Escargot, foie gras, croissants and croque-monsieurs — Paris doesn’t scream vegan. Its parks and benches are filled by young Parisians breezily picnicking on supermarket-cured meat and lumps of local cheese. What’s more, French cooking has long been held up by formidable pillars of butter, eggs, meat and milk.
However, Paris, a modern city with an evolving appetite, has begun to embrace veganism in a surprisingly abundant way. The capital is rich with exciting new vegan restaurants and luckily you are never far from a boulangerie selling beautifully fresh, naturally vegan, baguettes. Thank god for bread.
My friend and I certainly ate good on our trip, opting mostly for a packed lunch of supermarket picky bits (houmous, olives, french carrot salad and tabouleh) with fresh baguette and then (in our eyes) splashing out on a sit-down meal in the evening. This was in an effort to save money to spend on the sights. However, after poring over them in every greengrocer we passed, we did fall victim to one beautiful tomato. It was €3.50.
Places we loved…
- Land & Monkeys
Land & Monkeys, ‘the first bakery with a positive impact’, is the jewel in Paris’ vegan crown – determined to infiltrate the life of the everyday Parisian with eco-friendly versions of French staples. They have everything from traditional croissants and pain au chocolat to tiny, delicately-piped lemon meringue tarts and beautiful mirror-glazed cakes. After seeing so many similarly magnificent displays and only being able to look, this was such a special and joyful experience.
Feeling slightly overwhelmed by choice, we picked out some of their incredible-looking salads to start. They felt fresh and interesting, packed with fresh fennel, lemony French lentils and big chunks of roasted butternut squash. The baguette was honestly one of the best bits of bread I have ever eaten. For afters, I went for a croissant, a chocolate and almond pastry, and an apricot and pistachio frangipane tart. (I wanted it all!) They were amazing – buttery, rich and super sweet (I’d recommend a black coffee to balance it all out). Seven years ago, with Linda Mccartneys the only vegan sausage of any brawn, I would never have imagined we’d come so far.
- Le Myrha
Restaurant Le Myrha is a classic vegan restaurant where the food feels uncomplicated, home-cooked and really comforting. I went for the falafel, chips and all the trimmings. It was exactly what we needed after a day of travel. I would recommend it for its cosy, friendly atmosphere too (the kind waitress laughed politely at my fumblings in Spanish – awful, I know).
- L’As du Fallafel
We braved the hour-long wait to try out the famed best falafel in the Jewish quarter. It is a fantastic sandwich. They stuff it with huge, hot falafels and plenty of fresh, crunchy vegetables before covering it with a layer of silky tahini sauce. The homemade hot sauce is also brilliant.
- Kapunka Vegan
Kapunka Vegan serves vegan and gluten-free Thai food in a casual, relaxed setting. We had the ‘white mikati’, a soupy peanutty curry dish balanced by delicate rice noodles and crunchy beansprouts, and the green curry, chunks of tofu and perfectly crisp veg swimming in a sweet and gorgeously rich lime-leafy sauce. They know what they’re doing with a can of coconut milk.
- Chez Pippo Pizzeria
Chez Pippo isn’t a vegan restaurant, although their marinara is one of the best I’ve eaten. It had my ideal pizza crust (uber thin in the middle with a hot, chewy and pillowy edge) topped with proper, tomatoey tomato sauce and generous slices of fresh garlic. We took it as a takeaway, dunked the crusts in the little packets of chilli oil, and sat in front of the Eiffel Tower to watch it sparkle before taking the coach home.
Pour conclure…
Paris is brilliant for vegans. Don’t be deterred by its reputation for overpriced food or the seemingly rigid walls of French cuisine. You will find food of all kinds of cuisine, beautifully morphed into little hybrids of veganism and tradition. Bon appetite!
