The essential guide to French lunch

Lunch is the most important meal of the day for most French people. In addition to the food that’s served, a typical, traditional French lunch is a whole experience, all about taking one’s time (at a set time of day) to savor what’s on the table. That said, there are exceptions.

If you come to France and want to have lunch the way the French do (or end up having to), there are a few things you’ll need to know. Here are the essential facts about lunch in France, from what people really eat to how long it takes.

In France, lunch is considered the most important meal of the day. 

The French generally eat three meals a day: breakfast (le petit déjeuner), lunch (le déjeuner), and dinner (le dîner). Children will usually also have an afternoon snack (le goûter), but snacking is generally frowned upon for adults (alas!).

Breakfast is served in the morning, usually well before noon. Lunch, as we’ll see in the next part of our list, is almost always, without exception, served at either noon or 1 pm. Dinner in France is usually served later than for some other cultures, with dinnertime typically falling between 7pm and 8:30 pm, possibly even a bit later. So lunch has to keep you full for a long time!

That’s one of the reasons why lunch is considered so important in France. Without being able to rely on tea or a snack later in the day, French people have to make sure they’ve eaten something filling, which often means a multi-course meal, or maybe a single course that’s a bit heavier than what might be eaten at other meals.

In France, lunch is almost always served at noon or 1pm. 

Strictness around meals and manners is a part of French culture. Add to this a more sinister side: the French often adhere to set mealtime hours and discourage (often downright condemn) eating or snacking outside those hours, in part because of fatphobia. Many French people believe that disorganized eating contributes to weight gain. Not all French people are fatphobic, nor are all French people thin. But as a general rule, being overweight is often seen as a sign of being unable to control yourself, even though in truth, there are lots of reasons why some people aren’t thin, of course.

For all of these reasons, the lunchtime hour is so well established in France that you’ll sometimes hear lunch-related things referred to as (de) midi ( (of) noon). A typical example is the fixed price lunch menu served in many French restaurants, which is often referred to as un menu midi. You’ll also hear the lunch break (la pause déjeuner) called la pause de midi (literally “the noon break”).

There are some exceptions to this strict lunch hour rule. For instance, some people’s jobs might not allow them to take a break at this time. Or in places with cafeterias (cantines), lunch might be eaten in shifts and have to start slightly earlier or later. For instance, at my son’s French public (state) school, one group of classes is served lunch at 11:30 instead of noon. Or maybe someone is just running late or traveling and unable to adhere to the usual lunchtime rule.

French lunchtime can be long. 

Many cultures have special family lunches or holiday meals that take a long time. But for a lot of French people, even an average, everyday lunch is a long affair. In the work world, French law only requires that employers provide a 20-minute lunch break for employees, but for many professions, especially government and white collar workers, lunch breaks will take at least an hour or so – and in some cases, going a bit over this time might be overlooked.

A recent survey found that the average lunch break in France was 50 minutes long. This doesn’t count lunch breaks that can’t be monitored and thus might be even longer – for instance, those taken by many people who work from home, who don’t work, who have jobs that involve travel, etc.

Some French people use all or part of their long  lunch break for other activities, like going for a walk, running an errand, or even going to the gym. This of course depends on a person’s workplace and workload.

French people who are retired also tend to linger over lunch, as well, often enjoying a traditional French lunch with multiple courses.

But again, there are always exceptions. Some people’s jobs may not allow them to take a long lunch break, or, if they work from home or don’t work, they simply may choose to have a quick bite to eat rather than linger.

Alcohol is usually served during a French lunch. 

Whether at home or on the job, it’s not unusual for a French person to have a drink or two at lunch. The idea is never to get drunk – it’s simply to have the freedom to enjoy a nice glass of wine (or sometimes a beer) with a meal.

…That said, on occasion people may indulge a little too much, especially if they’re celebrating something. Traditionally, French people who are retiring or changing jobs will have un pot de départ (goodbye drinks or meal) in their honor. This usually involves colleagues eating out at a restaurant, where drinks will be served and consumed with a bit more glee than usual.

If you don’t drink, though, don’t worry: French people never pressure others to drink.

A traditional French lunch includes several courses…

For some French people, lunch at home might be a large, traditional meal that starts with an apéro (snacks and drinks), followed by a starter course (entrée) (for instance, pâté, soup, or a salad), then a main course, followed by cheese, fruits, and possibly dessert. Coffee (for those who want it) usually closes out the meal.

You can find similarly structured lunches at traditional French restaurants and cafés (although usually the portions will be a bit lighter).

So for instance, a typical traditional French lunch menu might look like this:

– Entrée (starter): pâté served with bread

– Plat (main course): poulet frites (roast chicken with French fries – currently the French’s favorite dish, according to a recent survey). This may be accompanied by a salad or small side portions of vegetables.

– Dessert – This could be anything from cheese, fruit, or yogurt, to a pastry — or sometimes even all of them, one after the other.

– Café (coffee)

Note that many French people might also serve cheese as a separate course after the main course and before dessert.

