A Vegetarian in Paris? You don’t need to starve! Top 12 restaurant recommendations

by Jyo

Paris is a beautiful city with many monikers: the city of light, city of romance, city of food lovers.

Wait, hold up! What if you’re a vegetarian? Especially a vegetarian food lover who like me, wants to marry food if that’s at all legally possible. And well, if you’re like my family, you just need vegetarian food to survive, cuz umm, that’s you know, your chosen way of life.

“Your chosen way of life”, I’m going to make sure to use this line everytime someone asks me why I’m vegetarian. And make sure to say it in the voice of one who has been initiated into this eating lifestyle by some holy buddhist monk in the Himalayas.

Coming back to the topic du jour, what does one poor vegetarian do in the city as famous for its Escargot (snail), Foie gras (duck liver), Bouillabaisse (fish stew), Bourguignon (Burgundy-style Beef stew) — as it is for the Eiffel Tower & Louvre? Well panic not, dear veggie soul sistas & brothers, here are top restaurants that came up in my research & most of which I tried while in Paris. And oh, they’re good!

12 Vegetarian Restaurant Recommendations in Paris

1. Saravanabhavan Paris
I’m a South Indian, and dear Lord seeing a Saravanaabhavan, (think KFC & McDonalds level of ubiquity & popularity) in Paris cracked me up, but also made me breathe a huge sigh of relief. It was perfect to get some comfort food, the way I would have at home, on Christmas day (where every place is either closed or booked months ahead in Paris). As a bonus, hearing my fellow South Indians talk French, with dollops of head nodding (which I totally am guilty of!) & thick South Indian accents was supremely delightful & comforting.

170 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, 75010 Paris, France
+33 1 40 05 01 01foodora.fr

2. Le Potager du Marais

Paris has changed considerably in the last 10 years! My first visit to the city of light, had people scoff at me when I asked for vegetarian options. I was pleasantly surprised to learn there is now a big movement towards veganism and vegetarianism in Paris. This restaurant is one of the Paris’ first vegetarian restaurants and has fantastic vegan & veggie options!

24 Rue Rambuteau, 75003 Paris, France
+33 1 57 40 98 57
http://www.lepotagerdumarais.fr/home.html

Photo Credit: John Towner

3. La Crêperie Bretonne
This was one my favorite places to eat in Paris…actually you know what, I’m going to say that about the next 3 restaurants as well. So let me clarify, this was my favorite place to eat on day 5 of our trip :). Breton crepes are a speciality in French cooking, as the “galettes” are made with buckwheat flour (so they’re gluten free!). This place did not disappoint in flavor, service or portion sizes!

56 Rue du Montparnasse, 75014 Paris, France
+33 1 43 20 89 58la-creperie-bretonne-montparnasse.fr

4. L’As Du Fallafel
So this was my favorite place to eat on day 4 of our trip. Actually my favorite to place for dinner on day 4… which is a moot point, cuz umm, we only had 1 dinner. UNFORTUNATELY. I wish my stomach had room for 2 dinners. This is a Parisian favorite in the historic Le Marais district. It is hands on, no exaggeration, the BEST FALAFEL I HAVE EATEN IN LIFE. I feel the need somehow to emphasize that in caps, like that makes it all better. Also, try the grilled eggplant here, it knocked my socks off (both the flavor & how cheap it was.)

34 Rue des Rosiers, 75004 Paris, France
+33 1 48 87 63 60
http://bit.ly/2mO26mH

5. Breizh Cafe
This is a dessert cafe I’m sneaking in, but they do have dinner options as well! They offer Japanese & French fusion crepes. Also in Le Marais, about a 10 mins walking distance from L’As Du Fallafel. It’s the place where I wanted to have dinner #2, but my stomach was ready to revolt if I did.

109 Rue Vieille du Temple, 75003 Paris, France
+33 1 42 72 13 77
http://breizhcafe.com/en/

Champs Elysees, Paris. Mr. Policeman, you’re in my frame!

6. Le Cambodge & Le Petit Cambodge
I had heard rave reviews of this Cambodian restaurant (and it’s smaller sister restaurant), described as a hole in the wall, but extremely authentic, delicious Cambodian food (cross between Thai, Indian & Chinese cuisines), great for vegetarians. We were told this is super popular with locals, in the hip 10th arrondisement district, lines often spanning several blocks. Piqued, we went to the restaurant; dismayed at the thinning crowds with each step. What I failed to realize, was this was one of the sites of the Paris Terrorist attacks in 2015. There were candles, wreaths & flowers outside the restaurant’s shattered windows…

The restaurant has since re-opened, and is a somber reminder of how precious, moments spent over dinner with loved ones truly are.

10 Avenue Richerand, 75010 Paris, France
+33 1 44 84 37 70
www.lecambodge.fr/

7. Exki
This is healthy, farm-to-fork based fast food chain, with multiple locations, serving primarily vegetarian & vegan food. The salads & sandwiches here were excellent and were great to have on the go.
https://www.exki.com/

Let’s go for a walk! Chateau De Versailles.

8. Tien Hiang
Popular Asian restaurant with imitation meat options should you desire.

14 Rue Bichat, 75010 Paris, France
+33 1 42 00 08 23
http://www.tien-hiang.fr/

9. Kashmir House
Well renowned amongst Parisian vegetarians for its authentic North Indian cuisine, including favorites like Naan & curries like Palak Paneer, Tikka masala curries.

36 Rue de Chabrol, 75010 Paris, France
+33 1 40 22 00 89
kashmirhouseparis.com

10. Paris Picnic
This service delivers picnics to you in Paris, no matter where you are! So you can be chilling by the Eiffel tower or the Seine River and enjoy a picnic, with wine, cheese, sandwiches, including a cotton blanket & utensils. Order online or call.

+33 7 81 35 13 21
https://www.parispicnic.com/

11. Loubnane
Lebanese restaurant, with lots of vegetarian mediterrenean options.

29 Rue Galande, 75005 Paris, France
+33 1 43 54 21 27
loubnane.fr

12. Aquarius
This was another restaurant that came up a fair amount in my research — they were unfortunately closed when I happened to visit, but do let me know your thoughts if you try it!

40 Rue de Gergovie, 75014 Paris, France
+33 1 45 41 36 88

Photo Credit: Pedro Lastra

Additional Resources

Fantastic vegetarian eating tips in Paris by Parisian blogger David Leibovitz
The Culture Trip’s best restaurants in Paris for Vegetarians
Go Paris’ recommendations on top Parisian Vegetarian Eats
Happy Cow Directory of Vegan & Vegetarian Restaurants in Paris

Who says vegetarians can’t have fun? In Paris no less 🙂

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