Table of Contents for this Episode
574 Vegetarian in Paris with Amber Haggerty (Nov 30)
[00:00:15] Introduction and Guest Welcome
Annie Sargent: This is Join Us in France, episode 574, cinq cent soixante-quatorze.
Annie Sargent: Bonjour, I’m Annie Sargent and Join Us in France is the podcast where we take a conversational journey through the beauty, culture, and flavors of France.
[00:00:31] Today on the podcast
Annie Sargent: Today, I bring you a conversation with Amber Haggerty about being vegetarian in Paris, discover where to find delicious plant-based meals from classic French dishes to hidden international gems.
Annie Sargent: Amber shares insider tips, favorite restaurants, and how to avoid tourist traps, proving Paris is a paradise for vegetarians.
Annie Sargent: Perfect for food lovers and anyone planning a trip to the City of Light.
[00:00:58] Podcast supporters
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Annie Sargent:
[00:01:24] Magazine segment
Annie Sargent: For the magazine part of the podcast, after my chat with Amber today, I’ll discuss two things that I got from listeners, one email and one Facebook message. I respond to emails I get usually, but sometimes I get so many that some get lost and must admit some people send me awfully long emails.
Annie Sargent: And I can’t respond in kind with something that’ll take me an hour to write, but I do try, okay? I do try. I don’t try as much on Facebook. I’m not there very much, but I do go occasionally.
Annie Sargent: If you’re a patron, message me within Patreon. I always respond as soon as possible to Patreon messages or you can take your chances and email me, annie@joinusinfrance.com.
[00:02:17] Vegetarian in Paris with Amber Haggerty
Annie Sargent: Bonjour, Amber Haggerty, and welcome to Join Us in France.
Amber Haggerty: Bonjour, Annie. Thank you so much for having me on.
Annie Sargent: It’s wonderful to have you and you are the owner of two blogs. One is called The Vegetarian in Paris, and another one is called Amber Everywhere.
[00:02:33] Living as a Vegetarian in Paris
Annie Sargent: We are going to be talking about what it’s like to be a vegetarian in Paris. You live in Paris, right?
Amber Haggerty: I do. I live in the 7th.
Annie Sargent: So how long have you been living in the 7th?
Amber Haggerty: So I’ve been here for almost two years. And I visited Paris many times before I moved, so it’s one of my favorite places to visit for a long time. And I’ve also been a vegetarian my whole adult life.
Amber Haggerty: So I was a little bit nervous my first time coming to Paris. I just wasn’t sure if there would be a lot of things for me to eat. And it actually, the city is just one of my favorite places to eat. And I think it gets that reputation and I understand why, but I just wanted to share a little bit with your listeners about my experience just traveling and eating in this city with a dietary restriction.
Annie Sargent: Very good. All right.
[00:03:21] Challenges of Being Vegetarian in Paris
Annie Sargent: Let’s discuss the challenges a little bit. They are getting easier. It’s very obvious to me that probably 20 years ago it wasn’t quite so easy. But by now, most places have vegetarian options. Some even have vegan options.
Amber Haggerty: Yes. So I would say that a lot of the challenges … So there, just to be totally clear, there are definitely restaurants that don’t have any vegetarian options. Just for anybody listening, that exists. So you want to make sure that you’re looking at the menu before you go. But in my experience, having a vegetarian option, you’re absolutely right, a lot of chefs and a lot of restaurants have created vegetarian options.
Amber Haggerty: I’m very grateful for that, because a lot of them are very tasty, and I think for me, it’s just about wading through and trying, you know, what are the dishes I particularly love things that aren’t heavily modified to be vegetarian.
Amber Haggerty: So dishes like, we’ll get into it, but like galette, can easily be made vegetarian. It’s also gluten-free, for anybody listening. But that’s like a savory crêpe. My favorite things are places where there just aren’t a ton of modifications and it’s not, you know, like a vegan hotdog, it’s something that’s just a little bit more of the place.
[00:04:31] Navigating Menus and Ingredients
Amber Haggerty: But still, another couple things to just be aware of when you’re ordering and when you’re going through Paris as a vegetarian or a vegan is that, two quick things, first, in the US especially, we tend to have the little sprout emoji or like little v next… the v probably always still means vegetarian.
Amber Haggerty: But they’ll use the little sprout emoji on menus to just mean that something has a vegetable in it. And it’s not necessarily vegetarian.
Amber Haggerty: So if you don’t speak French and you’re glancing, trust me, it still throws me off. Sometimes you’ll see something, it’s like an eggplant and beef curry, and it has a little like sprout emoji next to it, which in the US would mean vegetarian or vegan, but that is just not, it doesn’t work that way. I don’t know.
Annie Sargent: Wow.
Amber Haggerty: Just be careful of little ways that…
Annie Sargent: Misunderstandings. Probably whoever put together that menu didn’t even realize that that means vegan.
Amber Haggerty: Probably not, yeah.
Annie Sargent: Like it’s the healthy choice or whatever, maybe. Or I don’t know. Hmm. Interesting.
Amber Haggerty: It’s little, but when you’re scanning and you don’t speak the language, it can definitely throw you off a little.
Annie Sargent: Yes.
Amber Haggerty: And then another one is that in my experience, a lot of restaurants, especially French restaurants, will not list every single ingredient that they’re using when they’re on the menu. Either because it’s a popular dish and they’ll assume that, you know, if they don’t mention something, you’ll know it’s there. And another one is, we have this in the US too, but things like, traditional onion soup is going to be made with a beef broth.
Amber Haggerty: So there’s lots of things where even the waiters might not know that something’s not vegetarian because it doesn’t list in the ingredients, beef broth. But we just know that that’s typically it, that’s how the soup is traditionally made. So just being careful and always asking and if they don’t seem sure, maybe double checking.
