Did you ever wonder why éclairs are called that? According to French lore, éclair means lightning bolt in French. And these sausage-shaped pastry perfections got their name because they are so very tasty and so very easy to hold in your bare hands that you can eat a whole one (almost) faster than lightning strikes. Voilà.
La Maison Plume
If you’re eager to eat your way through Paris, but are afraid of your food fears getting in the way, make a beeline for this cute little spot in the heart of Le Marais. La Maison Plume is a safe space for everyone with severe food restrictions, like gluten intolerance or diabetes. Tara Pidoux, gluten-free herself since she was a kid, decided to break the invisible ceiling not only by becoming a female cheffe pâtissière (not so many of them in here), but also by bringing the traditional French desserts to those who usually had to keep their distance.
Leaving Paris too soon to say goodbye? They deliver their products in all of France. Talk about commitment to a philosophy.
ADDRESS: 61 rue Charlot (3rd arr.)
HOURS: closed Tuesdays
MÉTRO: Filles du Calvaire (line 8)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Haut Marrais
NUMBER: +33 1 71 39 35 02
DEETS: bakery, alternative, sugar free, gluten free
INSTAGRAM: @maisonplumepatisserie
Cloud Cakes
Cloud cakes emerged as a vegan sanctuary in the middle of the busy (and fairly touristy) parts of the city. While most of the alternative bakeries keep their distance, occupying more fauxhemian neighbourhoods like Le Marais or Bastille, this central place proudly offers vegan breakfasts and lunches. While the menu is pretty safe in terms of veganism, its simplicity is not a flaw. Moreover, I find their signature blue color incredibly soothing. If you have time to kill, book a table for their Sunday brunch.
ADDRESS: 6 Rue Mandar (2nd arr.) / 32 Rue Notre-Dame de Lorette (9th arr.)
MÉTRO: Sentier (line 3) or Étienne Marcel (line 4)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Montorgueil
NUMBER: +33 1 43 72 86 04
DEETS: vegan bakery, in the city center, birthday cakes
INSTAGRAM: @cloudcakesfr
Land&Monkeys
This bakery, created by a Franco-Japanese couple, Yoshimi Ishikawa and Rodolphe Landemaine (yes, the very same guy who owns the Maison Landemaine chain) is definitely a perfectly executed product of a vegan agenda. It lures you in with its elegant interior, the smell of fresh Danish pastries and an eye-pleasing stream of trendy clients. Once you enter, you’re hooked. The best part? An untrained eye might not even realise what they are getting into. Ha! You just ate vegan. And you WILL do it again. Their motto, though: « Dream fair, eat fun »… I can’t quite figure it out. Really? As long as they are selling their Umami sandwich, I don’t really need to know everything.
ADDRESS: 2 rue de Turenne (4th arr.) / 54 rue d’Amsterdam (9th arr.) / 86 Boulevard Beaumarchais (11th arr.) / 158 Rue de la Roquette (11th arr.) / 85 rue Raymond Losserand (14th arr.)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Le Marais
NUMBER: +33 9 54 40 95 83
DEETS: vegan, multiple locations, asian twist, try their sandwiches
INSTAGRAM: @land_and_monkeys
Chambelland
Chambelland is another great gluten-free option. With three locations in the outlying arrondissements, they offer a variety of bread types as well as cookies and lunches. Feeling creative? Check out their website for video recipes for their favourite items. Vegan options are also available.
ADDRESS: 14 Rue Ternaux (11th arr.) / 61 Rue de la pompe (16th arr.) / 43 Rue Brochant (17th arr.)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Batignolles
NUMBER: +33 1 40 25 04 68
DEETS: gluten free, online recipes, cool bread centric, birthday cakes, not in the city center
INSTAGRAM: @boulangeriechambellandparis
Helmut Newcake
This sneaky little bakery, hidden in a back street around the Champs-Elysées and open only a few hours a week, is a Holy Grail of gluten-free pastry. Whether you just want to grab a quick take-away pain au chocolat after visiting the Arc de Triomphe, or need an elaborate birthday cake — they’ve got you covered.
ADDRESS: 30 Avenue de Friedland (8th arr.)
