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Our favourite Glowcations, Paris

Historically, France has never been vegetarian or vegan friendly. Until now if you visited Paris then an omelette and a look of horror was was as good as you could hope for. Times have changed. So much so that the perennially cool Marais district is now nicknamed Veggietown. Here’s our top three vegan and vegetarian cafés in Paris:

Café Mareva

Our Glowstar model, Fabienne Dobbe, often works in Paris and loves this inspirational Canal St Martin café.

Owner Mareva was working in finance when she discovered that she was dairy intolerant and started making her own food.

The whole of her menu is gluten and dairy free and the signature Italian waffle is made with dairy free parmesan. Fabienne describes the sweet potato avocado waffle as “unforgettable”. It’s thin and crispy, and comes with a  generous amount of avocado, rocket, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and a perfectly poached egg.

The sweet waffles are equally worth ordering – gluten free and topped off with a choice of ingredients. We suggest fresh fruit, house made praline, chopped almonds, maple syrup and whipped cream.

To read Fabienne’s full review click here.

Café Pinson

Café Pinson is one of the first and best vegan addresses in Paris. It has a fresh, organic menu, a cosy setting and is in a great location in the Marais.

Café Pinson is known for their signature nourishing bowls. Our Parisian Glowstar Caly’s (AKA @veganfeelsgood) loves the Bol Equilibré .
It’s a “Balanced Bowl” and a combo of brown rice, chickpeas, seaweed tofu, grilled organic vegetables, coriander, purple cabbage and radish with a peanut-tamari dressing.

Everything is home-made, organic and gluten-free and their cuisine is inspired by the principles of naturopathy meaning that they believe in the “Let food by thy medicine” philosophy.

Caly’s tip, don’t miss out on the energy balls!

To read Caly’s full review click here.

Sloe

This new concept store in Paris’ North Marais has fast become the go-to hot spot for health-conscious Parisians. It brings together a gym, Pilates and cross training, plus a shop – with organic skincare – and a café.

In typical French fashion, there are two set menus. The petit dejeuner (breakfast) which is an açai bowl with juice and the set lunch menu – a spring veggie bowl with a smoothie and dessert.

Our Glowstar Fabienne is a fan of Sloe’s açai and describes it as a perfect blend, without too much banana and super-chilled. It comes with toppings like mega-crunchy cinnamon granola made with almonds and hazelnuts, coconut chips, fresh blueberries and raspberries. Our tip, get a a big dollop of creamy peanut butter for the perfect finishing touch. If you’re there at lunch, go for the spring veggie bowl which is packed with red cabbage, stir-fried broccoli, grated carrots with pumpkin seeds, grilled zucchini, beetroot hummus, bean sprouts and egg.

To read Fabienne’s full review click here.

 

 

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Café Pinson, Paris

In a small, quiet street in the Marais you can find Café Pinson. Café Pinson is one of the first and best vegan addresses in Paris. It has a fresh, organic menu, a cosy setting and it is in a great location.

Le Marais is a super trendy neighbourhood well worth exploring and is now home to a section nicknamed Veggie Town, as so many plant-based addresses have opened up there recently. It’s also a fashion district with lots of vintage shops, a historically LGBT+ friendly quarter and has a lively night life.

The space

The entrance is through a pretty little, almost farm-like, door which leads you into the first serving area.

With its beautiful tiled bar, painted window and neon sign, it looks super trendy.

The second area is the cosiest, with large sofas arranged in an L-shape where people sip on coffee, tea and juice while studying or working. Plus there’s lots of smaller tables with a more comfy feel. The café is light with large windows and the warm atmosphere is finished off with plants in the corners and on the shelves and bar along with books, mirrors and cute ornaments.

The little things that make a difference

Need I write again that this café is super cosy? I really enjoyed all the small objects placed on the shelves and plants which make you feel like you are in a family home.

The staff are very attentive, accommodating and friendly.

The menu also clearly displays which dishes are vegetarian, vegan and gluten free which is helpful if you are quickly skimming through the menu. You can also totally order a coffee and work for hours here since they have both WiFi and power sockets.

The fresh juice test

Café Pinson offers two juices on the menu and a juice of the day. I ordered the Green Detox which had apple, cucumber, lemon and ginger.

It was frothy, refreshing and light on the ginger.

I do wish they didn’t serve it with plastic straws though and it was quite small, but other than that it was good. If you prefer they also serve a smoothie of the day.

What we ate

Café Pinson is well known for their nourishing bowls, so I ordered the Bol Equilibré .

The “Balanced Bowl” was a combo of brown rice, chickpeas, seaweed tofu, grilled organic vegetables, coriander, purple cabbage, radish and a peanut-tamari dressing.

The dressing was really good and it was a very satisfying dish.

For dessert I went for three energy balls : matcha, carob and turmeric. Interestingly, they contained a lot of seeds and nuts rather than dates and were nice and crunchy.

 

What else?

Everything is home-made, organic and gluten-free and their cuisine is inspired by the principles of naturopathy meaning that they believe in the “Let food by thy medicine” philosophy.

The menu emphasises superfoods such as spirulina, kale, matcha, chia seeds, raw and whole foods.

I like the fact that the menu changes seasonally and offers a good diversity of dishes. Their brunch is delicious too if you have the chance to visit on Sundays (but you must reserve ahead).

What we’d go back for…

A super healthy and balanced meal, the pleasure of reading a book and having lunch in a cosy spot by the window, surrounded by plants!

The bill

Green detox juice  6.00€
Balanced bowl  14.50€
3 x energy balls  3.00€