You may also see salad served as a starter or second starter or after the main course.

Typical French lunch drink choices include wine and water.

…but not all French lunches are the same

But many French people will opt instead for a simple, one-course meal (at home or at a restaurant), takeaway from a restaurant or a fast food place, or even a prepackaged sandwich bought at a grocery store. This latter is a typical option for budget-conscious people, people who can’t cook or don’t want to, or people who are en route to somewhere (for instance, if you’re taking a train during lunch hours).

French kids don’t bring lunch to school. 

Unlike the rules in some other countries, French school lunch is all or nothing. In most French public (state) schools, kids can either be signed up to eat in the cafeteria (cantine) or go home for a homemade lunch. But they don’t bring lunch with them from home. Kids who go home to eat will have plenty of time to do this, since the school lunch and activity break (and thus the teachers’ lunch break) lasts two hours.

One thing I love about lunch in French public schools is that families pay for their kids’ meals based on their salary, rather than a flat fee. So even children from families with a very low or no income are still able to have a good, healthy meal at lunchtime.

The meal itself is another thing I like about French school food. Although some French parents will complain, meals are good quality (well, at least as far as I, an American who grew up on questionable quality meat and tater tots in my cafeteria, am concerned), and often feature organic dishes. Each meal is generally made up of a main dish, sides, a dairy product (typically yogurt or cheese) and a healthy dessert (or sometimes a little bit of a treat, like a piece of cake). French school lunches are seen as an opportunity for children to discover different foods, including many French cultural staples (although menus have gotten more diverse in recent years), and also to learn table manners and how to properly use silverware and glasses; as early as la maternelle (preschool/nursery school), French kids use real utensils, not plastic or wood.

French lunch vocabulary

Here are a few words you should know when it comes to talking about lunch in France.

Note that these words are translated based on lunch in France. Other French-speaking countries or regions may have different terms for lunch and lunch-related vocabulary.

le déjeuner – lunch. Ex: On a mangé du poulet pour le déjeuner. (We ate/had chicken for lunch.)

déjeuner (verb) – to eat (usually lunch). Ex: On déjeune toujours à midi. (We always eat lunch at noon.) Note that in some other French-speaking countries, as well as occasionally in France itself, this verb can mean “to eat breakfast” instead. So if someone asks you in the morning, As-tu déjà déjeuné ?, they want to know if you’ve had breakfast yet.

l’heure du déjeuner  – lunchtime Ex: C’est l’heure du déjeuner ! (It’s time to eat lunch!/It’s lunchtime!)

la pause déjeuner/la pause du déjeuner – lunch break. Ex: Je fais ma pause déjeuner à midi. (I take my lunch break at noon.)

la pause déj’ – a short, informal way to say “lunch break”, very common in informal everyday spoken French. Ex: -Tu as vu Thomas? -Il est parti en pause déj’. (“Have you seen Thomas?” “He’s out to lunch./On his lunch break.”)

la pause de midi – another way to say “lunch break”. This term literally translates to “the noon break”, showing how closely associated French lunch is with noon.

un menu midi – a fixed price lunch menu.

Are there exceptions to these French lunch rules?

When it comes to cultural norms, there are always exceptions. And if you come to France and want to eat lunch your way, that’s fine – as long as you don’t get upset if restaurants in small towns are closed outside traditional French lunch hours, or that many of your French friends might not like your unusual schedule.

But I’ll let you in on a little secret: Because of our current work schedules, my French husband and I usually don’t eat lunch until around 2pm, a scandalous admission for most French people. But it suits us and makes sense. That said, if we weren’t eating at home, it would be more complicated.

If you come to France, you may find that French lunch rules impact you in some way – for instance, a business or shop you need to go to might be closed between 12 and 2pm, or you may not be able to have lunch at a French restaurant earlier than 12 or later than 1:30 or 2pm (although there are some exceptions to this, especially in large cities). But you’ll most likely still be able to eat. You may just have to take advantage of different options.

For example, if you still want a somewhat traditional French experience, go to a boulangerie and see if you can get a freshly made sandwich on a baguette. These are usually available fairly early in the day until the bakery closes. You can also rely on grocery stores and fast food chains for a meal.

But if you’re spending time with French people, be mindful that most of them (especially if they’re from an older generation) will probably expect to eat lunch at the usual time, no matter where you are or what you’re doing.

How can I learn more about lunch in France?

Now you know the essential facts about French lunch. A good way to gain more insights is to read, watch, and listen to things in French. Lunch — and meals in general — will often come up in different ways, including mealtime scenes, food preparation, and more.

If you want to feel more confident about ordering food in French, or just about having a good lunchtime conversation in general, the French Together app features conversation practice in everyday French, including typical situations revolving around meals and food.

And if reading about French lunch has gotten you hungry, why not try making  a traditional French meal? You can do an online search for traditional French recipes in your own language or in French, by using a term like “recettes déjeuner” for an extra challenge!

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I hope this article has satisfied your hunger for knowledge about French lunch. If it’s almost lunchtime where you are, Bon appétit !