Amber Haggerty: But a lot of places I work with, especially people who see a lot of visitors, they’re going to be a little bit more aware of that restriction.
Annie Sargent: Yeah. I think the places that probably cater more towards more affluent visitors and, you know, they probably will have thought it through a little bit.
Annie Sargent: It’s not like the, I mean, like your local kebab will have vegetarian, you know, the falafel is usually vegetarian. But that’s about it, you know. But there are a lot of restaurants that will really think it through and have nice places.
Annie Sargent: So yeah, a long time ago, I was in France with two guys who were Indian, and so they were vegan in their everyday life, but in France, they found that a bit difficult because they were staying for three months for a project. But most days, they ended up eating fries. Because they liked fries. They liked bread and they liked fries. And they were really missing the richness of the vegetables that they could get at home and the spices and all of that. But to me, that’s just low quality vegetarian. We can do better than this, right?
Amber Haggerty: Absolutely. And no shade to bread, but… You should definitely have some bread while you’re in Paris, but it should not be your whole meal. There are so many options that are traditional.
Amber Haggerty: Also Paris, I’ll talk about this a little bit, but there’s also just incredible international food too, it’s a big vibrant city. So, you have lots of options and you don’t have to live off of frites- … if you don’t want to.
Annie Sargent: Yes, yes, yes.
[00:07:58] Traditional French Dishes for Vegetarians
Annie Sargent: All right, so there are some traditional French dishes that can be made vegetarian. The one you cited is the galette. So that’s the buckwheat crepe from Brittany usually, where you can put anything you want. You can fill it up with bacon if you want, but you don’t have to. So what are your favorite galette to ask for in Paris?
Amber Haggerty: I love… Well, some restaurants will have like, a special that it… My absolute favorite is when they have a special that’s on the regular menu for everyone that happens to be vegetarian. So any time that happens, it’s like a little bit exciting for me. But aside from that, because you never know, that’s just going to be seasonal, and depending on what they have. But aside from that, I usually will go for mushroom and cheese, mushroom and fromage galette, and I really like to put that with salad, and that to me just feels like a filling meal. And almost every creperie I’ve ever been to, it was willing to make that. Even if it’s not on the menu, it’s pretty simple and they almost always have mushrooms and cheese.
Annie Sargent: Yeah.
Amber Haggerty: And you can add an egg if you want some protein.
Annie Sargent: Yeah. So if you are just walking around Paris and you’re vegetarian, if you’re vegan it’s a bit more difficult, but if you’re vegetarian you don’t have to plan anything, you can just go to the nearest creperie. They are everywhere, right? I mean, it’s just not difficult to find a creperie in Paris.
Amber Haggerty: Exactly. And my quick little rule would be that I would just look for one’s that have a line. Look for one’s that are busy if you’re wandering around, if they’re busy, if they’re moving a lot of things, it’s probably okay. I have favorites, but I would personally be a little weary of the ones that you walk up and you’re the only customer.
Annie Sargent: Yeah, it happens sometimes. Like, if I want to eat early, for instance, sometimes it’s just too early. If you want to eat at noon, right on the dot, noon, maybe places are just starting to fill up. Other dishes that are like piperade is peppers and tomatoes, and it can be made with chicken but it can be made without chicken. And onion soup can be very good with just like, vegetable broth. It’s delicious but you do have to ask.
Amber Haggerty: Yeah. There’s another, I’m so sorry, I’m forgetting the word for it, but the Alsatian, almost like a pizza.
Annie Sargent: Flammenkuche.
Amber Haggerty: Yes. There’s a place that has a great one, that’s vegetarian, and they have lots of vegetarian options. But that is, oh, it’s so good. It’s not too far from Republique.
Annie Sargent: From where? Republique.
Amber Haggerty: Republique, yeah.
[00:10:22] Favorite places to buy food in Paris
Annie Sargent: Republique, very good, very good. So where do you buy your food in Paris? I assume you cook for yourself since you live there. Do you have favorite places to go buy food?
Amber Haggerty: Yes. So, I would say most of the grocery stores in Paris have pretty high-quality ingredients, but my, I mean my… When I really want something exciting or interesting, I love to go to Le Bon Marché, which is a big, they have an epicerie, they have a big grocery store. I’ve done Christmas shopping there before, it’s this enormous shop and the last… I had a friend who visited not too long ago and I’d taken her to several stores around Paris, and we walked in there and she said, "You’re going to need to go home." "I’m good, I’m going to be here for several hours." And she was. You may have heard of it if you’re kind of following a lot of Paris content online, that’s where they have a big giant fridge full of the different butters, so if you want to try the truffle butter or the… they have like a buckwheat butter, or just salted, all these different butters. So you can try those and they’ll vacuum pack them for you, for you to take away.
Amber Haggerty: They also have a really nice cheese shop, and they,I would say the most exciting thing about them is that they have everything kind of all in one place, which is really, really exciting.
Amber Haggerty: My favorite spot to just grab some cheese, so if you have a lot… If you’re either in the area or you have a while, there’s the Algerian market, and they have a fromagerie that’s my favorite, and they have an aged Comté which has been… It’s aged for 30 months if you go, and it is one of the most successful gifts I’ve ever given from Paris. Just almost everybody I’ve ever given it to has loved it. They’ll vacuum pack it for you and it’s actually quite a bit cheaper than going to Le Bon Marché.
Annie Sargent: Yeah, Le Bon Marché is not cheap, despite the name, it is not cheap.
Annie Sargent: So, the Algerian… You called it the Algerian market? Where is that?
Annie Sargent: Fromagerie Hardouin, which is in the Place d’ Aligre? I’m so sorry. Oh, c’est Au Marché d’Aligre?
Amber Haggerty: Yes, I’m sorry.
