one of the guests seated near us declared that the food at the wine bar was just as good as the food at the restaurant for a fraction of the price!
Everything is beautifully presented and just tastes SO good!
52 Faubourg Saint Denis:
Not only does this place not take reservations, it doesn’t even have a phone!
This is an attractive Paris restaurant with amazing high end food at a great value. The industrial and minimalist vibe with exposed brick and concrete might give you the impression that you are in some sort of hipster hangout…and you probably are…but the food makes it all worth it!
The menu changes fairly often and it tends toward small, beautifully plated portions.
It is a creative blend of classic and modern French food. Everything we tried was excellent. A huge bonus is the welcoming and helpful wait staff who were willing to translate anything on the menu that we didn’t understand.
The menu is small with only about 3 or 4 choices per course which I tend to like when I am in a country where I don’t speak the language well. It makes it easier to make a decision.
We were the only English speakers in the restaurant when we dined there which made us feel that we were in a true locals place.
Treize au Jardin
The first time we visited this restaurant it was just called Treize and was tucked away in a little corner of St. Germaine. It is now named Treize au Jardin and has moved to larger digs with pretty views near Luxembourg Gardens.
One of the restaurant owners is American from South Carolina. She offers some southern plates at Treize which you might appreciate if you are a southern-American tourist missing a taste of home.
The place is warm and cozy and so friendly. The food is delicious and if you, like us, are from one of the southern states of the US it will feel familiar! Â
We first visited this restaurant as a stopping place on a Paris by Mouth food tour. Although we were trying other food at the time, the menu at Treize sounded so good that we decided to go back the next day for brunch.
They have fluffy biscuits as well as nut encrusted “not fried chicken.” Of course there are plenty of French options as well as something for the vegetarians in your group. It’s all so good, y’all!
This is a fun and sweet and slightly girly restaurant that is open for breakfast or lunch. Sometimes you need a little touch of home when you are traveling and Treize provided that for us! This is a fun option for a Paris restaurant that doesn’t require reservations!
Le Relais de L’entrecote:
Read this map. Decipher that street sign. Am I getting on the right bus? What is that person saying to me? Am I being culturally sensitive? What the heck did I just order to eat?
Sometimes the constant questions of travel can wear you out!
Le Relais de L’entrecote is more than great no reservations required Paris restaurant. It is an even better place to go when you are exhausted from making all the decisions that traveling requires.
Why?
Because not only do they not require reservations, they don’t have a menu. The only question you have to answer is, “How do you want your steak cooked?”
Answer that and your garden salad will arrive followed by steak (with a great sauce) and fries.
Yes, that’s all they serve. One meal that they do really well.
There will most likely be a line when you arrive, but don’t worry, it moves quickly. Just as I finished my meal of steak and fries a second portion was put on my plate.
The food will keep coming as long as you keep eating. In case you were wondering, I did decline a third portion.
There is a wine menu and a dessert menu so I guess you DO have to make a couple of decisions. We didn’t have dessert but all the ones we saw looked delectable.
There are several locations throughout the city for whenever a steak and frites craving hits you.
Candelaria:
We had been in France for almost two weeks by the time we ate at Candelaria. At home we eat Mexican food at least once a week. At least. After two weeks of Mexican food abstinence our cravings had become intense.
I had read about Candelaria and we decided to give it a try. So, yes, on our last day in Paris we ate at a Mexican food place thank you very much.
This taqueria is tiny and delicious. The food is not as spicy as what you are used to if you eat Mexican food regularly in the states, but I agree with the Paris by Mouth assessment that it is “mercifully un-Frenchified.”
The food here was the real deal! The margaritas were pretty good, too.
The taqueria does not take reservations, but there is a bar located at the back of the restaurant through a somewhat hidden door (like a speakeasy) that is one of the highest rated in Paris which does take reservations.
L’As Du Fallafel:
Do not fear the line at L’as Du Fallafel! It moves quickly and your reward is some amazing falafel. Maybe the best I’ve ever had!
The shawarma is also excellent and definitely give their homemade lemonade a try with your meal.
This is a great place to have a quick bite when you are in the Marais. The service is nice and the place is plain and simple, but the food is wonderful.
Great for lunch or a super casual dinner.
