I hope all of you are enjoying the series ‘A vegetarian foodie’s adventures across Europe’. I am having fun writing them and it reminds me of both the delicious as well as inedible food (there were quite a few of them too) I ate around Europe. This week, I bring you updates from the Crème de la crème of European food. The fact that I used French should have given you some indication about which country I am talking about.
One of the things that I like about both French vegetarian food and vegetarian food in France (mind you, both are two very different things) are the variety of options we get to choose from. Since it was a repeat trip for me, I did not spend too many days in this beautiful country. But I still ate a lot of delicious veg food in France and that is why it tops as a favourite destination this time for the foodie in me. So, without further ado, let me take you through my experiences as a vegetarian foodie in France.
Planning your France Itinerary at the last minute?
I know everyone is busy and don’t have time to plan their itinerary to France. In this section, I list some of my favorite websites and apps I use while planning my France travel itineraries.
- Skyscanner is my go to app when it comes to booking flight tickets for France.
- I use Booking for all my accommodations in France.
- If I am staying in hostels, then HostelWorld is my preferred app for hostels in France.
- I use Omio and RailEurope for all my train tickets in France.
- I use Getyourguide for all my tours within France.
- I used Flixbus to travel around France.
- Safetywing has your insurance covered in France.
- Get an eSim when you are travelling across France.
Table Of Contents
Vegetarian Food in France’s food capital Paris:
As mentioned before, by the time I got to Paris, I was exhausted. Till then, I was too excited to see all the places in my itinerary. I was kind of relieved when I found out that it was raining. When you are at home, what do you usually do if it is raining? Sit in the balcony of your apartment, watching the rain and reading a book as you sip a delicious cup of coffee. Also, add some chilli bhajjis to the mix and you are set for the day. I think the beauty of rains are enhanced when you have some comfort France veg food to go along with it.
That is exactly what I did due to the rains in Paris. Eat a lot of France vegan food, while exploring the romantic city by foot. Unfortunately, the number of useable photos from this venture is minimal since I left my DSLR in the hotel on most days.
Recommended Read – Paris during rains
Paris was definitely the most expensive city I visited this time. On my first night in Paris, I really did not have the strength to venture out far and decided to go to a place right opposite my hotel. I was staying in the 1st arrondissement (Paris is divided into districts or arrondissements) and that meant I had many to choose from. Imagine my surprise, when I realized that I had to pay close to 20 Euros for a plate of pasta. If you are in Paris, do be careful when it comes to choosing restaurants for veg French food. They can definitely put a dent in your wallet.
Since the hotel I was staying in did not include breakfast with the room charges, I decided to head to Angelina for breakfast the next day. This was less than 5 minutes walking distance from my hotel. Angelina is a tea room that was founded in 1903 in Paris and has been an integral part of Parisian food ever since. Please be warned that there will be a minimum of 30 minutes wait time to get into this tea room. But the experience is definitely worth it and one of the best places that made being vegetarian in France much easier. The whole place is so elegant and sophisticated that you would not mind waiting in the queue.
Find out my recommendations for Paris Food tours
Before we go any further, find out my recommendations for the best food tour in Paris
Paris Private food tour
Do this private food tour in Paris
Find recommendations for recipes for some of the dishes mentioned in this post
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| Delicious Hot Chocolate |
A typical breakfast includes an assortment of French pastries, fresh cut fruits, eggs to order and a drink. Please do have the ‘Hot Chocolate’ here since it was just out of this world. Actually, hot chocolate anywhere in Paris is always a good idea. Rest of the breakfast is delicious too. This assorted breakfast is priced around 25 Euros.
Since I was visiting friends for lunch, my friend brought me my first falafel in Europe. I was hooked and I continued having them whenever I could. There are many well-known falafel shops all around Paris and is heaven sent for vegetarians in France.
I had a lot of pastries around Paris. Paris is heaven for people with a sweet tooth and you are spoilt with choices. If you are a dessert aficionado like me, then you have to try Financers, Eclairs, Macaroons, Profiteroles, Chocolates and so many more. If you are in the mood for ice cream in Paris, then Berthillion in Paris is another favorite. Again, be prepared to wait in a queue.
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| Macaroon Tower, Laduree |
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| Desserts, Laduree, Paris |
Another thing I loved in Paris were the crepes. How can you go to France and not have French crepes? On my last day in Paris, I went to Laduree for breakfast. Laduree is a luxury bakery that was set up in 1862. You have to try the Macaroons here. It was another delicious breakfast.
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| Laduree, Paris |
Paris was a foodie heaven for me and for great vegan food in France. Hopefully, I will get time to eat more delicious food next time I am in Paris. Also, check some of the food tours listed below.
Vegetarian in France – Strasbourg
I was in Strasbourg only for a night. But I had a tough time finding vegetarian food here and it is difficult being a vegetarian in this part of France. Since it is not a mainstream place like Paris, not many people spoke English and it was difficult for me to make them understand that I wanted something vegetarian. Also, the menus were in French. I stuck to the easy options like pizza and pasta here. Since it is close to Germany and Switzerland, Gugelhupf, a bunt cake is quite famous here. I loved it and you should definitely give it a try as well.
