‘Never going back': Indian woman calls Eiffel Tower lunch her most ‘expensive' and ‘worst' meal

Mint

3 days ago

A dream lunch at the Eiffel Tower turned into a nightmare for one Indian woman, and her brutally honest review has sparked a debate online.
Ishwarya, who runs the YouTube travel page Make Travel Easy with her UK-based Tamil husband, Sakthivel, recently shared a video about her expensive yet underwhelming meal at Le Jules Verne, the two-Michelin-star restaurant perched on the second floor of the iconic Paris monument.
What was meant to be a luxurious foodie experience instead left her saying: 'The most expensive lunch of my life… and the worst. I'm never coming here again.'
In her video, Ishwarya didn't hold back. She described the bread served as so hard it was 'impossible to chew.' The cold starter earned just 2/10, the main dish scraped a 7/10, and the dessert, 'overloaded with cream', got a dismal 1/10.
Interestingly, she wasn't the only one disappointed. A senior tourist from New Zealand at the next table also struggled with the bread. When Ishwarya requested an alternative, the waiter simply shrugged. This was the only bread available. In a rather amusing twist, Ishwarya later accompanied the lady to a supermarket to buy biscuits!
The review sparked a heated debate online. While many Indians sided with Ishwarya, calling it an 'overpriced tourist trap,' others defended the restaurant, pointing out that French bread is traditionally crusty and meant to be eaten with soup or dips. They suggested this might have been a cultural and culinary mismatch.
A user wrote, 'European breads are supposed to be hard..not all breads are soft..there are so many different types of breads.'
Another user wrote, 'You don't go to such a fine restaurant if you're not used to the French cuisine.'
'It's supposed to dip and eat in soup so it's usually hard,' the third user shared.
The fourth user commented, 'It is tourist trap do you think locals will go to have lunch at eifel tower?'
'Paris is simply overrated,' the fifth wrote.
Le Jules Verne isn't just about the food; it's about the experience. Sitting 125 metres above Paris, it boasts sweeping views of the city, a menu of modern French delicacies, and a wine list featuring over 430 French vintages. Signature dishes include langoustine ravioli, roasted pigeon, and intricately plated desserts.
But luxury comes at a price; lunch tasting menus start at about €190 (around ₹ 17,000) per person, while dinner can set you back €255 or more, wine excluded.