Annie Sargent: Oh, it’s in Le Marché d’Aligre? Okay, okay, okay. And it’s called what again?
Amber Haggerty: Fromagerie Hardouin.
Annie Sargent: Hardouin?
Amber Haggerty: Yeah. H-A-R-D-O-U-I-N.
Annie Sargent: Okay. All right. So they have a 30-month aged Comté. A lot of fromagerie will have something like it, but can they vacuum pack it for you to take home? I’m not sure. And cheese like Comté does not… I mean, if you put it in your checked luggage it’s going to be cold because it’s always cold in the area where they keep the luggage. And even if it’s warm for a few hours in transit, it’s not going to ruin your Comté, okay? Some younger, fresher cheeses you wouldn’t want to do that. Well, I wouldn’t do that with a Camembert. But with a Comté, you can. Oh, yeah. Le Marché d’Aligre in general is very popular and very famous, so, yeah.
Annie Sargent: But I mean, if you’re living on the opposite side of the city, just go to your local cheesemonger. At the grocery store you’ll only find 12 months or six-month aged Comté, so you would have to go to a cheese shop to get more than that.
Annie Sargent: After 24 months it gets really, really interesting, and 30 months, now that’s special. That’s a special one.
Amber Haggerty: It has the little crystals in it. I’m obsessed with it. Just to be totally transparent, I did not make it out there on every trip to Paris before I moved. And sometimes when I’m leaving I don’t make it. It’s a little bit far from where I am, but if you’re really wanting to bring some home, it would be a special thing to bring.
Annie Sargent: Yes, yes, yes, yes. That’s great.
[00:14:04] Favorite gifts to bring home
Annie Sargent: What other gifts do you take home? Like, do you take any, like, spices or anything like that?
Amber Haggerty: Actually, my favorite thing to bring people is salt. So you can get, especially from anything that’s the sort of sea salt, gets really special, and even at the grocery stores, just regular grocery stores, you can find pretty nice little salt packages, and they’re just, I think, quite different from what anyone would see in the US.
Annie Sargent: That’s true.
Amber Haggerty: Yeah, anyone who’s like a foodie is probably going to enjoy getting some salt, and it’s real easy to travel with and it’s not that expensive.
Annie Sargent: Yes.
Amber Haggerty: I’ve also brought back, and this is a little weather dependent, but I would say butter is wonderful. I love bringing back butter. I also love butter. It’s a really special thing to bring, and it’s also, I think, popular in the moment. But it’s just, French butter I think is, is pretty special, especially some of the… You can get some flavored ones, you can get plain. I think they’re just really lovely.
Amber Haggerty: Another one that is also a little bit temperature dependent is… I’ve actually brought galettes back before. You can get them in the grocery store, just vacuum sealed basically, and I put them in the freezer and then put them in my luggage and they’ve done fine.
Annie Sargent: Oh, good. I’ve never tried that. That’s good to know.
Annie Sargent: They are pretty hard so keep them flat. Yes, yes, yes.
[00:15:28] Favorite Restaurants and Creperies
Annie Sargent: Tell me about some of your favorite restaurants. The ones where you like to go, restaurants or grocery stores as a matter of fact. What are the ones that you think are worth the trip?
Annie Sargent: Absolutely. So I’ll start with… We’ve already talked about galettes, but I just want to mention the name of three places that I love, and I love them all, they’re just a little bit different in terms of what they offer and the menu and the experience. The first is Breizh, which is a big… pretty… They’re a decent-sized chain in Paris, So that’s B-R-E-I-T-Z?
Amber Haggerty: B-R-E-I-Z-H.
Annie Sargent: Z-H. Yes. Which spells Breton in Breton. Yes.
Amber Haggerty: Oh, I didn’t know that.
Annie Sargent: Yes, yes, yes.
Amber Haggerty: And they have a little… But my favorite is in Les Marais, and they have just this kind of cute, you kind of go in and it’s a little bit tucked back from the street, it’s really nice, but they’re all nice and it’s usually somewhere I would take guests when they visit me. Another just sort of creperie is, Le Creperie de Jocelyn, and that’s on Rue de Montparnasse? Yeah, Rue de Montparnasse, which is a big street in the 14th which is close to Montparnasse, the big train station. And so there’s a lot of creperies there. I’ve actually had great crepes at several of them, but I would say it seems to me that the Jocelyn is probably one of the most famous, and so it was really nice.
Annie Sargent: It’s famous. It gets written up a lot. I’ve eaten there. It’s very, very busy. Honestly, I wouldn’t wait for an hour there. If they don’t have a table reasonably quickly, I’m not going to stay, because they are good, but again, there are a lot of good crepes in Paris, you don’t need that one specifically. So… And that one, Jocelyn is very busy. Yeah.
Amber Haggerty: Yes. And you can just literally cross the street and there’s a great one right across the street. So, it’s a… if you’re wanting to just try it and not, like you’re saying, like, not terribly committed to that particular spot, there’s just a whole street of them and it’s, they’re wonderful.
Amber Haggerty: And the last one is Au Petit Grec, which is just a little, you know, Greek-French fusion restaurant that has pretty affordable, just takeaway crepes, and they’re really wonderful, especially if you’re vegetarian. They have, like, a feta salad that’s really lovely. And they’re almost all under €10 unless you kind of add on to them.
Amber Haggerty: So they’re pretty great for just grabbing something while you’re walking around, and they’re pretty affordable, and that was a restaurant that was introduced to me by a friend when he was a student in Paris and didn’t have a lot of money. So he took us there and he said, "This is the perfect place," and we went there every single time we visited with him, and just always would get them and wander around. So, it’s just a really great option for something quick.
Annie Sargent: That’s in the 5th, Au Petit Grec. Yeah. Very nice.
