By Angélique Complainville, VRG intern

French cuisine is known for its meat and cheese (with its beef bourguignon and cheese platters) and people assume that Paris is not the most ideal place to visit as a vegan. But trust me as someone who lives in Paris I can promise you it is actually not hard to find vegan food.

There are two aspects to eating vegan in France when traveling: eating out and grocery shopping to make your own meals. You also have to consider where you are in France: one of the main cities (such as Paris, Lyon or Marseilles) or in more rural areas of France.

First let’s talk about eating out. More and more vegan and vegetarian restaurants and cafes are opening up in the main French cities. To give you an example there are about 138 vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Paris and 16 in Marseille. If the restaurant isn’t fully vegan but vegetarian, the vegan options will usually be indicated with a (V) logo. To make your experience even easier you could write down a few useful sentences on your phone. For instance, when ordering at a vegetarian restaurant you could say to the waiter “sans oeufs” (without eggs?) “sans fromage, lait ou beurre” (without cheese, milk or butter). That way you can make sure that what you get will be 100% vegan. The vegan and vegetarian options range from burgers to veggie bowls through gourmet food.

I have had a chance to try a few vegan restaurants in Paris over the years and here are some of my favorites:

– Hank burger in Paris: has 5 different burgers with vegan cheese, sides and a few desserts. The burgers are really flavorful, and the staff is really friendly. If you go there, definitely get the “l’allumé” burger with a side of fries and their vegan mayonnaise.
http://www.hankrestaurant.com

– Gentle gourmet in Paris: is a gourmet fully vegan restaurant and the menu changes with the seasons. My non-vegan parents were really impressed by their vegan mayonnaise and so was I. The smoked and roasted tofu in a crust made of seven spices, accompanied by steamed mini vegetables and vegan chorizo cubes and served with an orange sauce was my favorite dish on the menu. It’s definitely a little pricier but if you want to have a nice dinner it’s definitely the place to go to.
https://gentlegourmet.fr/en/

– Le Tricycle in Paris: has the “vegan hot dog of the day” on their menu and I really recommend ordering it; it won’t disappoint. They also have snacks, sides and a veggie bowl.
https://www.facebook.com/Le-tricycle-525366447501365/

– Cloud cake in Paris: is an all vegan coffee shop. You can have breakfast, lunch or brunch there or just stop by and enjoy one of their slices of cake or a cupcake.
https://www.cloudcakes.fr

– Hank Pizza in Paris: has 4 different pizzas all made with vegan cheeses. You buy pizza by the slice and you can also enjoy various desserts. I would recommend that you try the “le costaud” pizza.
http://www.hankrestaurant.com

Now if you find yourself in a tiny rural village with no vegan or even vegetarian restaurants or you just don’t feel like eating out here are my tips to buy your own groceries and make your own food in France.

Find out where the nearest health food store and organic grocery stores are, the best “boulangeries” (bakeries), as well as markets where you can buy fresh produce (usually on Saturday or Sunday). If you want to play it safe, only buy products that have one ingredient (rice, fresh produce, baguette, quinoa, nuts…). That being said by having a list of non-vegan ingredients to look for in the ingredient list you can easily buy all the vegan food you want. Here are the most common non-vegan ingredients you want to be on the lookout for: viande (meat), poisson (fish), crustacé (shellfish), mollusque (mollusk), oeuf (egg), lait (milk), lactosérum (whey), fromage (cheese), jaune d’oeuf (egg yolk), anchois (anchives), gélatine (gelatin), miel (honey), cire d’abeille (beewax), protéine de lait (milk protein), poudre de lait écrémé (powdered milk). You can also use this link to verify whether the E-number is vegan or not: http://elated.co.za/which-e-numbers-are-vegan/. Be mindful that even though the traditional baguettes are vegan, store bought bread might not be, so remember to check the ingredient list.

More and more products also have the “vegan” or “vegetarian” label which helps identify them instantly. Your best bet to find vegan options such as vegan meat, dairy free products, etc. is to go to an organic grocery store. Carrefour and other chain grocery stores now have their own veggie brand with nuggets, veggie patties, meat balls… Some of their products aren’t vegan but vegetarian so once again check out the ingredient list.