Top 5 Places for Vegans in Montmartre

Top 5 Places for Vegans in Montmartre

Admittedly Paris was slow to the vegan party. While the rest of Europe jumped on the plant based bandwagon seemingly overnight, Paris is only in recent years able to offer a variety of vegan options within the city center.

Le Marais remains the strongest neighborhood for vegan dining in Paris, with the Latin Quarter and Bastille closely flooring suite. Once a year in Paris there is also the annual Vegan Food Festival; you can follow their social media pages to keep up with the events.

Montmartre, being the stuck-in-the-past village of the north that it is, is limited in options for  both vegan and gluten free eaters. The village has but one solely vegan cafe, though I see more popping up before the end of the year.

For now we make our way between the regular restaurants and cafes of the 18th arrondissement and make adjustment to existing menu items that are for the most part plant based. Here’s where to enjoy cruelty free foods on the Montmartre hill.

1. Soul Kitchen in Montmartre

Soul Kitchen doesn’t isolate itself as solely vegan or vegetarian, but the number of plant based meals in the cafe far outnumbers those that include meats or fish. It’s a health cafe through and through.

The cafe is a bit of a vegetable heartbeat for Montmartre. It is situated just behind the Sacre Coeur at the summit, so hungry travelers tend to find it quite easily after their free guided walking tour to the top.

Soul Kitchen – by Soul Kitchen – Uploaded by them

The restaurant is the concept of three best friends who saw the need for more healthy food options in Montmartre early on. The women banned together to create Soul Kitchen, in collaboration with a chef who changes the menu quite frequently. The meals of the day are displayed on chalkboards around the cafe.

I love their granola and mango salads. Their soup of the day is usually phenomenal and ranges between creamy tomato, butternut and other seasonal veggies — the soup is almost always vegan but double check when placing your order.

On weekends expect to find queues to get in during brunch rush.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: TUESDAY TO SUNDAY – 8:45AM TO 6PM

ADDRESS: 33 RUE LAMARCK, 75018 PARIS, FRANCE

METRO STATION: LAMARCK – CAULAINCOURT

2. Chez Zena in Montmartre

There are some cuisines that are for the most part “accidentally vegan”. This is a term coined by plant eaters when a happy coincidence occurs and a meal or food stuff is vegan without intending to be.

Lebanese cuisine is one of these. While many traditional Lebanese dishes make use of meat, there are ten times as many that done.

Chez Zena is the number one Lebanese restaurant on Montmartre hill. It’s a small vicinity with a homestyle setting, it is very obvious that this is a family run environment.

Chez Zena in Montmartre – by Chez Zena – Uploaded by them

The food is exceptionally affordable and utterly delicious. As a vegan you’ll want to sample all the dips and breads, with sides of tabbouleh salad and falafel balls. Be sure to order the hummus!

For an all in one experience you can also opt for the falafel sandwich.

For dessert vegans at Chez Zena are treated to homemade baklava, exactly as you’d eat it in Lebanon.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: TUESDAY TO SUNDAY – 11AM TO 10:30PM

ADDRESS: 10 Rue de la Fontaine du But, 75018 Paris, France

METRO STATION: LAMARCK – CAULAINCOURT

3. Bululu Arepera in Montmartre

Just one road up from the Lebanese dream we find another restaurant that is accidentally vegan in many ways. South American cuisine makes use of many fresh fruits and vegetables as key components to each dish.

Bululu Arepera is a simple, South American fusion kitchen that basically draws all the best recipes from that part of the world and creates them in a single space.

Vegans thrive here. Many of the mains can be adjusted quite easily to be entirely plant based and most of the sides are naturally meat free themselves.

Bululu Arepera in Montmartre – by Bululu Arepera – Sourced from their Facebook

As with any South American dining experience, one must always start with guac and chips! The chips at Bululu are made from plantains instead of corn, making them healthier and ten times more tasty.

Their avocado and mushroom fry-up is my go-to. Add a side of black beans and pickled pink onions!

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: TUESDAY TO SUNDAY – 12PM TO 11PM

ADDRESS: 20 Rue de la Fontaine du But, 75018 Paris, France

METRO STATION: LAMARCK – CAULAINCOURT

4. Abattoir Végétal in Montmartre

When I mentioned Montmartre has but one solely vegan eatery I was talking about Abattoir Végétal.

The restaurant has done plant based dining so well that most of their clientele aren’t even vegan themselves, they simply love the interior, service and flavor of the meals Abattoir Végétal brings to life.

Abattoir Végétal in Montmartre – by Abattoir Végétal – Uploaded by them

The menu has a range of dish options spanning from juicy burgers to saucy hotdogs; salads and falafel plates, even buddha bowls and raw soups.

The restaurant has an Alice in Wonderland style to it. You feel healthier just stepping inside.

The restaurant is also open until 11:30pm which is unheard of for late night vegan dining in Paris, particularly in Montmartre. You’re not truly vegan until you’ve had hunger strike at 10pm and had to face the fact that you won’t be getting anything to eat so late, and you’ll have to wait until morning!

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: TUESDAY TO SUNDAY – 9AM TO 11:30PM

ADDRESS: 61 Rue Ramey, 75018 Paris, France

METRO STATION: Jules Joffrin

5. Navel in Montmartre

Ask any vegan what their go-to cuisine is in desperate times and they’ll tell you its Indian food. Traditional Indian dishes make use of vegetables before they do meats, which means there are always guaranteed vegan options in even your most low-key of Indian eateries.

Navel is situated down the back end of north Montmartre, far behind where most of us ever venture .

by Pille-Riin Priske – Unsplash

Its an understated Montmartre restaurant where all the focus is placed on the outstanding quality and flavor of the food.

Choose from any of their potato, chickpea or dahl based curries accompanied by steaming basmati rice and naan breads. The butter naan is obviously not suitable for vegans but you can request a plain or garlic one instead.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS: Monday TO SUNDAY – 12pM TO 2:30PM // 7pm to 12am

ADDRESS: 4 Rue de Suez, 75018 Paris, France

METRO STATION: Château Rouge