I have been asked so many times what did I eat in Paris. That’s fair. I wasn't so sure going into this trip it was going to be especially easy, and well... I was completely wrong. And I didn’t even make it to all the places I wanted to try. In the last few years, when traveling, efforts have been made to stay in Air Bnb rentals. This works out really great for having kitchens, which for me is essential at times, as I get sick of eating out on long trips. Plus it saves money. Being vegan, the hardest thing to find when traveling is breakfast, and a stop at a grocery store makes this so much easier and can ease the stress of dietary requirements. I’ve also gotten in the habit of packing a handful of things to take with such as granola/fruit bars/vegan jerky. I’ll grab chocolate and my favorite truffle oil almonds at the airport.
Paris has plenty in the way of food for breakfast at most places, with bread, dark as night coffee, and piles of fruit. Which is most of what I ate in the mornings, both at cafes and in the apartment I was staying in. I couldn’t tell you the names of these places as I usually would just pick a cute place and get a coffee. With the exception of the morning of my arrival, when I stopped in at Shakespeare and Co.'s cafe for a very good mocha and bagel sandwich and absolutely unbeatable view of a busy French street and Notre Dame. And on a national holiday I did venture into Starbucks for a coffee since they were the only place open (it was packed full of people).
There are countless beautiful fruit and vegetable stands, and of course, the smell of baking bread at the end of the work day (instead of mornings like most places) filling the streets as people line-up for baguette (because sometimes caricatures of things are real). I most certainly ate my fair share of warm baguette while visiting. Strawberries are grown in France and they were hands down the best ones I’ve ever had. Paired with champagne each night (yes every night) and sometimes in the morning with mimosas made with passionfruit juice (my favorite of all the juices ever). One thing you learn when visiting Europe is that peanut butter, which is a staple of my morning diet, is not readily available. Nutella is everywhere, and much to my sadness is not vegan. But a trip to the grocery store, Franprix, that was right across the street from the apartment yielded a jar of something called Speculoos and it is amazing. I brought back some jars -- it was that good. Paired with rose jam that I bought at Versailles to see what the fuss was all about (and much to my chagrin fell quite in love with it, as well as dark chocolate made with rose petals and apples-the preferences of Marie Antoinette), it made for a wonderful treat in the morning or with that warm, after-a-long-day baguette. Really I have no idea how I’ve been living as a normal person since getting back. **A note about grocery shopping: Whereas things may not be clearly labeled as vegan, they do have labels spelling out what common allergens are in foods such as milk-so keep handy an app with translation if you don't know what those words are in French
The first long day was a trip out to Versailles. We got there early and stopped into the little cafe Angelina (in the main palace) for espresso and fruit. We wandered the grounds for quite a long time. As we headed out to Marie Antionette's Queen's Hamlet, which is a fair distance from the main palace, we came across a wonderful smelling oven in the park that was baking potatoes. They had elaborate toppings that were not vegan, but when asked for one with some oil, salt, and pepper on the golden russet cooked in an old fashion, outdoor oven-well, to say sitting on the grounds of Versailles as the sun rises above the trees while eating a wonderful treat like this was pretty ridiculously dreamy. ** I did not drink the strawberry juice as it had carmine in it and I didn't notice until after buying it.
At the end of the visit, having covered everything that was open, we ventured into the little city surrounding the palace to walk for about 10 minutes to Pur. A cafe with a sizable amount of vegan food (including chocolate pots). Much of it was premade in these adorable jars, and they were warmed up and served to you. The server attending the counter was so friendly and helpful. He spoke a bit of english, we spoke a bit of french, plus there's nothing a smile and politeness can't accomplish, honestly. Quinoa, veggies, hummus layered into the servings.
There were a couple of nights when we got back and were so wiped out that we didn't want to go to a restaurant. As luck would have it, the building we were staying in (built in the 17th Century and located in the Latin Quarter, which turned out to be an awesome place to stay) had a burrito place, Bocamexa, on the main level. And they had a vegan burrito plus guacamole and chips. Globalization at its finest if you ask me. I didn't manage to get a picture of the cute, very busy spot but I did get food there twice and was perfectly happy to lie in my bed at the end of a long day drinking champagne with my vegan burrito.
