Lightness of being at the 58 Tour Eiffel restaurant
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A restaurant with distinct styling
Go to one of the Eiffel tower’s restaurants, 58 Tour Eiffel, to see the style and design of a well known Parisian designer. Buy your ticket on line and save yourself a possible one and a half hours waiting in line.
On this second visit to the restaurant 58 Tour Eiffel, I want to feel the ambiance of Patrick Jouin‘s design and style as well as enjoy the restaurant’s picnic-in-a-basket lunch. Around Paris, you see the works of Mr. Jouin either on the street with the Velib’ bicycles or the “sanisettes” (public toilets) or in the design of the shoe department at Galeries Lafayette.
Renovated in 2009, everything in the two restaurants (the le Jules Verne and 58) of the Eiffel Tower relate to the tower’s structure. I want to pay more attention to the design of 58’s chairs, the menu, the place setting, the lamps, the colors, and the symbols on the tiles and bathroom doors.
Picking up the picnic basket
When you are welcomed into the 58 Tour Eiffel and shown to your table, your brightly colored menu explains the procedure. In sum, you follow the instructions. Your picnic basket contains your cold items; your server delivers your drink and hot main course and your bill once you ask for it. For details visit their site, click on “Discover” , and find answers to their “Service”, “Cuisine”, and “Practical information”, plus videos of the experience.
Check the 58Tour Eiffel site for current lunch, dinner and Bastille Day menu prices. The three-course children’s menu includes a cold starter (perhaps ratatouille), pasta (perhaps macaroni with either butter, tomato sauce or parmesan) and a yummy dessert (could be praline and chocolate cake). The children can also order à la carte if they would like hamburger and fries. The adult and child menus are seasonal and change in April and October.
The Eiffel Tower’s first paint job and the restaurant
The tower’s first coat of paint in 1889 was red iron ocher. You find this contrasting copper color set against the rich chocolate color of the décor in the napkins, on the cover of the menu and on doors. The tiles below the kitchen counter are fish and plants taken from nineteenth century dictionary illustrations – timely for the building of the Eiffel Tower.
Light travels through the hairnet steel Gustave chairs and through the large windows. This gives the atmosphere of the restaurant a certain lightness that contrasts beautifully with the lightness of the food.
The interior design of the 58 is the work of Patrick Jouin (also the Jules Verne restaurant designer) and Pierre Tachon in collaboration with the famous chef, Alain Ducasse. Nothing is left to chance. Weight is very important in the tower; everything must be light. Even the food is prepared below ground; the chickens are emptied, the vegetables washed and peeled.
Passing the time after lunch
Life at 58Tour Eiffel moves smoothly between the meal times. Lunch is over at 58Tour Eiffel around 5:30 p.m. The ambiance is already changing by 3:30 p.m. One of the waitresses and the maitre’d are conducting the changeover from lunch to dinner. They have been through several restaurant and theme changes over the years on this very floor; when it was “La Belle France”, “Le Parisien”, “Altitude 95”. The music is changing tonight as every night from modern to lounge, the tables are set with wine goblets, the lighting will be subtle enough to avoid reflection on the glass.
After lunch, as we are ready to leave, when suddenly I notice my emptied water glass. It has a deep inward projecting curve on the bottom. What part of the tower is represented in this glass?
Parts of the tower’s structure run visibly through the restaurant. Our table is located next to the window on the second floor of the 58, with a view directly in front of les Jardins du Trocadéro. I look up and see the beams; I look down at the balustrade and walkway below — but the hints about this glass shape are hidden from view.
As we leave the 58 looking for the stairway down, I hear tapping from above. Every seven years, the Eiffel Tower is refurbished, scraped, pounded and painted. Looking up I see four workers attached by ropes to the East pillar of the tower. They are tapping away the rusty spots and the old crusty paint pieces with their multilayer of colors from the past, which are falling to the ground.