Amber Haggerty: And then two more upscale versions, just two places that I really love. The first is Prestine…. and Pristine is, I think they’re almost entirely vegetarian. They could, they might have a couple of fish dishes. But most of the restaurant is vegetarian, and they have this mushroom tart that is unmissable.
Amber Haggerty: I think most of the menu changes seasonally, but the mushroom tart they should always have, and that tart is probably one of the best dishes I’ve had in Paris. It’s delicious. So definitely worth it if you’re looking for more of a splurge meal when you’re visiting Paris.
Amber Haggerty: And the other is Le Fleurimond, which is in the 7th and not too far from the Eiffel Tower. So if you’re staying in this area, which is where a lot of the hotels are, it would be close to you. And it’s just a little bistro, and I’ve been going there for a really long time. It’s nice, and they either will have a vegetarian menu or they’ll make one for you, and it’s a good option for like a sit down, maybe 50 to 60 euro a person, nicer meals. I know a lot of people want to do like one nice meal. So I would say either of those would be a good choice if you’re visiting Paris.
Annie Sargent: Okay. Cool. Cool. Pristine or Le Fleurimond. Very good.
Amber Haggerty: And, can I keep going?
Annie Sargent: Yes, of course.
[00:19:35] Wine Bars and Cheese Tasting
Amber Haggerty: The other little category that I have is wine bars. And even if you don’t like wine, stay tuned, because both of these are great places to try cheese. We were talking about cheese earlier and where to buy cheese, but it can be really hard, especially if you aren’t terribly familiar with different French cheeses to know what you like and what to order and even what to ask for.
Amber Haggerty: And sometimes they’ll let you try things, but I love taking guests to … There’s a small chain called Le 1745, in English. They’re very cool, even if you’re not vegetarian because they have "create your own cheese boards" and "create your own charcuterie boards". So it’s sort of you have a whole menu of cheeses and meats that you can pick from. You can do completely vegetarian or I guess no cheese or both. So it’s great also if you’re traveling with someone who eats meat, and you can choose which cheeses to try, and they’ll give you, I don’t remember how many grams, but it’s a pretty reasonable but not huge serving. So it’s nice if you want to just try a lot of things or "I’ve heard of this, I’ve heard of tom … I want to try it." And so they’ll have those and you can try them, and I think the prices are rather fair, and they also have pretty affordable wines. So a wine, a glass of wine is, yeah, like six euros.
Annie Sargent: That’s nice if you want to do your own kind of wine and cheese tasting because a lot of people say, "Oh, I want to have the full experience. I want somebody to talk to me for half an hour about why this cheese goes with this wine." Well, I would rather not have people talk to me about, for half an hour about this stuff because I know this stuff. I just want to be able to say, "I like this cheese, this cheese, and this wine." There you go.
Amber Haggerty: And I would say it’s also great for groups. So if you’re visiting with a group and you have some people with different dietary stuff, you could easily do gluten-free. You could eas- …so you can kind of play with that.
Annie Sargent: Nice. Nice.
Amber Haggerty: I wouldn’t say for vegans, though. Sorry. I don’t know if that would be a good fit, but for anybody else, there, you could probably find something.
Annie Sargent: Yes. Yes. Yes. So that’s called Le 1745?
Amber Haggerty: Yes.
Annie Sargent: Not Le 1745?
Amber Haggerty: Le 1745.
Annie Sargent: Ah, okay. Okay.
Amber Haggerty: But it’s written out, so it’s 17.45.
Annie Sargent: Right. Right. So it’s just numbers.
Amber Haggerty: Yes.
Annie Sargent: But do they say it in French or in English?
Annie Sargent: When they’ve spoken to me, they’ve said it in English, but I’m sure that they call, I’m sure that they, I’m sure that they…It’d be strange to say, "C’est Le 1745" Au lieu de "c’est le 1745." Although if you ask me, putting two numbers as the name of your place is like, why? But okay.
Amber Haggerty: Well, they open every day at 5:45.
Annie Sargent: Oh, C’est l’heure de l’apéro.
Amber Haggerty: Yeah.
Annie Sargent: Oh, that’s why. Okay. Okay. Okay. That makes more sense. Very good.
Amber Haggerty: It’s very, very, very cute. And they have a couple of them. So definitely one of my favorite places to go. And then the last of the kind of wine bars is Septième la Cave. (And thank you for your patience with my French pronunciations).
Annie Sargent: Septième la Cave.
Amber Haggerty: Septième la Cave.
Annie Sargent: So The Seventh Cave?
Annie Sargent: Mm-hmm. It’s not in the 7th. I don’t know the, I don’t know the significance of the name. Not in the 7th.
Amber Haggerty: No, it’s pretty close to Bastille. It’s a really small place so go early. It’s maybe 10 seats, maybe, maybe 15. So very little. It’s very intimate. It’s really cute. They have this delicious chevre, so like a fresh goat’s cheese that they cover in parsley. It’s delicious. And they have a few other vegetarian options. I would say this is, I think, more like a snack. It’s probably not a place you’re going to want to go for dinner because they don’t have big plates, but if you just want to try some really interesting wines, I would say do 1745 for the cheeses primarily. If you’re more interested in the wine, Septième la Cave is fabulous, and they also just have some great little bites. So they’re both really wonderful spots.
Annie Sargent: Nice.
[00:23:27] Sweet Treats and Madeleines
Amber Haggerty: And the last, just to do a couple of sweets, I love, love, love madeleines, and there’s a place called Le Comptoir de la Madeleine, which is my absolute favorite.
Amber Haggerty: And they have fresh madeleines, and it’s not too far from Pigalle. Technically it’s in the 9th. It’s very small, just you walk up, it’s a little storefront, and they serve you directly on the sidewalk, and they have usually five or six flavors. My favorite, favorite flavor is the salted caramel, but they have several others and they have a couple that are rotating.
