Paris Vegetarian Recommendations

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I wouldn't worry. Several years ago we spent time in Paris with a friend who required vegetarian meals. While we always mentioned this when making reservations, I don't remember a single meal where his needs were not met with delicious if slightly off menu plates and pleasant service.

[SuzySushi]

Sorry to say we had exactly the opposite experience in Paris a few years ago when trying to dine with my stepson (who was a vegetarian at the time and speaks flawless Canadian French). Several places flat out refused to accommodate him, and we actually walked out of one restaurant after encountering a rude manager. We had the best luck with places serving non-French ethnic cuisine: Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Middle Eastern, etc. and with creperies -- which aren't exactly "fine dining" experiences.

One vegan restaurant that came highly personally recommended to us was Le Grenier de Notre Dame, a tiny two-story British-run restautant in the shadow of Notre Dame. We thought the food was awful, and the service haphazard.

The funny thing is, vegetarian/vegan, and organic foods are widely available at "bio" stores in many neighborhoods. They just haven't tanslated to restaurant experiences.

[Louisa Chu]

You must go to Vegetable - Alain Passard's "ephemeral"/temporary restaurant in the department store Printemps. He has items straight off his Arpege menu - made with produce direct from his famed personal garden - for a fraction of his three-star price.

[John Talbott]

Tomorrow night I leave for my first trip to France since I became a vegetarian last year. I m a bit nervous since so much of my previous trips have revolved around food. In New York I have found no problems having amazing vegetarian food, in both casual and upscale places. The restaurants do not have to be vegetarian( though are welcomed), but just places that would be more accomodating to my needs. Any advice would be much appreciated! They can be typical french or other types of cuisine.

Merci

lauren

←

Last year, there was a sizeable thread on veggie restos in Paris that I urge you to consult. It's here. I do believe there have been others as well - use the advanced search. Good luck.

Edited May 30, 2005 by John Talbott (log)

[chefzadi]

I don't think I have ever met a French vegetarian in my life. A French vegan would be almost impossible. I'm sure they exist.

Paris is not a good eating city for vegetarians.

[John Talbott]

Tomorrow night I leave for my first trip to France since I became a vegetarian last year.

←

In this week’s Bonjour Paris, Dennis Neuenkirchen, a vegetarian, wrote that he had a vegetarian friendly meal at Illios, 61 rue Ramey in the 18th, 01.42.23.67.60, menu 26 E.

[marlena spieler]

Ah, Alain Passard's Vegetable, in le Printemps, was deeeee-lightful! there were five of us so we ate everything on the menu, including the chocolate cakes which we had a double order of. everything was divine, except for the raviolis in jerusalem artichoke consomme.......

the risotto was creamy, dreamy, topped with a halo-like flurry of thinly shredded raw vegetables; the famous egg was famously delicious. lets see, the pureed mushroom soup with crushed peanuts was a wonderful combination of familiar and exotic...a pureed vegetable soup with a mustard seed mousse on top...the plate of little shivers of vegetables, in piles, with a rosemary sweet-sour vinaigrette.....the less successful items were the croque vegetal, the aforementioned ravioli in consommee, and.......oh the lemongrass creme anglaise with the melten choc cakes was yummy and a nice balance, the the famous red fruit in hibiscus infusion was the same one that I enjoyed at l'Arpege. oh, and how can i forget the onion gratin? the paper thin layer of string-thin onions baked in a casserole.......oh and the steamed peas with grapefruit and basil, another starter. fabulous!

get there before its all over, i think the 4th of june.....

and if you see alain passard, give him my regards! it is such a delightful venue.

(i'm only sorry that i missed the previous restaurant ephemere, by pierre gagnaire).

bon appetit!

marlena

[jeunefilleparis]

I don't think I have ever met a French vegetarian in my life.  A French vegan would be almost impossible. I'm sure they exist.

Paris is not a good eating city for vegetarians.

←

I am certainly not here to pick a fight, but you response was utterly and completely close minded. You ve never met at French vegetarian, well then, i guess you ve met every french person on earth then, havent you. Please, its that exact attitude that partially prevents vegetarian restaurants from opening,

To all the other responses,. I will be sure to check out Primtemps, i was thrilled to hear about it!

I am proud to be a vegetarian and I m not going to stop because one city doesnt have as many options as say New York.

je dois finir a faire mes valises!! Merci encore

lauren

[chefzadi]

I don't think I have ever met a French vegetarian in my life.  A French vegan would be almost impossible. I'm sure they exist.

Paris is not a good eating city for vegetarians.

←

I am certainly not here to pick a fight, but you response was utterly and completely close minded. You ve never met at French vegetarian, well then, i guess you ve met every french person on earth then, havent you. Please, its that exact attitude that partially prevents vegetarian restaurants from opening,

To all the other responses,. I will be sure to check out Primtemps, i was thrilled to hear about it!

I am proud to be a vegetarian and I m not going to stop because one city doesnt have as many options as say New York.

je dois finir a faire mes valises!! Merci encore

lauren

←

I have no idea why you are taking what I said out of proportion. I meant it in no insulting way to you or vegetarians. Be proud, be strong.