HOURS: opened only on Saturdays
MÉTRO: Charles de Gaulle — Etoile (line 1, 2 and 6 )
NEIGHBORHOOD: Arc de Triomphe / Champs-Elysées / Concorde
DEETS: gluten free, hidden gem, no sitting, catch it (open) if you can
INSTAGRAM: helmuntncwcake
VG Pâtisserie
VG Pâtisserie was the first-ever vegan pastry shop in France. They also can whip up a full wedding cake for your ~surely to turn vegan after all that wedding food~ friends and family. On an everyday basis, they offer traditional French pastries as well as creative offerings made by their inspired team. They also adhere to the zero-waste movement and continuously increase their gluten-free options. You can also purchase a tray of ready-to-bake croissants to enjoy a vegan French breakfast every morning during your Paris stay.
ADDRESS: 123 Boulevard Voltaire (11th arr.)
HOURS: closed Mondays
MÉTRO: Voltaire (line 9)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Bastille / Arsenal / Roquette
NUMBER: +33 1 48 87 13 42
DEETS: vegan, first vegan pastry shop, gluten free options, bake-it-yourself
INSTAGRAM: @vgpatisserie
Sweet Rawmance
Are you still looking for that elusive French romance everyone talks about? While this romance ~may be~ an unconventional one, we really do recommend trying it. This resto is a gentle lover, one that won’t leave you questioning your life choices — not food-wise, at least. For a proper ménage-à-trois, pick up one of their take-away desserts and enjoy it on the steps of the Sacré-Cœur cathedral. At sunset, obviously, because…romance.
ADDRESS: 17 place Saint-Pierre (18th arr.)
HOURS: closed Saturdays
MÉTRO: Anvers (line 2) or Abbesses (line 12)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Barbès Rochechouart / La Goutte d’Or
NUMBER: +33 6 58 67 25 00
DEETS: vegan, sugar free, Sunday brunch
INSTAGRAM: @sweetrawmance
Les Belles Envies
Les Belles Envies (« Beautiful Desires ») focuses on products with a low glycemic index, accessible for athletes and diabetics, or just for those who want to cut down on refined sugar. Here you can find everything from chocolates, pastries and cookies to grocery products, all of them made with either coconut blossom sugar or maltitol, as well as various types of flour, to ensure that their products pass the tests. And who wouldn’t want to have a guilt-free chocolate (or 6)? “Forget the sugar, not what you desire.” I’m sold.
ADDRESS: 3 Rue Monge (5th arr.) / 17 Rue Poncelet (17th arr.)
MÉTRO: Maubert-Mutualité (line 10) / Ternes (line 2)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Latin Quarter
NUMBER: +33 1 46 22 71 19
DEETS: reduced glycemic index, bakery, chocolate
INSTAGRAM: @lesbellesenvies
LeGay Choc
More sensitive viewers are asked to not read any further, as we’ve entered a new level of ~alternative~ with these penis-shaped cakes. You can find them in different shapes and sizes, from my-last-ex small to only-in-porn enormous, most of them, even, covered in some kind of ~cream~. All of them curated by Richard LeGay, who dedicates his life to what he loves most. And by that we mean baking, of course. While their products do not make you gay (we vouch for it), they will make you go back for more. Biting enthusiastically encouraged.
ADDRESS: 33 rue Rambuteau (4th arr.)
HOURS: closed Tuesdays
MÉTRO: Rambuteau (line 11)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Le Marais
NUMBER: +33 6 98 19 56 88
DEETS: freaky, gay, not for pearl clutches
INSTAGRAM: @legaychoc
La Quequetterie
How many penis-shaped bakeries can you have in one city? Well, this is Paris, so… La Quequetterie explores more street food type of naughtiness, with their fluffy pancakes on a stick. With their variety of stuffing toppings (sometimes vaguely disturbingly shaped, I dare you to check their Santa Claus). They are also exploring savoury tastes, as well as lady part options — because why only half of society should be having all the fun?
ADDRESS: 28 rue d’Aboukir (2nd arr.) / 2 rue du Temple (4th arr.)
MÉTRO: Sentier (line 3) / Hôtel de Ville (lines 1, 11)
NEIGHBORHOOD:Le Marais
DEETS: freaky, queer, viral, not for pearl clutches, we know you want to lick it
INSTAGRAM: @laquequetterie