Amber Haggerty: And you can get a little box. Yeah, they’re delicious.
Annie Sargent: I’d love that. I love madeleine. And you know what? Madeleine are easy to make. I haven’t made any for a long time, but they’re pretty easy to make. You just need the right pan. But they’re really not that hard to make. I’d love one with like lemon and lemon zest in it.
Amber Haggerty: And they’re so fresh. Oh, with the, like crispy, they get the crispy edges. They’re so good.
Annie Sargent: Yes, yes, yes, yes. See, so that’s… if you have a friend who’s a foodie that you want to give a nice gift to, buy madeleine pans and make madeleine together because everybody makes the macaron, and they are fine. There’s nothing wrong with macaron. But madeleine are even more French.
[00:24:43] Discovering Le Comptoir de la Madeleine
Annie Sargent: Like, you know, La Madeleine de Proust, for heaven’s sakes, you know? This is what you give kids. Every French person has had madeleine made at home, and now you can buy them anywhere as well. And I didn’t know about Le Comptoir de la Madeleine, but that sounds like my kind of place.
Amber Haggerty: It’s so cute. And they… Ugh, I just love it. And if you go, it’s really unassuming, but I would get a box and just bring them back and they’re usually still warm. They’re like my favorite little treat. I would say they’re worth going out of the way for.
Amber Haggerty: They’re also not terribly far if you go… If you’re on a walk and you do Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur, if you’re going down into the city, it’s on your way. So that’s a good day to fold it into.
Annie Sargent: All right. Le Comptoir de la Madeleine. While you’re talking, I will look it up exactly where it is because that is not one that I… I don’t remember… I mean, if it’s small enough, I might have walked past and not noticed it because, you know, sometimes it… Comptoir de la Madeleine, Paris. Where is it exactly? Rue Victor-Massé. Oh, it says it’s closed temporarily.
Amber Haggerty: I think they’re closed for August.
Annie Sargent: Uh-huh. Okay, so I’m looking, is… Oh, so if you’re rolling down from Pigalle, down the hill from Pigalle, and you go Rue Frochot, and then you take a left, you’ll get there. Interesting, interesting. Oh, it has a cute little front. Oh, but people, they do serve you at the window. You don’t even go in, really. Do they have any seating? No?
Amber Haggerty: Nope, no seating. They do have some lemonade and some coffee, I think. So you can get just a little snack. But yeah, it’s a very small operation, like probably the size of a living room. It’s pretty little, but it’s so good. Every time I’ve ever been, they’ve had fresh but still warm madeleine.
Annie Sargent: So it’s 1.90 Euro a piece, and if you get a box of 24 it’s 36 euros. That’s not bad. And they’ll sell you a cafe or a bottle of water. Come on, you need chocolate milk. What sort of children’s place are you? No chocolate milk. Anyway, you can probably get a chocolate milk just down the road. It’s okay.
Amber Haggerty: We can make it work.
Annie Sargent: We’ll make it work. Make it work. Wonderful.
[00:27:11] Exploring Jean-Paul Hevin Chocolatier
Amber Haggerty: And then just one other little sweet shop. My favorite chocolatier is Jean-Paul Hevin, and I hope I’m saying that right. But it’s a little chocolatier. They have one in the 7th. I don’t know if they have any others, but in the 7th, so not far from the Eiffel Tower, if you’re around this area, there is just this fabulous little chocolate shop and they have… That’s another place that I love to get gifts. They have a bark, so like a piece of chocolate with hazelnuts in it, either dark or milk chocolate. And I have given that to people a couple of times and they’ve told me it’s the best chocolate they’ve ever had in their life. So it’s a nice little treat. It’s not a particularly cheap place. I think it’s probably nine euros for the bark, but it’s… If you’re giving someone… If you want to give someone, like, a gift, that’s where I like to go.
Annie Sargent: Well-made chocolate is not cheap. Honestly, you know, it’s not a cheapo thing.
Annie Sargent: So the name of the place is Jean-Paul Hevin, but there’s a lot of… Okay, again, there’s a ton of chocolate shops in Paris. Just find one you like. Go into any of them, take a 20-euro bill and part with it. They will give you something very nice in return.
Amber Haggerty: That is excellent advice.
Annie Sargent: Just say, "I have 20 euros. Please give me something delicious."
Amber Haggerty: I think they would appreciate the assignment.
Annie Sargent: Yeah, they would do that in a heartbeat.
Amber Haggerty: I love that.
(Mid-roll Ad spot)
Amber Haggerty:
[00:28:39] L’Avent Comptoir de la Mer: A Seafood Delight
Amber Haggerty: And I have one other, I’m jumping. This is a seafood place, but they have vegetarian options. So again, I would go… so the place is, L’Avent Comptoir de la Mer, and they have a couple others. They have one that’s at the market. So basically it’s like a… Maybe you can translate better, like a seller of the sea, a store of the sea.
Annie Sargent: Yeah, an Avent Comptoir is a… It’s kind of a low-key sort of restaurant where they will sell you things that are locally made. It gives the idea of very local and very low-key. It’s not a fancy place typically.
Amber Haggerty: I would use that to describe this. And this place just having been there purely eating vegetarian, they’ve had usually one dish, and so I’ll get to how I would find it in a second. But they usually have one dish that’s just vegetarian. The last time I went, it was a peach and green bean salad. It was delicious. It was so, so good. And they have a pretty incredible butter that they import. I don’t know exactly where they get it, but they … I’ve asked and they won’t sell it to you.
Annie Sargent: From Brittany somewhere.
