Vegan Guide France Converting Carnivores 2025

How to Eat Plant-Based in France (Without Starving or Going Crazy)

Let me set the scene: I’m sitting in a traditional Burgundy restaurant, and the waiter has just listed the specials — boeuf bourguignon, coq au vin, escargots in garlic butter, and a salad with lardons. I’m vegan. He looks at me like I’ve asked him to explain quantum physics in Mandarin.

“Vous êtes… végétalienne?” he repeats, as if maybe I’ll change my mind if he says it slowly enough.

Welcome to vegan travel in France — a country that invented foie gras, perfected butter-based pastries, and considers cheese a separate course at dinner. It’s not the easiest place to eat plant-based. But after six trips as a vegan (and three more as a curious flexitarian before that), I can tell you with confidence: it’s not only possible, it’s genuinely delicious. You just need a slightly different playbook.

Here’s the complete guide to eating vegan and vegetarian in France — city by city, region by region, with specific restaurant recommendations and strategies for when the menu looks hopeless.

Overview: How Vegan-Friendly Is France in 2026?

The honest answer: much better than five years ago, but still behind the UK, Germany, or the Netherlands.

• Paris: Excellent — 200+ fully vegan or vegan-friendly restaurants. Every neighborhood has options.
• Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, Toulouse: Good — 15-30 vegan-specific spots plus many vegetarian restaurants.
• Smaller cities (Nice, Strasbourg, Montpellier, Nantes): Manageable — 5-15 vegan options, plus markets and Lebanese/Asian restaurants.
• Rural France: Challenging. Traditional restaurants rarely understand veganism. Markets and self-catering are your lifeline.

The good news: French food naturally includes many plant-based dishes that aren’t labeled “vegan” — ratatouille, socca (chickpea crêpe in Nice), tapenade, pissaladière (onion tart — usually dairy-free), and incredible bread and produce at every market. You won’t go hungry; you just need to know where to look.

Paris: Vegan Paradise (Seriously)

Paris has transformed. When I first visited as a vegan in 2019, there were maybe 20 dedicated spots. Now there are over 200, and many “regular” restaurants have vegan options that aren’t just a sad salad.

Best Vegan Restaurants

• Le Potager de Charlotte (10th arr.) — Organic, seasonal, fully vegan. The mushroom bourguignon is so good that my French non-vegan friend orders it voluntarily. Mains €14-18. Lunch menu €16.
• Hank Burger (3rd/4th arr.) — Vegan burgers that convert carnivores. The smoked “bacon” burger with homemade ketchup is phenomenal. Burgers €10-14.
• Gentle Gourmet (12th arr.) — Upscale vegan French cuisine. This is where you go to prove that vegan food can be fine dining. Tasting menu €55. Book ahead.
• Wild & The Moon (multiple locations) — Cold-pressed juices, grain bowls, raw desserts. Great for a healthy quick lunch. Bowls €12-15.
• VG Pâtisserie (11th arr.) — The first fully vegan pastry shop in Paris. The croissants, éclairs, and tarte au citron are indistinguishable from their butter-based cousins. I’m not exaggerating.

Vegan-Friendly Non-Vegan Restaurants

• Lebanese restaurants (especially in the 10th and 18th arr.) — Hummus, falafel, tabbouleh, baba ganoush, fattoush. All naturally vegan, all delicious, €8-12 for a full meal.
• Japanese/Korean restaurants — Tofu dishes, vegetable tempura, bibimbap (ask without egg). The Rue Sainte-Anne area (near Opéra) is Paris’s Japanese district.
• Indian restaurants — Passage Brady (10th arr.) is Paris’s “Little India.” Dhal, aloo gobi, chana masala. Ask for no ghee/cream. €8-12.

Beyond Paris: City-by-City Guide

Lyon

France’s gastronomic capital isn’t the easiest for vegans — traditional bouchons revolve around pork, cream, and offal. But it’s improving:

• Sol Semilla — Raw and vegan café, excellent smoothie bowls and raw desserts. €10-14.
• Toutes les Couleurs — Vegetarian with many vegan options. Creative French-inspired plant cuisine. Mains €13-17.
• The Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse (market) — Several stalls sell incredible produce, olives, and bread. Perfect for self-assembly.

Marseille

Marseille’s diversity helps hugely. The Noailles neighborhood is packed with North African, Middle Eastern, and Asian restaurants where vegan options are natural:

• Café Borély — Mediterranean bowls, vegan options. Terrace by the beach park. €11-15.
• Noailles market — Fresh produce, spices, Tunisian pastries (many are vegan), falafel wraps. €3-5 for a filling meal.

Nice

Nice’s local cuisine is surprisingly vegan-friendly thanks to Italian influence and Provençal traditions:

• Socca — The iconic Niçois chickpea pancake, cooked on a wood fire. Naturally vegan, naturally delicious. €3 at Cours Saleya market.
• Pissaladière — Caramelized onion tart. The traditional version uses anchovies, but many bakeries make a plain onion version that’s dairy-free.
• Loving Hut — Part of the global chain, but the Nice location is excellent. Vietnamese-inspired vegan food, €9-13.

