Planning Your Visit
One page, start to finish: how to get the table, what it costs, what to wear, when to arrive and what actually happens across the four hours that follow.
By The Reservation Desk Editorial Team · Published June 23, 2025 · Last updated · 13 min read
Tables are released nightly at midnight Pacific for a date approximately sixty days ahead, as fully prepaid tickets. Be signed in, with a card saved, before the release, and have flexible dates ready.
If you miss the release, the returns flow in the final week is a genuine second chance — particularly the day before, when travel plans collapse.
Budget the menu price per person, plus wine, plus any supplements. Two people with modest wine will spend in the region of $1,200–$1,400; with full pairings, considerably more.
The menu is charged at booking. Everything else is settled at the table.
Jackets are required for gentlemen; the room reads as business formal without being stiff. Denim is not appropriate, and neither is anything that would look out of place at a wedding.
The dining room is cool. A layer for anyone who feels the cold is a practical rather than a stylistic decision.
Arrive within five minutes of your booking. Complimentary valet operates at the corner; the entrance is through the garden gate rather than the street door, which surprises first-time guests.
Declare any dietary requirements at least 48 hours in advance and reconfirm on arrival.
Nine courses across three to four hours, opening with the salmon cornet and Oysters and Pearls, then a sequence rewritten daily from the garden and the market, closing with cheese, two desserts and mignardises.
Service is quiet and closely observed. Ask questions freely; the team is trained to answer them and visibly enjoys doing so.
Ask for a printed menu — they will provide one. Then walk, if you are staying in the village, or take the car service you booked earlier in the day.
Do not plan anything for the following morning. This is the most consistently ignored piece of advice in this guide.
Bouchon Bistro and Ad Hoc are minutes away, run by the same group, and take bookings within days rather than months. Neither is a consolation prize.
Per Se in New York is the same cooking philosophy in a different city, and is measurably easier to book.
The Reservation Desk Editorial Team — Independent research and editorial team
Our editorial team researches fine-dining access, booking windows and menu formats across the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group. Every guide is compiled from restaurant-published information, official reservation platforms and first-hand dining notes, then re-checked before each update.
This guide is compiled and checked against our verification process and editorial policy.
Availability at Thomas Keller's restaurants moves quickly. Check what is open now, then use our guides to prepare for the release.