Amber Haggerty: Yeah. And they… they also have lots of seafood. So if you’re with people who want to eat oysters or something like that, it’s a great place to go. I wouldn’t necessarily think of it as a full dinner, but if you want a lighter bite and some great wine, that’s a great place to go. And it’s not too far from the Jardin du Luxembourg. …
Annie Sargent: Very nice.
Amber Haggerty: Yeah. And also if you eat fish, I know some vegetarians do eat fish, that would be a wonderful place to go too and you’d, of course, have more options.
Annie Sargent: Yes, yes. Well, that’s great. That’s great. You have more in your list.
[00:30:17] Ethiopian Cuisine at Habesha
Annie Sargent: There’s one called Habesha?
Amber Haggerty: Yes. So this is ... I have a, a … just a little grouping of international foods, and this is just one small sampling of the fabulous international food in Paris. But Habesha is an Ethiopian restaurant in the 15th. It is … you blink and you miss it. It’s tiny, again, and I don’t even remember how I found it, but it’s one of my favorite places in the world for Ethiopian food, and they have lots and lots of vegetarian options.
Amber Haggerty: They’ll make it spicy for you if you ask. And you can sit, they have Western style tables on one side of the room, and they have kind of the round side of, kind of tables on the other side.
Amber Haggerty: The staff is so, so sweet. And they’re open lunch and dinner most days, so they’re just a great little spot. I would say off the beaten track, definitely just on a kind of residential seeming road. But they’re really, really, really tasty.
Annie Sargent: Oh, nice. And what arrondissement is this?
Amber Haggerty: It’s in the 15th.
Annie Sargent: 15th. Oh, wow.
Amber Haggerty: And that place, if you’ve never had Ethiopian food, it’s like one piece of bread, called an Injera, which is… can usually be made gluten-free, but call them ahead if you’re gluten-free, because sometimes they will cut it with a little bit of wheat flour. So I wouldn’t assume, but it can be usually made, but made gluten-free. But then it’s got a mix of salad and lentils and different cooked vegetables. So it’s pretty healthy and just really tasty. And I know sometimes I visited Paris after having been in Italy and then having been somewhere else and just, you know, really craving a lot of kind of filling veggies and this would be a great spot for that if you’re, you know, maybe a week into your trip and just wanting something vegetable-y.
Annie Sargent: Yes, yes, some good vegetables. Wonderful. Habesha in the 15th. Hmm. Very good.
[00:32:03] New Mexican Flavors at Zia
Annie Sargent: Then another one you list here, Zia. Is that also international?
Amber Haggerty: Yes. That is a New Mexican restaurant, so American, but specifically New Mexican. And I wanted to include that one. They’re mostly brunch and lunch, but they’re not far from the Eiffel Tower, and that is a little bit of a desert in terms of good food.
Annie Sargent: True.
Amber Haggerty: If you’re visiting the Eiffel Tower in the morning, Zia’s a great place to grab brunch if you want, you know, American food.
Annie Sargent: Where is it? is it towards the Trocadero or…?
Amber Haggerty: It’s basically just a few steps from the Ecole Militaire, Metro.
Annie Sargent: Okay. Okay. Okay. So in the other direction. Okay. Very nice.
Amber Haggerty: And they have like American style breakfast burritos. They also have Dutch Babies, which are these kind of big pancakes with veggies, and you, I think you can get bacon if you want bacon, or they have yogurt and granola. It’s an area without a ton of options, so I wanted to include one there. I’m pretty sure everything on the menu can be vegetarian. So it’s really vegetarian friendly. And they usually will also speak English with you if that’s something that’s important, because the owner is American.
Annie Sargent: Very good, very good.
[00:33:09] Vegan Delights at Plan D
Annie Sargent: Then you have one in the 10th arrondissement Plan D, Dwich & Glace
Amber Haggerty: That one is vegan actually. And so it’s the only place that I included that’s completely vegan. And it is, I just call it Plan D. It’s right next to the Canal St Martin which is such a fun area to walk around if you’re visiting Paris. It’s a little bit, wouldn’t say it’s completely off the track, but it’s a little bit further out of the way, it’s a little bit more local feeling. And this little vegan sandwich place, they have sandwiches and bowls, and they do … I kind of love their concept. They usually have two colors, and so they’ll have sandwiches that are those colors. So one could be green and one could be yellow. And so they’ll have for the yellow one, like a turmeric, cauliflower, with some sort of veggie slaw sandwich. And then the green one could be, you know, celery and arugula or something like that. So they have these vegan sandwiches, and they are so tasty and they don’t, to me, taste vegan, but they are, the whole place is completely vegan.
Annie Sargent: Wonderful.
Amber Haggerty: They’re pretty affordable and you can get them and then sit by the canal. They also, they do have a little bit of seating, but not a ton. So that’s a great option for just grabbing a lunch and sitting outside that’s definitely going to be on the more affordable side.
Annie Sargent: Fantastic. Plan D, very nice.
[00:34:29] Italian Salads at Cosi
Annie Sargent: Cosi in the 6th arrondissement or multiple locations you say. So Cosi, is that Italian?
Amber Haggerty: I think it is Italian. But the reason I wanted to include them is… I kind of mentioned this earlier, but I’ve talked to tons and tons of people who are on their trips, and especially when you’re vegetarian, your options can be a lot of cheese and bread. And I just wanted to include an option that’s going to be really filling salad. So that’s, I think, what they do best. They’ll have salads and also kind of focaccia-based sandwiches. They’re, again, pretty affordable. They have a lot of options but you can usually get a leaf-based salad with a protein and cheese and nuts, and it’s just really filling. So, if you’re at that point in your trip and you’re like, "I really want just a big, big salad," not the small salads that come with almost everything, that’s a great place to go.
Annie Sargent: That’s it, huh?
Amber Haggerty: I don’t know if you’ve been a vegetarian on a trip, but that is just something I usually find myself wanting around, like, day five to seven.
