Is it that hard to find non-meat menus in Paris?
 

I eat fish, milk and eggs, but no meat. I've spent most of my day today looking at menus for our May Trip and am thinking I'm going to be quite thin when I return home : ) is Paris hard for those of us who don't eat meat? Thanks in advance for any advice.

Not sure which menus you have been perusing but you will have no problem finding ovo-lacto pescetarian sustenance in Paris. We have visited with family members who follow a similar (and some even more restrictive) eating pattern and have never had a problem. Ever. There's almost always something that will meet your requirements and if you ask most places will be happy to modify items to suit.

It is not difficult at all to find fish, seafood, egg dishes. I rarely eat meat and have had wonderful food in Paris. Most restaurants have many fish dishes on the menu. Just don't choose a steak place and you will be fine. A good restaurant for fish lovers is Fish in the 6th Arrondisement.

No. It is easy. There are many, many vegan, vegetarian, North African, and Asian restaurants, but if you eat fish, cheese, and eggs, you will find delicious food everywhere and at all price points. If you eat shellfish, even better. The only exception might be a restaurant specializing in the cooking of one of the inland areas in which fish is not a usual part of the diet; I am thinking of Perigourd, for example.

One of the most delicious things I have ever eaten was a Norwegian Sandwich from a bakery: essentially a sub with slices of fresh and smoked salmon with sour cream or cream fraiche, so you don't even need to eat in to eat well,

We have visited every corner of France, and have spent about 3 years total doing so. My wife only eats seafood while in France. No problms at all - even in the Alps, Perigord, Ardeche, and Auvergne where you will find seafood/lakefood/streamfood on the menus.

Stu Dudley

Not a problem. If you like ethnic food (Indian, Southeast Asian), it is even easier.

Doogs,
I have the same problem with finding places to eat. Will eat little chicken but mostly seafood and vegetarian and no dairy. We are staying in the 7th and will be there in mid May.

we loved "Fish"

No, it's not hard at all. One of the wonderful things about France is that the French eat everything and that means loads and loads of fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, and dairy products - for the most part far superior to what you get in the USA. You won't have any problems finding whatever you want, and then some.

ST Cirq, I totally agree that the French fruit and vegetables are superior to what we get here in the US but the do go heavy on the meat and poultry which is probably superior to what the Americans eat but some of choose just not to eat meat.

Tips for vegetarian dining in Paris and a list of vegetarian restaurants:

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/04/tips-for-vegeta-1/

cornelius, I would submit that Americans go far more heavy on the meat and poultry than the French do. If you choose not to eat meat I have no problem with that - I just think you'd generally have way less of a problem not eating meat in France than you would in the US of A, where red meat is king.

On our recent trip to Paris, we had fabulous fish and vegetable dishes. And incredible salads. The memory of our fresh haricot verts still lingers on the palate! Most of our meals were in the 6th arr. at local bistros near Montparnasse and Rue Raspail. You should have no problem finding suitable menu items.

Michein 1 star restaurant in the 7th - Les Fables de la Fontaine. All seafood. We've died there 4 times.

Stu Dudley

>>We've died there 4 times.<<

Oops - too much wine this evening. That should have been "dined"

StuDudley, I thought you were emulating New Yorkers: "It was to die for!" :-)

Stu Dudley, Ha ha funny! I messed up my post last nite from too much wine also.Les Fables is on our list of places to dine. Thanks.

Go ethnic.

I haven't eaten meat/poultry since 1976, and have been going to Paris since 1976. I will eat fish, so I either seek it out or eat macrobiotic food which also includes fish. One thing that one needs to watch out for is that there are meat/poultry stocks used in dishes that one would otherwise think would be meat/poultry free. I come across this quite a bit.

If you go to the restaurant called, Fish, mentioned above, then get a reservation. I stay across the street from it and it is constantly booked solid. It's very popular and is located on rue de Seine, between rue de Buci and rue Jacob.

What I do is make a list of interested restaurants in different districts and write the list on index cards and take them along with me. Then if I get to a district and am hungry, I just pull out the card, and head to a restaurant that I have chosen in that district. It saves me a lot of time. Or I just jump on the bus and go back to the apartment and cook. But, back before renting apartments, I made restaurant lists.

Other options are www.happycow.com for a list of meatless restaurants in Paris.

Happy Travels!

Thank you everyone - I'm also glad Stu Dudley didn't die 4 times at Les Fables. I do appreciate recommendations as well :o)