I'm not up for arguing that Vegetarianism is not that common in France. And oh know it has nothing to do with value judgements. Jeesh.

[bleudauvergne]

My sister is a vegetarian and when she comes to France we have absolutely no problem finding items on the menu that will accomodate her. Most cafes and brasseries have a series of salads that may or may not contain meat. Learn your meat words, and then you can maneuver through a menu. There is plenty of good shopping for vegerarian food items everywhere you look. I have two American children visiting me right now and I decided to take one of them to see Picard, the frozen food store. At Picard, I noticed that they are now labeling their vegetarian dishes with a special label. The concept of vegetarianism is mainstream in France. Have fun!

[CarolineLD]

Hm, I haven't found vegetarianism to be mainstream, or even common, in northern France at least - I still seem to be viewed as a bit of a bizarre novelty in many restaurants!

However, if you avoid chains and tourist traps you shouldn't have any problems. Generally places (cheap and expensive) have been very accommodating and happy to suggest options even when none appear on the menu. (Although the option 'omelette' does appear a little too often...)

[menton1]

I don't think I have ever met a French vegetarian in my life.  A French vegan would be almost impossible. I'm sure they exist.

Paris is not a good eating city for vegetarians.

←

That is ridiculous. Vegetarianism in France is alive and well, and, although it is very difficult to get a fix on a reasonable number, there are probably the same proportion of vegetarians to the overall population in France as in the United States!!

In the large cities, there might be from one to several Végétarien restaurants, and also restaurants "bio" are to be found as well, usually with vegetarian choices. The supermarkets have fairly substantial "bio" sections.

I can also refer you to this website of the Vegetarian association of France, with lots of great info on eating choices and a book of over 600 restaurants in France! France Vegetarian Society You can also fill out the petition calling for more vegetarian choices in restaurants!

Edited May 31, 2005 by menton1 (log)

[touaregsand]

As a non-French person I suppose my talking about French vegetarians and their eating habits is like trying to talk about eating breakfast the French do. Sure I've seen some French people eating an English breakfast, doesn't mean that most French do it or it is a French way of eating breakfast, part of the lifestyle and all.

I see no reason to bring personal reactions into this issue which is non-issue, in the sense that there is no need for anyone to get defensive or inflammatory.

As a mostly vegetarian person who has been to France on several occassions and considered living there I can speak from my own experiences and that is all they are my experiences, my opinion is that is more challenging to find vegetarian meals in Paris and Lyon than it is in LA, SF, NY, London or Seoul for instance. Vegetarian France is not as apparent as say vegetarian America. Again from my experiences. That's not to say that it doesn't exist, it just wasn't very apparent to me when I was looking for it. Purchasing groceries to prepare my own meals was a whole other story. The produce was wonderful. Dining out I found Italian to be an option for a hearty vegetarian meal that's easy to find, couscous with vegetables was another and Vietnamese.

Thank you for posting the website.

[Ptipois]

I don't think I have ever met a French vegetarian in my life.  A French vegan would be almost impossible. I'm sure they exist.

That is ridiculous. Vegetarianism in France is alive and well, and, although it is very difficult to get a fix on a reasonable number, there are probably the same proportion of vegetarians to the overall population in France as in the United States!!

←

That's not quite right. Vegetarianism does exist in France, of course, and there is a sizeable number of vegetarians, macrobioticians, even vegans, etc., but I disagree about the proportions. There are definitely less vegetarians in France than in the United States or England. The number of times that I have had to bother to find a restaurant meal suiting the tastes of some of my visiting American or English friends is quite important — amazingly so, to the omnivore that I am. With French people, this number amounts to zero (mainly because French vegetarians eat mostly at home — it is true that they haven't many restaurants to pick from).

[ludja]

This doesnt' help re: vegetarian dining in Paris, but...

One person in our group was a vegetarian during a two week trip to Brittany, ~ 3 years ago. He did actually find it pretty difficult to find vegetarian dishes--crepes, salads, eggs, being the main alternatives. Perhaps it would have helped to call the "finer dining" restaurants in advance. Later on in the trip he actually chose to do some other things when we went out for a special 'higher end' meal. He just thought it would be easier and preferred to do this rather than hassle with special arrangements. (He and his wife lived in Southern France for several years; not sure if his experience was different then and there).

And dont' worry, we had lots of great meals together that we cooked at the house of our friend we were visiting!

edited to add: Time to focus on great cheese plates!

Edited May 31, 2005 by ludja (log)

[menton1]

That's not quite right. Vegetarianism does exist in France, of course, and there is a sizeable number of vegetarians, macrobioticians, even vegans, etc., but I disagree about the proportions. There are definitely less vegetarians in France than in the United States or England. The number of times that I have had to bother to find a restaurant meal suiting the tastes of some of my visiting American or English friends is quite important — amazingly so, to the omnivore that I am. With French people, this number amounts to zero (mainly because French vegetarians eat mostly at home — it is true that they haven't many restaurants to pick from).