Annie Sargent: Right. It is kind … I mean, there are places in France that make wonderful salads, but not everywhere. Sometimes the salads are pretty basic. It just depends on where you are. So that’s very good to know about the Cosi in the 6th, and there, there might be other. … So it’s C-O-S-I.
Amber Haggerty: I think they also have one … I think they only have two. I think the other one’s in Les Marais. They’re pretty small, but they’re … just for that kind of specific purpose, I think they’re perfect.
Annie Sargent: Right.
[00:35:54] Smash Burgers at DUMBO
Annie Sargent: DUMBO. I want to hear about DUMBO. In the 10th Arrondissement, or multiple locations, you say. Okay.
Amber Haggerty: Yeah. They have a couple. There’s also one in Les Marais. So yeah, the … DUMBO is my favorite burger place, and it’s smash burgers, which I know are popular everywhere. They have my favorite kind of menu, which is a menu that has about three things on it. And they have veggie burgers and regular burgers, and french fries, and sometimes chicken nuggets. That’s the whole menu. So they, they do veggie burgers really, really, really well. So if you’re kind of missing home or if you just want to see the French take on it, I think they’re really wonderful. They have a kind of interesting line-up where you can see everybody cooking, and it’s really busy. There’s usually a line. Not every location has a line, but it’s just a great place for a veggie burger.
Amber Haggerty: I feel sometimes when you’re a vegetarian and traveling, you know, you don’t always want, like, a big, thick Beyond Burger or a mushroom burger or something. So this is going to be a kind of interesting take. I’ve never had anything like it anywhere else, and they make their own sauces, and they’re just really nice. It’s not French food, for sure, but it’s- … I think it has a great veggie option.
Annie Sargent: Wonderful. Wonderful.
[00:37:03] American Breakfast at Holly Belly
Annie Sargent: Okay, and last one we’re going to mention, Holly Belly.
Annie Sargent: What is that?
Amber Haggerty: It’s the last of the American restaurants that I’m mentioning. This is more like a diner, and they have just, I think, delicious, delicious breakfast. They also are the kind of place you want to go a little bit early. But they have … my favorite thing is just eggs, and then you can get a salad, and they have usually some cooked veggies. They have chia bowls, granola bowls. They are the kind of place I think they could accommodate most any dietary allergy. They’re usually pretty nice about it. And it’s just a great, if you want, kind of a full vegetarian breakfast. I know the French breakfast is also usually very vegetarian-friendly, but if you’re wanting something that has a little bit more protein.
Amber Haggerty: Again, just I think being vegetarian, you can sometimes get a little bit fatigued with, you know, just not having as many protein options as people who eat meat.
Amber Haggerty: So this is just a place where you can get a lot of protein, and the breakfast, I think, is really fabulous. And little spins on it. It’s not exactly like anything you would get in the US, but it is definitely kind of modeled off of that, so it has a kind of similar aesthetic. Yeah.
Annie Sargent: Wonderful. Wonderful. It’s interesting.
[00:38:08] Navigating Parisian Food as a Vegetarian
Annie Sargent: We’re going to be running out of time soon, but you say that a common mistake that people make, is that it’s in France, all the food is going to be great. But that’s not the case, you say. Please explain.
Amber Haggerty: A lot of times, I’ll talk to people and they’ll say, "You know, I went to Paris and I just didn’t like it. It wasn’t for me." And I’ll ask them "What didn’t you like? Can you be a little bit more specific?" And a lot of times, they’ll say, "You know, I was just really underwhelmed by the food."
Amber Haggerty: And I think it’s a really … It can be a universal experience, and I know, a lot of people listening to this podcast have probably been to France a few times, and I know that that is not true.
Amber Haggerty: But if you don’t do a little bit of research, if you don’t kind of know how to find great food in Paris, it just can be a place with a lot of tourist traps and places that just really aren’t very good.
Amber Haggerty: And it’s just not the case that because it’s in France, it’s going to be tasty. There are definitely places, like anything, you know, right next to the Louvre or something like that, it’s just probably not going to be the best food that you’ll have in Paris. And what I like to tell people is that it’s usually a good idea to think of your trip to Paris in two parts. You’ll have the things you want to see and the things you want to eat, and they’re usually not very close to each other.
Amber Haggerty: So that’s why we’re very grateful to have the metro and for Paris to be really easy to get around. But it’s not like you have to be hyper, hyper selective with every single restaurant. Definitely you can find something great in a lot of places.
Amber Haggerty: But just do a little bit of research. Use some clues, listen for people speaking French. Look for lines. Look for things smelling fresh. I always check reviews and just make sure people aren’t saying that they’re getting sick or something like that. Also I’ll often find some lists and just look through, and go off of somebody’s list and just see if there’s some restaurants that I really like.
Annie Sargent: Right. And you mentioned, this is interesting, you’re not a fan of leeks, deviled eggs, Camembert, raclette and the Bouillon Restaurants. That’s unusual. Most people like the Bouillon Restaurants, but it’s true that if you’re a vegetarian, it’s not that good of a place, is it?
Amber Haggerty: Yeah. It’s fine. I could imagine there being lots of people who like it, and also my preferences might not be your preferences. But for me, the vegetarian-
Annie Sargent: I like leeks. Leeks are my friends.
Amber Haggerty: They’re, I’m sure, wonderful.
Annie Sargent: Yeah. Yeah.
Amber Haggerty: I just, you know, I would say the Bouillon Restaurants are, to me the vegetarian options are a little bit limited. It’s a nice place if you want to try a lot of things, so if you have a lot of French dishes that you’re interested in trying. But you just don’t, the menu is quite a bit edited down without the meat.