Le Creperie de Josselin
Le Creperie de Josselin is a bustling place serving authentic crepes in the Montparnasse area. This is a restaurant that feels very French. It is small with dark wood walls. The tables are very close together and the room has potential to feel a bit claustrophobic…but somehow this just all adds to the atmosphere.
There is typically a long line, but it moves fairly quickly. Service is friendly and prompt. We both had a savory crepe. I had the Josselin which was delicious.
We were too full after our savory crepes to get a sweet one! However, I have been told that the savory crepes are better here anyway. I think I need to go back and decide for myself!
Ober Mamma:
Craving some Italian food while in Paris? Ober Mamma is the place to go! They actually have now started taking reservations but on their website they say that you can still walk in.
After putting your name on a list for a table you can relax with one of their wonderful cocktails (they have an extensive cocktail menu) at the bar and the wait will magically disappear.
Even when in France you never want to deny a pizza craving. And what pizza this is! You will feel like you are in Naples. It is cooked on a wood burning stove just like in Italy which, according to the Ober Mamma website, is very rare to find in Paris.
Hint: Get the truffle pizza. I don’t need to say more.
We didn’t try the pasta although I ogled all the dishes coming out of the open kitchen and everything looked wonderful. This place is cheerful and charming and a bit chaotic in a very good way. It is a happy Paris restaurant with great food!
Clamato:
Clamato’s sophisticated sister restaurant Septime gets all the hype, but it is almost impossible to get a reservation there! Fortunately the casual, friendly and understated Clamato is right next door and this is one of the best Paris seafood restaurants that don’t require reservations.
Yes, that’s right, you can have delicious seafood in Paris without a reservation. Although you might have a long wait so do be prepared for that!
Now I know Clamato is the name of a tomato juice that you can buy here in the states at Wal-Mart, but don’t let that put you off.
Clamato is a pleasant place with excellent small plates of seafood. Everything is fresh and innovative and prepared in such a way that the seafood remains the star of the show. It is fun to sit at the bar and watch the chefs at work and the staff is helpful.
The menu changes frequently. Â If they have the maple tart for dessert, don’t hesitate! Order it. It is heavenly!
Holybelly:
This place is definitely NOT a secret. Holybelly is very popular for weekend brunch and the wait for a table can be long. Try it instead on a weekday and either right at opening or for a late breakfast/early lunch.
The good news is that Holybelly is popular for good reason. They serve a wonderful breakfast!
The decor has a clean modern feel with plenty of light. The seating is close but comfortable. The service is pleasant and helpful.
I don’t drink coffee, but according to my husband his cup of coffee was one of the best he had while in France. Their pancakes are true American style fluffy pancakes, not crepes.
They also have egg dishes, bacon, and sausage if you happen to be craving some protein in the morning instead of the typical French starter of carbs and coffee.
Bonus: Semilla:
This is a bit of a cheat because Semilla actually does take reservations and I’m sure that you would need one for dinner or on a weekend, but we walked right in for a late lunch so it might be worth a try!
It is an excellent restaurant right next door to Freddy’s mentioned above with the same owners.
Semilla was wonderful! It had a  different atmosphere than Freddy’s, still fairly casual, but definitely a sit down, more comfortable place.
Our starter was a trio of a zucchini croquette, parsley couscous, as well as a cold broth. I had pesto pasta for my main course and my husband had steak and mashed potatoes and it was all done to perfection and much more special than it sounds.
Great wine list and wine recommendations as well.
Picnic Along the Seine
Oh, and one more way to have a meal in Paris with no reservations would be to create your own picnic by grabbing a baguette from a local bakery, some cured meats from the charcuterie, some cheese from the nearest fromagerie, a bottle of something delicious from a wine store and then have a picnic  and along the Seine!
The perfect French experience.
Want to know a little more about French wine to go with your picnic? Check out this post.
A few notes about French Restaurants:
Remember that French restaurants typically have very specific hours and days that they are closed. A couple of the ones on this list are only open for breakfast and lunch.
Many Paris restaurants are closed on either Sunday or Monday so be sure and check before you decide to go!
Let me know in the comments if you have any other suggestions for great Paris restaurants that don’t require a reservation.
Hope you enjoy some of these Paris restaurants that don’t require reservations!
Take a look at this post to see our full 2 week itinerary in France!
Bon Appetite and thanks for stopping by!
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