The sun is shining, I look to the South pillar and there, shining brightly in the sunshine against a cloudless sky are hundreds of curves that resemble the bottom of my water glass. Coincidence or reality? In my mind, I have solved the mystery!
Fast track to the restaurant
When you reserve a dinner at the 58 you receive an email confirmation from the restaurant. For lunch at the 58, you can reserve if you are a group of more than ten adults. They always have room at lunch since it is a buffet system and they can handle up to 250 people between 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Individuals or groups under ten people cannot buy the reduced price tickets or use the special elevator. Speak to the agent in the kiosk on how to proceed to the special elevator entrance marked with flags for the restaurants. Only the restaurant, Jules Verne, has its own elevator.
Frequent Eiffel Tower Questions
RESTAURANT 58 TOUR EIFFEL
(Handicap accessible)
Tour Eiffel
Esplanade du Champs de Mars
75007 PARIS Telephone:
+33 1 72 76 18 46
Check their website for the latest twinkling and opening times during different seasons of the year.
© 2011 Colleensparis.com
Your hotel and apartment reservation is a contribution to my website maintenance Thanks
21 Comments
Colleen's Paris
Yes, the 58 Tour Eiffel does have a children’s seasonal lunch menu and a seasonal evening menu. Their video shows a small child with a hamburger and fries; this is an à la carte alternative. Currently, the children’s lunch menu is 13 euros and the dinner menu is 19 euros.
Also I posted on my Colleen’s Paris Facebook Page the following information about the elevator situation:
Nicole
I am interested in making a dinner reservation at Restaurant 58 and it seems that we still must purchase a ticket to go up to the restaurant or higher. Do you know if we should purchase them online or wait until that day. They have an elevator down currently and wait queues are hours long from what I have read. Obviously I don’t want to have to wait for an hour or more to have dinner . Also, do they have a children’s menu, or one that is priced accordingly for children?
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Colleen's Paris
Hi Jpopper7, This is news to me about paying — The communications and media contact said that those having a reservation may use the “restaurant” line. In the past, the person manning the kiosk has told me that lunch diners may also access this line. It is true that lunch diners may not make a reservation. However, I have been told numerous times, that when someone is going to lunch at 58 Tour Eiffel, the kiosk person calls ahead, tells them you are on the way up and they prepare a table for you. I have just sent an email asking for verification again for the elevator. I also asked how much if it is necessary to buy a ticket. As soon as I hear back, I will let you know. Colleen
JR
Dear Colleen
I have dinner reservations at 58 Tour Eiffel in September, but would like to settle this question once and for all: Is the express restaurant line to the public elevator free of charge? Even though you have replied on several occasions that it is free of charge for restaurant patrons with reservations (ie by approaching the kiosk marked “restaurant”), I have read on any number of blogs (both English and French – including 58’s own website) that there will be a charge to go up the first floor (ie where 58 is located) and that you must pay for the tickets that allow you to queue on the express line. In fact, the only point in dispute appears to be whether the lift ticket will be 9 Euros or 4.50 Euros per person. Can you confirm please?
Colleen's Paris
Hi “dhummy”, Based on emails exchanged with the Eiffel Tower, no mention has been made about time restrictions with a reservation. As mentioned in my posts, you can buy your ticket for the additional levels once you are inside the Eiffel Tower (at last check: five euros). You can go up and down as often as you like while in the tower without returning to the base. 58Tour Eiffel; Pop the Cork; Frequently Asked Questions. I hope this message reaches you in time. I have just returned from a month in Indonesia (questions? ask me). Colleen
Don
Hi Colleen,
My wife and I have reservations for the second seating (9pm) at 58tourEiffel. We wanted to go up to the summit but the online tickets from 6pm to 9pm are sold out. Is it possible to take the restaurant lift several hours before our reservation? If so, can we descend from the summit to the restaurant or do we have to go all the way back down to the base?
Thanks!
