Café des Tuileries — Restaurant in Paris

Disgusting attitude from the staff who are obsessed with gatekeeping their precious toilet to such an extent that they need proof of existing order before letting you use it. Being desperate for the bathroom, I chose this location and intended to sit down with my partner and have a coffee, but needed the loo first. Upon entering the premises I was bodily stopped by two staff and interrogated on which table I was sitting at and told to “go sit and order” before I could use the bathroom. I explained I needed it urgently and would order after I came back, but was rudely refused with such attitude as if I was trying to steal a firstborn rather than asking to change the proposed sequence of actions. Accepting the position given the situation was urgent I asked my partner to sit and order so that I could go, the waiter gestured to the front of house that the order has been placed and I was now going to be directed to the restroom. The staff kept interrogating me as to “where I was” and their non-existent English in an allegedly attractive tourist venue prevented them from understanding that my partner was ordering on my behalf. At which point she became so rude and disgusting that I had to inform her of the same. The I was told that I would not be served because I was rude. In fairness though, it’s against my principles to subsidise ignorance and B-word attitude, so I took my business elsewhere.

Avoid at all costs, unless you like being treated...

The café seems to lure customers with its seating arrangement and interior design. But their customer service doesn’t live up to the appearance. When we were passing by, we decided to stop for lunch… Oh boy, that was a disaster!

We waited patiently at the entrance for someone to check table availability. Eventually, a hostess appeared. But instead of a warm greeting, we were met with questions about whether we wanted to eat or just have drinks (since apparently only those ordering food can sit inside 🤔). Fine, we passed this test by confirming we planned to have lunch, and were then shown to our table inside.

But no waiter came by to offer drinks or answer questions about the menu. After some time, I spotted the same hostess who had “greeted” us. I signaled her over and asked whether they only had one menu. She seemed amused by the question, gave a short “Yes,” and quickly walked away. No follow-up on what we wanted to order, or even why I had asked. We had a child with us, and I was actually wondering if they had a kids’ menu.

After she left, we spent another 5 minutes waiting for a waiter who never came. At that point, we got up and decided to eat somewhere else. Running into the same hostess (who looked surprised to see us leaving) was, ironically, the most amusing part of our visit.

PS – Looks like we’re not the only ones who’ve had the “cold shower” experience with their customer...

Came with another person and ordered two items (one lunch menu item, and a dessert, which cost just as much as a lunch menu item). Both items were expensive (20 to 30 euro range), so it wasn't like we were trying to skimp on paying. Server came back and said the manager didn't allow us to only order one main lunch entree item. Must order two main lunch entrees.

I don't believe in this kind of restriction on what customers can and cannot order, esp when we are ordering something for each person at the table already. The restaurant manager shouldn't have to "approve" of my food choice.

Ended up ordering a croquet madam sandwich which turned out to be very very dry. The type of bread used for the sandwich seemed like odd choice. The french onion soup was ok, though leaned towards the salty side. ( Dipped some of the croque madam sandwich in the soup because it was so dry). The cappacino was extremely small for 7 Euros. Entire meal costed 40euros with extremely small portions. Was still hungry after eating the food. Had their service been better we would have ordered more, but we were already put off by their general attitude.

Also, with the prices they're charging, you would expect their service and amenities at the place would be decent. The female bathroom was completely out of toilet paper, not even close to the end of the day.

Take your business elsewhere and don't support...