Paris stands at the forefront of France’s push to cut meat consumption under national climate policies, creating a fascinating contrast between tradition and sustainability. A recent writer’s investigation into the city’s plant-based dining scene reveals how its iconic food culture is adapting—balancing environmental goals with deep-rooted culinary heritage.
In May 2026, the writer visited Paris with her six-year-old son, who is largely vegetarian. Although she found plenty of plant-based options on menus, she realized that ‘plant-based’ might mean including a side salad with steak. This experience sparked her determination to find the plant-based city she knew existed.
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Exploring Paris’s Plant-Based Scene
The writer began her search in the 9th and 10th arrondissements, known as ‘Veggietown’, where she found a variety of international restaurants and cafes with vegetarian options. She visited La Table de Colette, a self-described ‘carbon-neutral-cuisine’ restaurant, where chef Josselin Marie serves plant-centered, micro-seasonal produce with minimal waste and no red meat.
Marie’s mission is to prioritize eco-friendly practices, using an eco-calculator developed by Bon Pour Le Climat to guide his menu choices. He notes that 400 years ago, a typical French plate consisted largely of vegetables, but over time, animal proteins became a status symbol. La Table de Colette’s sous-chef, Ismaël Hermantin, echoes this, saying that the soul of French cuisine is one product, usually fish or meat, but they’re turning this around.
The writer also visited L’Arpege, a three-Michelin-star restaurant where legendary chef Alain Passard removed meat from the menu in 1998. Passard said, “People came to me for meat; poultry, prime rib of beef, and so on.” But a moment of realization changed everything, and he began to focus on plant-based cuisine. This shift is not limited to established chefs, as a new generation of chefs, like Manon Fleury, founder of Datil, is putting plant-based dishes front and center.
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Fleury’s restaurant celebrates a return to traditional French dishes, serving meals like galettes de sarrasin and lentilles du Puy, which were once part of the average French citizen’s diet. The writer notes that her idea of ‘vegan’ and the Parisian concept of cuisine végétale are not identical, as plant-based food in France often means reducing animal products rather than eliminating them entirely.
Plant-Based Cuisine in Parisian Restaurants
The writer visited Green Farmer’s, a jungle-hued burger joint where co-founder Manuel Gonzales shares the story of a diner who didn’t realize he was eating plant-based food until after he finished his meal. Many have made this place their go-to for vegan nuggets, chili ‘sin’ carne, and the crousty green, a vegan take on a popular Parisian street food, consisting of crunchy vegan chicken pieces over rice, served with lashings of vegan mayo and crispy onions. The writer enjoyed a Smash Truffle burger, which was so tasty that she couldn’t put it down.