100 (sans) Tabac

The New York Times has an article today about non-smoking restaurants in Paris. Most restaurants in France (not just Paris) are adamantly smoke-friendly. Sometimes you can find a non-smoking section, but it's often separated from the rest of the dining room by a shoulder-height partition. Nothing that flimsy stands up to a couple of Gauloise-smokers at the bar. Or worse, the non-smoking section is upstairs, or in the back next to the kitchen and WC, or something. Because non-smokers are by definition, tourists and not Parisians.

The article seems to include a bunch of restaurants and salons de thé that are a wee bit beyond my budget, but I'm saving the list for a future splurge-worthy occasion; I don't have many smoker friends and even those who do seem to be able to hold back during dinner. There are also websites to find further restaurants- in all price ranges, presumably.

The title of this post comes from the delightful "Café 100 Tabac" behind the Opéra in Lyon. It has a short menu and simple food, and would be a great place to take your visiting family or friends on a rainy night even if it were smoky!