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Colleen's Paris
Danielle, I was just reviewing my mail and comments, to which I thought I had replied. It seems not. My deepest apologies!!! I did hear from the Eiffel Tower who confirmed that you do not need to buy lift tickets to go the 58 Tour Eiffel Restaurant, especially if you have a reservation. When you reach the Eiffel Tower, go to the kiosk next to the ATM machines and sign in. Colleen
Danielle
Our lunch reservations were confirmed for 24 people and the deposit paid. We went to order our lift tickets on line (2 weeks in advance) and there aren’t any tickets available for that date at any time therefore we stand to lose our deposit. Any suggestions?
Danielle
I have lunch reservations for 58 Tour Eiffel for a party of 25. Do I need to go to the Restaurant Kiosk with the all the guests & check in? Do I purchase tickets at thr kiosk or on-line? I have seen so many discrepancies whether I pay or don’t pay for just dining in the restaurant. Most information is geared towards dinner reservations and no information on the procedures for lunch reservations for a large group.
Colleen's Paris
Hi Natalie, No you do not need to purchase a lift ticket. If you have a dinner reservation (they do not take them for lunch unless you have a large party), go to the kiosk marked “Restaurant” next to the ATM machines. If you are coming for lunch, speak to the attendant at the kiosk for instructions. Proceed to the the flags marked “Restaurant” and a special entry to the elevator. There is no charge. If you would like to continue to the top of the Eiffel Tower, it costs around 5 euros and you can buy your ticket on the second level (same as the 58Tour Eiffel restaurant). I hope this helps. Colleen
Natalie
Hi colleen
If I make a reservation at 58 Tour for dinner do I need to purchase a lift ticket to get to the restaurant? Can I also explore higher levels either before or after dinner? Do I need to go back down to the ticket office and purchase another ticket to the summit or can I proceed from the restaurant?
Colleen's Paris
Hi Randi, I called and double checked with the restaurant. You are correct, 58 does not take reservations for lunch, only dinner. The buffet/picnic lunch seating accommodates over 200 people and they have not encountered any problem. A view by the windows is, of course, the best. The restaurant does not have an exclusive elevator. When you speak to the attendant on the ground level, tell her that you are going to 58 Tour Eiffel, she takes your name and calls the restaurant to say you are on your way and how many in the party. Then proceed to the special entry marked “Restaurant”. Please let me know of your experiences. Colleen
Randi J
Hi – I was happy to see that you mention going to the 58 Tour as part of seeing the Tower. I called today and it seemed based on the recording, that they do not take reservations for lunch. Is this true? If they do – can I just buy a regular eifel tower ticket online and then proceed to the restaurant line to enter?
merci!
Colleen's Paris
Hi Alexandra! I have been to the top! Went there yesterday and have now written an article on the subject. You can either buy your ticket to the top at the ticket office (or online) or just buy a ticket to the second level. If you decide then to go up to the summit, a ticket office is on the second level and you can buy your ticket for five euros.
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Colleen's Paris
Hi Alexandra,
Thanks for the heads-up on the champagne bar! I’m dizzy just thinking about it! I have contacted the Eiffel Tower and will give you specific information when I hear back. In the meantime, did you know that Eiffel Tower has a terrace open all summer? Colleen
Alexandra
Colleen,
many thanks for Le 58 restaurant article.
Have you or someone you know been to the champagne bar at the top? Do you just purchase a ticket to the top?
merci bien,
Alexandra
Colleen's Paris
Hi! That is correct. If you are planning on dining at the 58Tour Eiffel, you make a reservation. Tell the person at the kiosk you have a reservation. They will tell you how to proceed to the special elevator entrance.
Don
Regards 58. It looks like you cannot online prebook “restaurant only” lift tickets … only general lift tickets which are a bit more expensive .. is that correct? Presumaby you need to buy a resturant only lift ticket on the day? It doesnt make any of this clear on the 58 restaurant website