Healthy Places to Eat Near Your Favorite Paris Spots
As a health enthusiast, exploring the land of wine and cheese can create the challenging task of foraging for delicious and nutritious dinning options. With the use of quality food as preventative medicine on the rise, more people are searching for healthy and vegan meal alternatives, even while enjoying a vacation as romantic and enchanting as a trip to Paris.
Here are healthy restaurant options near some of your favorite Parisian museums, cathedrals, and monuments.
Enjoy, and Bon Appetit!
Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe is one of the most famous streets in Paris. Known for it’s shops and restaurants, it is crowned by the spectacular presence of the Arc de Triumph at its base. The Arc was erected in 1836 to honor those who fought and died for France in the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars. Make sure to venture to the top of the Arc and enjoy panoramic views Paris.
After sight seeing and shopping until you drop, take a stroll down Avenue K‚àö¬©ber (right of the Arc if looking at the Champs-Élysées). Down this street you will find restaurants EXKI and Good Organics Only. Both have pre-prepared fresh organic food, labeled with which items are gluten free, vegan, etc. Both have several locations throughout Paris, so feel free to browse their websites.
Notre Dame, Louvre Museum, and Sainte-Chapelle
Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle are both located on the Île de la Cité (Island of the city) in the middle of the river Seine, and the Louvre museum is north west of the island on the “right bank” of the river. The Louvre museum is of course known as the worlds largest museum and famous for housing works of art such as the Mona Lisa. The largest well known cathedral in the world, Notre Dame Cathedral is well known as one of the finest displays of French gothic architecture. However, the smaller and lesser known Sainte-Chapelle may be the most breath taking of the three. Sainte-Chapelle’s cathedral boasts over 1,100 stained glass pictures that tell the bible story from beginning to end while viewing left to right in the sanctuary. Regardless whether artistic recreation of scripture is your thing, watching the light cascade through stained glass windows and fill the sanctuary with prisms of vivid color is simply spectacular.
Close to Notre Dame is my favorite spot to enjoy organic vegetables and fresh squeezed juices. Paradis de Fruits it is a chain of restaurants found all throughout Paris. The atmosphere is clean and refreshing, the waiters are friendly and generally speak English, and you can also request an English menu and order take out.
Pantheon and Catacombs
Walking through “L’empire de la morte” (the empire of death,) which the doorway to the catacombs grimly states, may not exactly drum up your appetite. However, the catacombs of Paris are something to experience. You will learn about the plagues of Europe, and how a city dating back more than seven thousand years has come up with some interesting solutions to burying their dead. On a similar note, the nearby Pantheon, which was once built as a beautiful church dedicated to St. Genevieve, now functions as a famous crypt containing the remains of distinguished French citizens from Voltaire to Victor Hugo.
Near these sites you will find the restaurant Jour. Jour hosts a variety or pre-prepared and fresh to order foods, as well as several fresh juice selections from the menu above the counter. Jour has locations all around the city, so be sure to check out their website.
Galleries Lafayette
A trip to Paris would not be complete without a lavish shopping excursion, and there is no better place to shop in Paris than the Galleries Lafayette. One of the oldest malls in Europe, it boasts “la coupole dome” which soars more than 108 feet above its fancy boutiques. Enjoy a coffee on one of the terraces to rest your shopping-bag laden arms and view the incredible glasswork all around. Be sure not to miss out on a trip to the rooftop for breathtaking views of the city.
Near the galleries you will find the restaurant Le Pain Quotidien, a French country style restaurant which hosts a menu of organic options as well as vegan choices. Be sure to visit their website to view locations and menus.
Thankfully, we also have a littel bit of this French blessing Le Pain Quotidien in The States too!
Eiffel Tower
The one you have been waiting for this entire article! The Eiffel tower is the most visited monument in the entire world, with around seven million visitors annually. There are restaurants on the first two levels of the tower, which would certainly be the most memorable and romantic options. Make sure to make reservations well in advance if you plan to dine here!
Another option near the tower is La Verriere. Though it may fall short of capturing the ambiance and romance of dining in the tower itself, it is great for those of who spend a lot of time in Paris and simply want to catch a healthy organic meal before an evening stroll along the Seine. The restaurant features a fresh pressed juice menu at the front (you must know to ask for this) and buffet style dinning with a variety of fresh vegetables and other organic treats.
Side note
To skip the lines on the above-mentioned monuments and also save some cash, consider purchasing a 2, 4, or 6 day Pairs Pass.
Bon voyage mes amis!