←

I meant in proportion to the total population. 290 Million total in the US vs. 60 Million people in France. And remember, once you are out of the large Northeastern cities in the US or perhaps the West Coast, a vegetarian restaurant is an anomaly. I think it's just as daunting in the rural US finding veg choices as it would be in rural France. But my point was that the idea that vegetarians just don't exist in France because it's too "difficult" I thought was ridiculous. It may be challenging, but the vegetarian psyche is certainly up to those challenges.

[Ptipois]

I meant in proportion to the total population.  290 Million total in the US vs. 60 Million people in France.

But that's exactly what I mean. In proportion to the total population, there are less vegetarians in France than in the US and UK. It would have been nonsensical on my part to refer to an absolute number.

But my point was that the idea that vegetarians just don't exist in France because it's too "difficult" I thought was ridiculous.

You're right, but it is true that the French psyche is not, as a rule, very tolerant of vegetarianism, compared to the UK or US for instance. There is no tradition of vegetarian culture as there is in some parts of Southern Europe, Orthodox Greece for instance, which has developed a very interesting vegetarian cuisine repertoire related to fasting periods (at the same time Greece remains one of the European countries where the most meat is consumed).

France is essentially omnivorous. Vegetarians are not disliked but seen as some sort of enigma.

[touaregsand]

I don't recall anyone saying that vegetarians don't exist because it's too difficult. It does't exist to the degree that it does in the States or the UK or other places for the reasons ptipois stated. As she said France is essentially omnivorous. That's just the way it is, not because of any sort of political or social agenda by meat eaters. Or cultural hegemony by meat eaters. It's simply a different culture. That's all.

I've had very polite discussions about the amount of meat I eat with French people and have never been made to feel like there was something wrong with me. But then I tend have thick skin and don't seek affirmation or a support group for any differences I have with the larger culture.

Fear not vegetarian travelers to France, no one will treat like you are weird. But your dining out choices will be a bit limited, but not impossible.

[SuzySushi]

There is no tradition of vegetarian culture... France is essentially omnivorous. Vegetarians are not disliked but seen as some sort of enigma.

←

This reflects my experiences as well, talking about food with French friends and traveling with a vegetarian son. "Enigma" is a good word to describe it. Most French we met are puzzled by vegetarianism because they don't have the same ambivalence toward eating animals as many Americans and British do. To them, an animal is (shrug)... just an animal. But then, I think French people, even in cities, are still a little closer to the farm than most Americans. They are accustomed to buying their meats from butcher shops, not in "sanitized" wrapped cuts in supermarkets. (They do, however, understand vegetarianism if it is for a health regimen, and traveling vegetarians have an easier time in France if this is how they present it in their encounters.)

[Ptipois]

To them, an animal is (shrug)... just an animal.

←

With Paris one of the most pet-laden cities I've ever seen in my life, I would say this is inexact. The French love their animals like anyone else and more than some. In normal situations, butchery stock is not disrespected. In all rural life, all over the world, if you want meat, you have to kill animals. That's all. This has nothing to do with the affection they may feel for them, individually or collectively, though nobody kills pets for food, of course.

I shoud add that the attitude of French cuisine implies some mysterious respect to the animal (or plant! plants are murdered too) that was sacrified for the purpose. Indeed this is at the root of great cuisine, wherever from, and I believe the French and Italians have inherited a very ancient tradition. I once did hear a gastronome say that bad cooking meant total disrespect for the lives that had to be suppressed. I like that idea a lot.

[SuzySushi]

To them, an animal is (shrug)... just an animal.

←

With Paris one of the most pet-laden cities I've ever seen in my life, I would say this is inexact.

←

You're right: I worded this poorly. A better explanation is, as you said, "If you want meat, you have to kill animals." The French (and Italians, for that matter) are much more matter-of-fact about this than Americans are.

[Ptipois]

You're right, Suzy. At the same time, America remains the land of "meat and potatoes". It is an extremely carnivorous country with a portion of its citizens rejecting this national tendency. How and why this is so, I do not know and will leave the matter to better analysts than I am.

[John Talbott]

Ah, Alain Passard's Vegetable, in le Printemps, was deeeee-lightful!

get there before its all over, i think the 4th of june.....

marlena

←

Today's Figaroscope, in an article called “l’Air du Temps” about ephemeral restaurants that are open this summer gave June 5th as the closing date for Alain Passard’s Vegetable at Printemps.

[menton1]

Only one last point: I still disagree that vegetarianism is more acceptable in the US than in France. Any American vegetarian can tell you that outside of their regular circles, raised eyebrows and third-degree questioning are the order of the day when they disclose their eating preference. It is a lifestyle that requires a lot more thought than an omnivorous one, whether in the US or France. In New York or Paris, the choices are easier and much more numerous than in the countryside.

But whatever country you are in, unless you are among a group of Seventh Day Adventists, vegetarians are still looked upon for the most part as "weird" or at the very least "eccentric."

[shelly59]

I just returned from Paris last night. Last Thursday we ate at Monsouria, which has been reviewed elsewhere on this website. A Morroccan restaurant, the menu had several vegetable dishes, and if what we ate was any indication of the overall quality, those dishes would be delicious.

Here is a link to their website:

http://www.mansouria.com/framecarte.html