You dined in France all wrong! French chef and hotelier reveal how to spot a tourist restaurant and why getting BUTTER is a bad sign

Sacred blue!

You went out for dinner in France all wrong.

But don’t worry. MailOnline Travel caught up with French chef Justine Bordet from London Cord from Le Cordon Bleuand Didier Agueh, artistic director of the French brand and executive host at Park Plaza Hotelsto find out exactly how to eat out in France.

Here they share clues that you’re in a tourist restaurant, the top mistake when ordering steaks — and why receiving butter with your bread at a French restaurant is a bad sign.

The worst faux pas

Ordering from the wrong menu

Didier says a “common mistake tourists make in France” is to “confuse the different types of menus.” He explains: ‘In France, the ‘menu’ usually refers to a set menu with everything on it.

‘If they want to choose just one dish, they need the ‘a la carte’ menu, which has a list of dishes that can be ordered separately, rather than together as part of a set menu.’

French food experts have shared the top mistakes tourists make when eating out in France. LEFT: Justine Bordet is senior sous chef at Cord by Le Cordon Bleu. RIGHT: Didier Agueh is the brand’s artistic director and executive host at Park Plaza Hotels

Although snails are considered ‘a novelty’ in France, Didier says they should be ‘cooked in garlic butter, parsley or thyme’ if tourists want to try them

Eating bread without proper etiquette

Although “it is normal to have bread on the table when you go out to eat, there are a number of habits that you should take into account when it comes to eating it,” says Didier.

He explains: ‘In France, the bread is meant to be enjoyed with the main course or to mop up the sauce at the end of the meal. For this reason you are rarely served butter with the bread; if they adhere to this custom, you know you are in an authentic French restaurant.’

Justine warns that tourists should never order crackers with cheese, because “in France cheese is eaten with bread.” However, she adds that in some regions of France, cheese is served with “semi-salted butter.”

Order snails

Didier says: ‘Snails are one of the first things that come to mind when you think of French food, but the truth is that they are considered something new rather than something that is commonly eaten. Many French people don’t eat them at all.’

Justine agrees, adding: ‘Tourists think the French spend their time eating snails, frog legs and foie gras, but it is exceptional and less common than it sounds.’

If you’re tempted to order snails, Didier explains: ‘They are best enjoyed cooked in garlic butter, parsley or thyme. If that’s not an option, go somewhere else!’

I’m not saying bonjour

Justine says tourists often make the mistake of “not saying ‘bonjour'” when entering a public place, such as a restaurant.

Didier explains that tourists should be clear whether they “like well-done steak” as it is usually served rare in France

I expect a well done steak

Didier warns: ‘The French like their steak rare, so keep this in mind when letting the waiter know how you like yours cooked. If you like your steak well done, it can be cooked medium rare, so always be clear and make sure the waiter knows you don’t like it, even if it is a little pink.”

How do you recognize a tourist restaurant?

Open all day

Didier says: ‘In France, fixed dining times are still adhered to and there is a good chance that authentic restaurants will stick to them. Lunch is served between 12:30 PM and 2:30 PM and dinner between 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM during all sittings. Eating early is not very French and restaurants that open before these times are probably designed to cater to tourists. If they open later for dinner, that’s a good sign that the French are dining there.”

Long menu

Justine says: ‘Certain restaurants seem traditional and authentic, but they are tourist traps. The longer a menu is and the more options it has, you should generally avoid it.”

The dishes you must try

Justine recommends trying bouillabaisse, a seafood stew, in southeastern France

Justine explains: ‘It all depends on the region and the season. France is truly vast and its gastronomy varies greatly from region to region.

‘Most French specialties are shared dishes. The French attach great importance to sitting down at the table and sharing a typical, well-prepared dish with friends or family.’

Although the chef says it’s “impossible to list all the delicious specialties in France,” she recommends a few regional dishes that tourists should add to their bucket lists.

Brittany – galette bretonne (a savory buckwheat pancake) and kouign-amann (a sweet, round pastry).

Bordeaux – la mouclade (steamed mussels served in a saffron sauce) and cannele (a rum-flavored pastry with a custard filling).

Southwest France – cassoulet (a meaty stew with sausage, pork and beans) and poulet Basquaise (chicken cooked in pepper sauce).

Southeast France/Provence – ratatouille (stewed vegetables), bouillabaisse (seafood stew) and l’aioli (garlic and olive oil sauce).

Auvergne – la truffade (a pancake made from thin potatoes and cheese) and l’aligot saucisse (mashed potatoes, melted cheese and sausage).

Drome – gratin dauphinois (potatoes fried in cream).

Savoy – la raclette (melted cheese) and la fondu savoyarde (cheese fondue).

Northeast France – la choucroute (sauerkraut and sausages) and la tarte flambee (pizza-like dough topped with cheese, bacon or mushrooms).

Justine also recommends trying ‘les cuisses de grenouille’ (frog legs), adding ‘don’t be afraid, the meat is very similar to poultry’.

According to Justine, tourists should also try boeuf bourguignon, French onion soup and French veal soup.