Truly the trick to Paris and avoiding lines is to get up early and get going. Only sleeping about 5 hours a night as I was determined to see everything I possibly could while there (my brother asked me how I could consider this a vacation). One day that this was genuinely evident was the day spent at the Louvre. On certain days of the week they stay open late and I went on this day, so at one point left to have a late lunch/early dinner and then head back there. I had pretty much the healthiest meal I've ever had in my life.
Le' bio d'Adam et Eve is about a 15 minute walk from the Louvre with the street light stops. It was lightly raining as well, so it was really charming to wander down the city streets on the way.
They had pre-prepared salads with all the things you can think of that are good for you with tasty dressings and thankfully a chocolate pot with candied ginger on top(dark chocolate is easy to find in Paris and I brought home a lot of it). They had sandwiches and other offerings as well. I had a half hummus sandwich with my salad and it was great to have the protein after walking so much.
On one particular day I visited four museums(!). In between two of them dinner was had at Le Pain Quotidian. Not too far from d'Orsay, I ordered a fixed course meal that included vegan hot chocolate, dessert, salad, bread, and the main course. It was so pleasant after the long day headed into the long evening that we took our time enjoying the food. This is an excellent time to note that even when you stop for, say, french fries and a smoothie, which we did earlier in the day at Friends Burger, expect to take your time. Food is a leisurely pursuit and people linger over meals. Many places also cook at lower temperatures than here in the states, so it can take longer for things to arrive.
Squeezed in between the presidential elections and over the national holiday in Europe of May Day, where everything was closed (except Starbucks), I spent the day at Disneyland Paris. I had done some reading about what to do about food out here, and I did bring some snacks for the day (but also there was popcorn). I pre-booked a table at the Agrabah Cafe as was recommended by some travel blogs. And that was an excellent piece of advice. Disney filled up early but also emptied early and we managed to go on nearly every ride and experience that was open. When we went to eat, people were being turned away who didn't have reservations and most of them ended up at food carts and the like. The buffet style cafe was middle eastern fare and offered a variety of vegetable curries, salads, breads, fruit, and even dessert. It was a bit expensive but that's Disney for you. At the end of the day at Disney we headed to downtown Disney to see what they had on offer and stopped for a drink at Planet Hollywood (so-all the "theme" places are American. It's really funny. A Sports bar, A Western Bar, Planet Hollywood, Starbucks, American 50's burger place). Our bartender was exceptionally sweet, and well, pretty sure that Planet Hollywood hadn't been remodeled since the 90's.
The next three places are my favorite places we ate including the best pizza I've had in my life and I mean before I was vegan too.
First up: Raw Cakes, 100% vegan and gluten-free. A bright pink place in between visiting the catacombs and hopping a train to a cemetery, we stopped in here thinking only to find dessert but managed to have a delicious veggie burger as well. I loved my caramel baton and mint raw cake.
The next place was our most expensive and elegant meal that much to my joy FINALLY included french macarons. Gentle Gourmet is an all vegan fine dining restaurant and has been open for less than a year, but you would never know it from going there. Located on a city street corner across from the river there is lots of people watching to be done as well. The meal was superb and I had morel mushroom risotto and a blueberry caviar appetizer paired with espresso and macarons, and my companion had a sesame crusted tofu dish that was divine. And the presentation-well, just look for yourself:
The last place I am going to tell you about I ended up at because an Indian place I wanted to try was closed. I had been hoping to get here and I did not make it to the vegan burger place they also own but I do not in anyway regret my choice of pizza.
Hank's Vegan Pizza was a magical, hip, two story joint that had pizza with a crust like a flaky croissant. It was drizzled with truffle oils, and topped with sauces and fresh veggies. The meal included a salad and fresh made vegan cookie. I do not think I can do justice to describing this pizza. It was melty, fragrant, crusty but not hard -- wonderful. I so wish there was a place like this here. I absolutely have to go back just to try the vegan burger place. The owner was working the counter and was beyond thrilled when I told him how much I loved it. (Truly lovely people in Paris.) I really think that no matter your diet, if you ate here you would be pleased.
I was going to include the bars we stopped at and a word about Delta's vegan food but I'll save that for another time as this is so long and I am now pretty hungry and deeply regretting I can't have any of this food right now. Thank you for reading! Happy food, happy planet!
