My wife and I will be traveling around Provence and Northern Spain in late November. We have reservations at Mugaritz and El Cellar De Can Roca in Spain, and will eat at local restaurants/bistros in Arles, Nimes, and Avignon. What is the dress code for Europe? Is sportcoat and tie sufficient for the two high-end restaurants? Is sportcoat and no tie acceptable for dinner in France?
Dining has become much more casual in recent years. I went to Mugaritz last summer (it was an extraordinary meal) and wore nice khakis, a shirt, and a sportcoat–but I didn’t even need that. Nice slacks and a shirt would be fine, and even stylish jeans and a nice shirt would be acceptable. It’s not that formal of a restaurant (but is still very nice). I would imagine that Can Roca is the same (Arzak was). Even Troisgros, while more formal, wasn’t the coat-and-tie place of old (although I did wear a tie to that one).