Dining in France · practical guide
Read restaurant opening hours: OSM notation, exceptions and kitchen service
Precise-looking hours can leave important questions unanswered: is the kitchen serving, is the terrace available and does the date have an exception?
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The essentials
OSM hours are contributor-declared information, usually describing venue opening. Read days, periods and exceptions, then confirm the particular service through the venue, especially late, on Sundays or on public holidays.
- Mo to Su are Monday to Sunday.
- A comma can separate daily periods.
- PH refers to public holidays.
- An open room does not guarantee food orders.
Decode days and periods
Mo, Tu, We, Th, Fr, Sa and Su stand for the weekdays. Tu-Sa 18:00-24:00 describes an opening period from Tuesday to Saturday, six in the evening to midnight. It does not state when the kitchen stops.
A comma can separate lunchtime and evening periods; a semicolon often separates rules. More complex strings may contain other conditions. The directory keeps the original notation when simplifying it would risk changing its meaning.
- Exact visit day
- Lunch or dinner period
- Arrival and ordering time
Read exceptions and source dates
PH refers to public holidays, so PH off records a closure on them. Holidays, seasonality, private events and works may still be absent. Our OSM snapshot date records consultation of the source, rather than a venue confirmation.
Missing hours do not mean closed, and recorded hours may be outdated. For an important visit or long journey, a current announcement and direct enquiry are more useful than several directories repeating the same data.
- Holiday date
- Seasonal closure
- Private event
- Recent venue announcement
Separate room, kitchen and booking times
A restaurant may open before food service and remain open afterwards. A bar may stop serving plates before closing. Ask about the last complete food order and available dishes. For an early lunch, establish when food service begins.
A permitted booking arrival can differ from closing time. Call about a delay: a confirmed table does not guarantee a food order after the kitchen has finished. Ask until when a complete meal can be ordered on the exact day.
Confirm other practical fields
OSM service information is attached only when the object’s identity remains coherent with the catalogue. An absent field is unknown. Official supplements are shown with their own origin and date.
Check seasonal terrace use, the route to the table and toilets, delivery coverage and collection channels for your date. A single service label cannot confirm all these conditions.
- Required service
- Exact entrance
- Access arrangement
- Verified contact
Common questions
What does PH mean?
Public holidays. Confirm the associated rule for the precise date.
Does midnight mean meals are served until midnight?
No. Ask for the last kitchen order and available menu.
Why can the venue’s site differ from OSM?
Contributor data may lag behind a change. The source and date are shown; ask the venue for an immediate decision.
Does missing opening information mean closed?
No. It means this usable field is unavailable in the directory.
Use these criteria for your visit
This guide concerns dining in France. Current availability, menus and accepted requirements must be confirmed with the venue. A missing directory field remains unknown.
Official references
Sources consulted on 10 October 2026. They describe the French context; this translation does not make the rules applicable in another country.
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