A quiet, reasonably-priced restaurant for our first evening in Paris?
 

I'm looking for restaurant recommendations for our first evening in Paris. We will be arriving in the morning (9:30) and will probably go to a grocer to pick up a light lunch of odds and ends. Then we'll do some sight-seeing for the rest of the day.

Anyway, we expect to be pretty much annihilated by dinner time, and I'd really like to be prepared with somewhere quiet and easy to eat.

Our criteria:

-not too expensive; although for this first dinner, we're ok with treating ourselves and having a bit of a splurge, we are on a fairly tight budget (as you might have deduced from the above reference to a hostel :)).

-vegetarian or vegetarian friendly; this is very important, two out of three of us will be vegetarians! Even if the menu is mostly meat-based, if they have some veggie options or are flexible with their dishes, we're fine with that!

-delicious food.

-a quiet and comfortable atmosphere; friendly and helpful staff would also be really awesome!

-our hostel is in the 9th arrondissement, in the 'Opéra Area' so in that general vicinity would be nice, but location is by no means a deal breaker; we just don't want to have to find our way back from TOO far away when we're all stupid and jet-lagged :)


Any suggestions, or am I asking a bit too much? I feel like I'm asking a lot...

I just am having trouble with the veggie options you want. Could be be more specific as to what you mean by that? Do you just mean anything on the menu which would include side dishes (one could probably put together a meal of side dishes such as vegetables and potatoes or rice and maybe a salad, but you have to be careful of those as to whether they are totally vegetarian or not)?

Or do you mean you want a restaurant that serve a real vegetarian main dish? Because those are harder to find. And what are you used to eating, do you mean something made out of beans, quinoa, eggplant, etc? I can see Italian being easier as I have a vegetarian friend and when we go out to dinner, she doesn't have much trouble finding a vegetarian risotte or pasta dish (maybe with a spinich sauce or something). We also can find vegetarian dishes easiy in Thai restaurants and Indian, of course. Paris has lots of n African (eg Algerian, Tunis, etc) restaurants with cous-cous and I think you can get that vegetarian but I'm not that crazy about cous cous so haven't checked that much. But in France, typical French bistros/restaurants do not usually have those vegetarian main dishes with tofu or beans or whatever. And at dinner, you probably couldn't order an omelet (which would be a cafe dish, anyway).

So why don't you explain a little more so people know what to advise. One bit of advice I have for you is NOT to splurge with your special, expensive meal on your first day, you'll be tired and won't appreciate it.

I know a lot of people think vegetarians eat fish, but a true vegetarian does not, so I presume these folks are really vegetarian and it's not just that they don't eat mammals.

Basically, I am looking for a restaurant that would be able to provide a good vegetarian meal. So no, a variety of sides (in the traditional sense) on a plate really wouldn't be ideal, unless there is something extra special about them.

I'm not looking for specifically French cuisine, as I know that is largely meat-based. I love Thai, Japanese or Indian food for example, and I'm a sucker for falafel! I also really enjoy a good sandwich or a nice big, interesting salad, although I do understand that those are really more lunch-y :). I like food that is creatively prepared and unusual flavor combinations are fine with me (other than meat, there is almost nothing I won't eat). I don't eat much by way of tofu or soy products really, but I do love me some beans and quinoa.

That said, I realize vegetarian food isn't as popular/available in France as it is here in Canada, and I know that I'll probably be relying a lot on bread and cheese while I'm there. I love bread and cheese so that is just fine with me :)

I definitely don't eat fish, but eggs and dairy are fair game. Honestly, I'll try almost anything once :)

P.s. I'm not so very keen on eggplant. I find it pretty uninspiring...

'La Rose De La France', quaint, intimate, good value, hidden away at 24 Place Dauphine, adjacent to Pont Neuf. Easy to get off the boat and get to dinner, but probably need to book ahead. Bonne Vacannes

I suggest a salad with egg and chevre at a neighborhood brasserie or bistro and then find you a restaurant for the next day. First day--I'm ready for bed by 8 and then to bed and ready the NEXT day.

Thanks For the advice so far!

I'm not bent on splurging on something fancy. I would just be a little more willing to spend if it would make things easier for us on our first night, if that makes sense.

We're almost certainly going to bed early!

Parmenter: La Rose De La France looks great!

If you check Patrica Wells' "The Food Lovers Guide to Paris", you will find several recommendations, including one of our favorites, Fish La Boissonnerie in the 6th.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fish-L...56620904372928

There are lots of Vietnsmese restaurants in Paris, but most of them are North Vietnamese, so the food is a bit different. Lots of Thai restaurants and Chinese s well. Paris has a big Chinatown but we don't know where you are staying.

If you eat cheese, eggs, and fish, you won't have any problem. Vegans have to work harder. There are people here who would rather die than eat at a chain, but Leon de Bruxelles will give yoa a big pot of mussels and all the frites you can eat for a very reasonable price. There are lots of them around.

Try some food blogs like David Leibowitz

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2013/01...nt/#more-11516

You might email the hostel in advance.

Or you might also look at this website. Good for many places in Europe and lists 95 restaurants in Paris that are vegetarian or "veg friendly".

www.happycow.net/europe/france/paris

The website doesn't exactly specific arrondissement but in the Paris postal code 7500__ the last digits are the arrondissement, so 75009 is the 9th.)

Ack, no fish!!
And restaurants often don't start dinner until 7:30 or 8PM so if you want to go to bed early, make an early reservation.

We really like the vegetarian lasagne at La Fee Verte ,r.d.la Roquette in the 11th. A reasonable splurge for the hostel set.

I also like to search "cheap eats Paris" and see what I get. The Time Out Paris site has nice looking Thai etc suggestions.

vegetarians don't eat fish or mussels, etc., a lot of people really don't understand that, but I'm not sure why. Vegetarians don't eat animal flesh of any kind.

I don't recall where your hostel is in the 9th, but when I stay in the 9th, there are several cheap Indian restaurants at place Thoudouze where a lot of students and young people hang out. Very casual, no problem just going there and checking them out (I haven't been there in a couple years, actually, but there were at least 2 maybe 3). This is just a couple short blocks north of the St Georges metro stop. I love INdian food myself.

HEre is a good website on vegegetarian Indian restaurants in France, you can see several in Paris.
http://www.bevegetarian.in/restauran...ational/france

Kastoori is on place Toudouze and Kavieri is also in the 9th on ave Trudaine. I've eaten at Kastoori and liked it. reviews http://www.yelp.com/biz/kastoori-paris

Stokebailey: thanks for the recommendation and the search suggestion. Vegetarian and cheap often go hand in hand so it's worth a try, definitely :)

Christina: who knew there was a website devoted specifically to vegetarian Indian food in France? There really is something for everyone in the internet!

Tarquin and laurie_ann: very useful links, thanks!