France vegetarian food in Colmar
I was in Colmar for few hours and the only thing I ate here was a gratin inside the food market. Since it was made of organic products, I loved the taste of the gratin. Even though Colmar is a small town, they do have an Indian restaurant for vegetarians.
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| Gratin, Colmar, France |
Frequently asked questions about Vegetarian French food
Is vegetarianism popular in France?
About 5% of the population of France is vegetarian. Also a lot of young people in France have decided to go vegan in the recent times and hence vegetarianism has slowly started becoming popular in many parts of France other than the main cities like Paris.
Is France vegan friendly?
Many French vegetarian dishes do contain dairy products. But with the slow rise in popularity of vegan culture, the vegans in France have now more options to choose from
How to say vegan in French?
Vegetalienne is French for vegan in feminine form. Vegetalien is vegan in French cuisine in masculine form.
How to say I am vegetarian in French?
Végétarienne is French for vegetarian in feminine form. végétarien is vegetarian in veg French cuisine in masculine form.
Conclusion
France has no dearth of options when you are looking for delicious vegetarian French food. I wish I had spent more time in Paris so that I could eat all those delicious things that I missed eating.
Read other posts from my Vegetarian series:
- Vegetarian Food in Portugal
- Vegetarian Food in Spain
- Vegan food in Mexico City
- Vegetarian Food in Belgium
- Vegetarian Food in Amsterdam
- Vegetarian Food in Prague
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Find my recommendations for guide books on France.
Guidebooks for France
Need more tips for traveling in France and need more guidance on which books to read? These are our recommendations for you to read before you go.
Recommended: France travel tips
BOOKING RESOURCES
Looking to book your trip now? Find some of my favorite resources I use while booking my trip. You can also find my travel gear here.
Book Your Flight
I am a Skyscanner fan when it comes to booking international flights. I use Makemytrip and Yatra for domestic flights.
Travel Insurance
As an Indian, I prefer ICICILombard and I am always insured when I am traveling outside India. In addition, I have used World Nomads and SafetyWing for some of my trips.
Book Tours
I do go on a lot of day tours especially when I am traveling solo and love going on road trips with my husband.. Depending on convenience, my choices are Viator or Getyourguide.
Wow! So many delicacies to choose here, and as a veggie definitely a post for me when I will be heading to France someday!
Arti, hopefully it will be helpful for you the day you decide to head to France.
25 Euros for breakfast! I will have a heart attack!!! 😀
Paris was really expensive. I was having heart attack one after the other in terms of prices. I was surviving on less than 50 Euros per day for Food, transportation and other expenses till I reached Paris. It all went out the door the minute I reached Paris. Only consolation was that I did not eat lunch or dinner on the days I spent so much for breakfast.
Great to know of so many veg options. Pastries, bread and cheese always are saviours and so is Falafel , which now are available all over europe. I first had mine in Switzerland a long time ago. When in Belgium ask for Durum Pita but be sure to ask him to hold the meat 🙂 . It is a wrap (wheat roti) which has lots of vegetables. It is again Mid-eastern cuisine, so maby available everywhere.
I have had Durum Pita before but not in Belgium. Yes we are having more options as vegetarians now.
Very useful for vegetarians…
Thank You Shrinidhi
This is such a great guide! I am not a vegetarian myself but I recently traveled through Europe with one of my best friends who is a vegetarian and at times we really struggled to find suitable places to eat.
Being a vegetarian, it is not that it is difficult to find food. It is just that we need to know where to look.
I loved looking at all of your pictures! Even as someone who loves meat, this looks amazing 🙂
Thank you Felicia.
Interesting, I often wonder about vegetarians and vegans traveling to other countries. Of course here in the UK its really easy so it seems to be getting better, maybe should should have written down somewhere vegetarian in other languages…lol…
I did learn how to say Vegetarian in few languages. But it was a little difficult to make people understand.
Oh my… I’d do paying so much! But I understand why is that 🙂 All the food looks so good, I’d definitely love to eat most of them! 🙂
Paris was really expensive.
I love Angelina! In general, I’m hunting for this kind of places to have a cup of tea or coffee so France, and especially Paris, is a paradise for me. Funny, I always use the same way to categorize vegan food when I travel 🙂
I loved the food, decor and ambience of Angelina. So classy.
I’m not vegetarian but I found myself eating a lot of vegetarian meals when I was in France in August. I found that there was quite a good selection, and they tended to be pretty delicious! I love that you included sweets in your post — the French do pastries better than any other country, and they are not to be missed! 🙂
Yes they do the pastries better than anyone else in the world.
It’s so hard to be a vegetarian in Europe sometimes. I’ve been told a few times, “it’s ok we have chicken,” HAHAH. These all look amazing though and falafel is always a good option. I eat it all the time. 🙂
Yes Falafel was my safe bet. Cheap and had vegetarian options too.
Very cool series – I’m sure it’s so useful for other vegetarians! I absolutely love French food – when I was in Paris I felt like I was eating the entire time trying to taste as much as possible!
I was eating the entire time I was in Paris too.
It’s always a challenge to find vegetarian food while traveling! Love this post! Saving it for future use:)
Hopefully this will help you in the future.
I enjoyed this post, but now I’m hungry. ? I would challenge you to add vegan options to your posts. The French love their cheese, crème and butter. Bon appétit!