Dining Out Before the Restaurant

A look at how Parisians dined out before the restaurant first appeared in 1767, going from taverns and inns to cabarets, traiteurs and tables d’hote. Despite a common myth that, before the restaurant, one was either obliged to eat at a communal table, with no choice of individual dishes, or have roasts in taverns, there is a long and documented history of people dining in various places in Paris, often select and favored places, and of varied and flavorful offerings, at least as early as the sixteenth century. This survey begins with what we know of public dining starting in the thirteenth century and traces the appearance of varied and even sophisticated options long before the term “restaurant” was applied to an eatery.

See the video “Bouillon, Brasseries and Bistros” for the next part of this history.

Based on a chapter in the book “A History of the Food of Paris: From Roast Mammoth to Steak Frites”. For more, visit parisfoodhistory.com.