Vegan Paris

The vegan options in Paris have exploded in the past five years, and continue to grow every day. This is a listing of the best places to find reliable information about vegan restaurants, food shops and events in Paris, completely updated for 2023.

As someone who arrived in Paris as an odd vegetarian back in 1995, I had to eat a lot of pasta and omelets, and drank so little milk living with a French family that I developed lactose intolerance. Developing an egg allergy out of the blue a few years ago pretty much cemented my vegan status, but it wasn’t always so easy to find anything to eat outside what I cooked for myself at home.

But it’s a new world out there! Not only are there vegan restaurants, food markets, pastry shops, tea rooms, and food trucks, some are good enough to merit crossing the Seine (lucky for me, since I live on the Left Bank).

True Story: Back in 2001 I was working on a freelance project called Paris Hotlinks, a sort of Yellow Pages listing ALL of the websites about Paris that were in English (because back then there were so few that it was actually possible!) But within a year or two, there were simply too many to keep track of anymore. We’re getting to that tipping point with vegan food options in Paris, so not I’m not going to attempt to list them all. Instead, I’m going to tell you where to find the best up-to-date listings yourself.

Where to Find the Latest Vegan Food and Restaurant Listings for Paris

Vegan Tourist Paris
Despite its name, this is one of the best resources for vegan in Paris, whether you’re a visitor or a local like the creator, Franck (aka Lièvre Taquin). At the center is the Vegan Tourist Map, available in French and English, that you can purchase for €2 (often found at many of the vegan addresses it lists). It’s quite thorough, breaking down the vegan establishments into several helpful categories: Asian, Afro-Caribbean, Coffee Shop, Fast Food, Healthy, On the Go, Sweet, Gourmet, and the catch-all “Convivial” which seems to include all of the places that didn’t fit into the other categories. It includes opening hours, the closest metro, and a short description for each place. You can have a peek at the free PDF version from 2022, but I encourage you to get the 2023 printed map because a lot has changed in the past year! Also be sure to follow Franck on Instagram or Facebook for the latest additions and fun vegan events around Paris.

On a personal note, as someone who lives in the 13th arrondissement (southeast Paris), I’m always a bit horrified to see how 95% of the addresses are concentrated in the 9th, 10th, and 11th arrondissements. At least I’m forced to get some exercise every time I bike across the Seine to Land & Monkeys for a tarte au citron. 😉

The Happy Cow
This website started over two decades ago is one of the best-known for finding vegetarian and vegan options when traveling anywhere in the world. It’s thorough, however the listings are all jumbled together, and despite some filters it’s hard to tell if a place is more gourmet restaurant or more of a fast food joint at a glance. Still, a great place to start when looking for up-to-date recommendations in Paris and elsewhere in France.

Eatic
This is a French food delivery app like Uber Eats, but everything listed is 100% vegan or vegetarian so you don’t have to scroll to find something you can eat. Available in Paris, Lyon, and Lille.

aBillion
This relatively new app has a great concept of crowd-sourcing vegan dishes in “regular” restaurants so that vegans or vegetarians can know if there are options for them when eating with friends or family in non-vegan establishments. They also encourage you to leave your own reviews by posting a photo of a vegan dish you have enjoyed while eating out, and in return you get a credit that you can donate to any of the 60+ impactful non-profits (like Sea Shepherd, One Tree Planted, or various animal sanctuaries).

Making Special Requests: My Frenchie Experience

I don’t expect all restaurants to go vegan, but it seems lazy when a restaurant serving a huge menu of options can’t figure out how to make at least one dish without animals or animal products in it. Yes, sometimes you can ask for substitutions or other adjustments to your meal, but not every restaurant is going to be able to handle special orders. It’s always a good idea to call or message a restaurant when booking to ask if it’s possible for them to accommodate vegans. The French are usually very honest about this, and won’t hesitate to say ‘non’ if it’s not. However it may also surprise you how many are willing to give it a try.

