When do Restaurant Kei reservations open?
When do Restaurant Kei reservations open? On the first Tuesday of each month at 9:30am Paris time, two months ahead, says the restaurant's booking page. That was today, Tuesday, November 3, 2026; the next release is Tuesday, December 1, at 9:30am in Paris, which is 12:30am in California and 3:30am in New York. I'd be on the page at that minute and book a Friday or Saturday lunch.
Kei is chef Kei Kobayashi's restaurant at 5 rue Coq Héron in the 1st arrondissement, a few minutes' walk from the Louvre. It serves dinner Tuesday to Saturday and lunch only on Friday and Saturday, so the lunch seats are the scarcest and the best value.
What does it cost and what are the rules?
| Rule | What the restaurant says |
|---|---|
| Bookings open | First Tuesday of the month, 9:30am Paris time, two months ahead |
| Next release | Tuesday, December 1, 2026 |
| Dinner | Tuesday to Saturday, arrival 7:45pm to 9pm |
| Lunch | Friday and Saturday, arrival 12:30pm to 1:15pm |
| Menu Découverte | 195 euros, Friday and Saturday lunch only |
| Menu Dégustation | 290 euros, not at Friday or Saturday dinner |
| Menu Prestige | 395 euros |
| Menu Horizon and Grand Horizon | 460 and 580 euros |
| Cancellation | Under 48 hours: 300 euros a person at lunch, 400 at dinner |
| Children | From age 12; no children's menu |
| Dress | Casual chic |
Bookings can also be made by email at reservationkei@gmail.com or by phone on +33 1 42 33 14 74, but the online release is where tables go first.
Which menu would I book?
The Friday or Saturday lunch at 195 euros. It is the only menu under 290 euros, and Friday and Saturday dinner start at the 395 euro Prestige. If dinner is the point, a Tuesday to Thursday table opens the 290 euro Dégustation.
The card you give at booking is charged under the 48 hour rule, so book only dates you will keep.
Where does it fit in a Paris trip?
Pair the lunch with the Louvre: book a morning slot, walk to rue Coq Héron for 12:30pm and spend the afternoon in the Palais Royal gardens nearby. The food near the Louvre guide has the easier tables nearby, and Guy Savoy is the other hard lunch worth planning a day around.