Bordeaux

• CQFD — Fully vegan bistro. The seitan “steak” with red wine sauce and Bordelaise garnish is a love letter to the city’s culinary heritage. Mains €14-18.
• Kitchen Garden — Organic vegan café, colorful bowls and excellent coffee. €10-14.

Rural France: Survival Strategies

This is where it gets real. In small-town France, the concept of veganism can still genuinely confuse people. Here’s how to navigate it:

Strategy 1: Markets Are Your Best Friend

Every French town has a market at least twice a week. The produce is incredible — tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes, fresh herbs, stone fruits in summer, mushrooms in autumn. Add bread from the bakery (most French bread is naturally vegan — flour, water, yeast, salt) and olives/tapenade from the olive oil stall, and you’ve got a feast for €5-8.

Strategy 2: Self-Catering

Book accommodation with a kitchen. French supermarkets (Carrefour, Leclerc, Monoprix) have surprisingly good plant-based sections now — plant milks, tofu, plant-based yogurts, and ready meals. Monoprix’s in-house “Bio” range is excellent.

Strategy 3: French Phrases That Save You

• “Je suis végétalien(ne)” — I’m vegan (this is clearer than “vegan” which some people don’t know)
• “Sans viande, sans poisson, sans produits laitiers, sans oeufs” — No meat, no fish, no dairy, no eggs (belt and suspenders approach)
• “Est-ce qu’il y a du beurre/de la crème dedans?” — Is there butter/cream in it?
• “Je suis allergique aux produits laitiers” — I’m allergic to dairy (saying “allergic” gets taken more seriously than “preference”)

For more essential phrases, see our French Phrases Guide.

Strategy 4: Safe Restaurant Orders

Even in traditional restaurants with no vegan options, these usually work:

• Salade verte (green salad) — usually just lettuce and vinaigrette (check for cheese)
• Légumes grillés (grilled vegetables) — ask for olive oil instead of butter
• Ratatouille — almost always vegan
• Frites (French fries) — usually fried in vegetable oil in France (not animal fat like in some countries)
• Soupe de légumes — ask if it’s made with cream or butter (often is, but sometimes not)

Naturally Vegan French Foods You Should Know About

France has more accidentally vegan food than you’d think:

• Socca (Nice) — Chickpea flour pancake. Naturally vegan.
• Ratatouille — Stewed vegetables. Classic Provençal, always vegan.
• Tapenade — Olive paste. Spread on bread, heaven.
• Pissaladière (without anchovies) — Onion tart on bread dough.
• Pain (bread) — Most French bread is vegan. The exceptions are brioche (butter, eggs) and some enriched breads.
• Confitures (jams) — French preserves are extraordinary and obviously vegan.
• Sorbet — Most ice cream shops have dairy-free sorbets. Berthillon in Paris has 15+ flavors.
• Frites — French fries, cooked in vegetable oil.
• Cornichons, olives, pickled vegetables — All vegan, all delicious.
• Wine — Most French wine is vegan (unlike some New World wines that use animal-based fining agents). Natural wines almost always are.

Budget Breakdown: Eating Vegan in France

A vegan traveler can eat very well in Paris for €25-35/day (one market meal, one restaurant meal, snacks). In rural France with self-catering, €15-20/day is realistic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will French people judge me for being vegan?

Some older French people might be puzzled or make a gentle joke about it. But French culture is shifting rapidly, especially among younger people in cities. In Paris, nobody bats an eye. In rural areas, approach it with humor rather than righteousness — “Je sais, c’est bizarre, mais…” (I know, it’s weird, but…) goes a long way.

Can I find plant milk in cafés?

In Paris and major cities: yes, most specialty coffee shops offer oat or soy milk (usually +€0.50-0.80). In traditional cafés and rural areas: very unlikely. Bring your own small carton for emergencies (available at any supermarket).

Is French wine vegan?

Mostly yes. Traditional French winemaking rarely uses animal-based fining agents. Natural and organic wines are almost always vegan. If in doubt, look for the “Végan” or “Non-collé, non-filtré” label. Our Wine Regions guide covers the best regions for tasting.

What about vegetarian (not vegan)?

Much easier. France has incredible cheese (obviously), egg dishes (quiche, omelettes), and most restaurants can do a plat de légumes (vegetable plate). Even traditional restaurants usually have at least one or two vegetarian options. The cheese alone makes vegetarian travel in France a joy.

Best apps for finding vegan food in France?

HappyCow is essential — it has the most comprehensive database of vegan/vegetarian restaurants worldwide, including France. Also check VegOresto (French-specific vegan restaurant guide) and Too Good To Go (rescue unsold food from restaurants and bakeries for €3-5 — often includes vegan options).

Planning your France trip? Our French Food Guide covers the broader culinary landscape, and the 7-Day Itinerary helps you plan a route with good vegan options at each stop. For vegan-friendly Spain next door, Barcelona is one of Europe’s best vegan cities.