As I wrote in the December 2019 Secrets of Paris Newsletter, I wanted to book a table for five at the renowned gastronomic bistro Frenchie, with one vegetarian and one vegan. When I made the request in their online booking form, they immediately responded, “no problem”. Just in case, I checked again when I confirmed the day before. “We’ve been planning this for two days,” said our server. “We really enjoyed the challenge”. And true to their word, every dish in the 5-course meal came out with a flourish, including the vegan alternatives (which were hands down one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten in Paris, vegan or not). This kind of request will probably work much better in restaurants with chefs that are more focused on responsible cuisine made with seasonal and local ingredients, like the multi-Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse (and less so in establishments known exclusively for their meat or fish).

Vegan Books

If you think veganism is still a tourist thing, you might be surprised to see there’s a whole bookcase of vegan cookbooks at FNAC, where I also found the beautifully-made Guide du Paris Vegan. However these print guides tend to be quickly outdated, as so many places have opened (and closed) over the past five years.

Vegan Food Stores in Paris

Mon Epicerie Paris
31 rue des Gravilliers, 3rd
This is one of the largest vegan food shops in Paris, with a large selection of alternative meats, cheeses, ice cream, beverages, pet food, protein powders, and beauty products. They deliver within the same day in Paris, but you can also order online and pick it up at the store. Closed on Sundays.

Aujourd’hui Demain
42 rue Chemin-Vert, 11^th
This is a restaurant and coffee shop with a small clothing boutique and food market in the back. I find the prices a bit high, but it’s a sure bet for ingredients and items needed for cooking vegan at home, and it’s open daily.

Naturalia Vegan
39 rue Merlin, 11^th
Naturalia is a health food store with one shop in Paris specifically dedicated to vegan products (food, home, and beauty). You can also find many vegan products in their regular stores which are found all over Paris if you’re not in the mood to cross town.

Official Vegan Shop
On online store with over 400 vegan brands, based outside of Lyon, which delivers in France within 48 hours.

Don’t Forget Your Local Supermarket

You can usually find several brands of vegan “meats” in larger French supermarkets (especially in Paris) like Carrefour or Monoprix, which sells fresh vegan bowls in the deli and stocks Beyond burgers, Vegan Deli meatballs and cheeses, and even Ben & Jerry’s vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. The Picard frozen food store also has some great vegan dishes (and is my source of avocado slices, frozen when perfectly ripe so I don’t have to play “avocado roulet” with fresh ones and end up throwing half of them out). Ordering online to pick up in person is a great way to make sure you’re not wandering lost through the aisles looking for any particular vegan item amongst the others.

Vegan Events

Smmmile Vegan Festival
July 1-2, 2023
A festive event for all things vegan at the Grand Halle de la Villette (Parc de la Villette, 19th). Tickets are “pay as you like”, and the food court is open freely to the public. In addition to yummy vegan food (mostly by local vegan restaurants), there will also be live concerts, DJ sets, “silent” dance party, workshops, yoga and fitness sessions, a section for different environmental/animal welfare groups, and public conferences.

Locals’ Events with Vegan Tourist Paris
Franck of Vegan Tourist Paris organizes many popular events throughout the year to bring together vegans in Paris for festive moments, like dance parties or board game nights, always with vegan buffet or food trucks (both listed in the Secrets of Paris Calendar for July-August 2023).  Follow his Instagram or Facebook to get the scoop on the latest events, and book fast if you see something you like, they fill up fast!

Veggie World
Vegan trade show with a lot of stands selling products not usually found in Paris. Most of the fairs are in German cities; there are no dates scheduled for Paris in 2023 at the moment.

Vegan Cooking Classes

If you’ve got enough French to follow a cooking class, the gourmet raw vegan restaurant 42 Degrés has regular cooking workshops throughout the year where you can learn how to make vegan cheeses and dishes that will wow even your meat-eating friends. Other French cooking classes featuring vegan dishes include Chef’s Square and Labo Culinaire. If anyone knows of any vegan cooking classes in English, let me know!