Annie Sargent: Yeah, for vegetarian and vegan, I don’t even want to think about it. Like they might not have anything for vegans. The Happy Cow app, does it list vegetarian restaurants or only vegan?
Amber Haggerty: I’ve never used that. I actually don’t know.
Annie Sargent: Oh, okay. Happy Cow, I know you find vegan restaurants, lots of them. It’s very popular in Paris, people use it a lot. But I don’t know if they also do vegetarian or if that’s…yeah, okay. Interesting.
[00:41:11] Last advice
Annie Sargent: Any last words of advice that people should think about when they’re ordering vegetarian food in France?
Amber Haggerty: My advice would be to try a mix of things. So try some traditional French food, and I love, again, just to reiterate, like I love dishes that are easily made vegetarian, and that French people would eat, and they might not think of them as vegetarian. For me, that’s like the gold standard, is something that’s delicious and just happens to not contain meat. So, for that, galettes are great.
Amber Haggerty: You can also get wonderful pastries, lots of, you were mentioning soups that are easily made without meats. All of that food is going to be really wonderful to try while you’re in Paris.
[00:41:52] International Food Scene in Paris
Amber Haggerty: And just being vegetarian, it’s okay also to, I think, to try some of Paris’ international food because it’s a wonderful international food scene. I didn’t even touch on some of the Japanese restaurants. There’s a whole street of Japanese restaurants called Rue Saint-Anne.
Annie Sargent: Right, right, right. That’s by theby Palais-Royal. Bunch of Asian restaurants by the Palais-Royal.
Amber Haggerty: And those are amazing, and most of them have veggie ramen or veggie noodle soups or that sort of thing. So there’s so many things that you can try that aren’t necessarily something you would get at home, but also might be international.
Amber Haggerty: So, just, I would say, if you’re visiting Paris, you have a few days and you’re a vegetarian, I would try just across the spectrum, just to get a sense of what the food scene in the city really is like for people living here, because most people I know are eating a mix of international food and French food when they go out to eat.
Annie Sargent: Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I’m trying to find the Palais-Royal, this restaurant that I liked. Let’s see. Juji-ya. It’s on 46 Rue Sainte-Anne. You can choose what you want to put in your bento box.
Amber Haggerty: Ooh.
Annie Sargent: This is a caterer/restaurant. It’s not a sit-down kind of place, but there’s always a long line of people out the door at lunchtime, because there’s a lot of people who work in the area. A friend of my daughter’s, who works at the Ministry of Culture, she says, "Oh, that’s where I like to go eat lunch." So, so I tried it, and she’s right.
Amber Haggerty: I’m going to have to try that. That sounds delicious.
Amber Haggerty: Also, I didn’t even mention, there’s so many wonderful Vietnamese restaurants. So, there’s just a lot of really wonderful, wonderful food in the city.
Annie Sargent: Yes. Strictly French food, your mileage may vary. Crêperie, for sure, they will work for lots and lots of people. But there are a few dishes. I’ll have to think some more about… In my own cookbook, Join Us at the Table, I have a section that’s classic French foods that can be made vegetarian. But I don’t know where I’ve put my cookbook. It’s probably in the kitchen, because I use it all the time.
Annie Sargent: Butin the blog post, I’ll put a list of classic French foods that are typically vegetarian, and we have quite a few actually.
Amber Haggerty: Yeah.
[00:44:10] Final Thoughts and Farewell
Amber Haggerty: And there’s just, if anything, I hope this conversation leaves you feeling like if you’re a vegetarian, you can go to Paris and you can eat really, really, really well.
Annie Sargent: Yeah. With a little preparation, you will eat very well.
Amber Haggerty: Agreed.
Annie Sargent: Thank you so much, Amber. And again, your blog is Vegetarian in Paris or Amber Everywhere? That sounds ominous. You’re everywhere.
Amber Haggerty: But I’m right here, right now.
Annie Sargent: Okay. Thank you very much, Amber, and good luck to you in all your eating in Paris.
Amber Haggerty: Thank you very much. Thank you so much for having me on. It was so nice to meet you.
Annie Sargent: Merci. Au revoir.
Amber Haggerty: Au revoir.
[00:44:59] Thank You Patrons
Annie Sargent: Again, I want to thank my patrons for giving back and supporting the show. Patrons get several exclusive rewards for doing that, you can see them at patreon.com/joinus.
Annie Sargent: I don’t have any new patrons to thank this week because I recorded this early, but I want to thank my current patrons.
Annie Sargent: Some of them have been supporting this podcast for several years, and they make all the difference. I’ve made a lot of progress when it comes to making more time for patrons. I publish at least one extra each week, sometimes more.
Annie Sargent: Typically, these rewards have to do with news events, and short videos of places I visit where I want to bring my patrons along. I’ll tell you about EV charging in France in just a minute on this podcast, but I’ll also do a video for patrons about that.
Annie Sargent: Would you join them too? You can do it for as little as $3 a month, but if you can afford it, I would love to have you pledge more so you have access to more of the rewards.
Annie Sargent: Go to patreon.com/joinus. And to support Elyse, go to patreon.com/elysart.
[00:46:08] Tips for First-Time Travelers to Europe
Annie Sargent: I often get emails from listeners who want to say thank you for helping them prepare for their very first visit to Europe. I don’t know how many people do that every year, but I assume lots of people from North America get their passport and come to Europe.
Annie Sargent: It’s got to be in the thousands, but I don’t have the numbers. So here are some tips for those people that you might want to share with people you know who are coming for the first time. There are small but important differences between Europe and North America that catch a lot of first time visitors by surprise.
Annie Sargent: And these will work for France, England, or Germany, little things that can throw you off. So here’s a few things.
[00:46:46] Hotel Tips for European Travel
Annie Sargent: Number one, no top sheets in hotels. When you check into a hotel, you’ll notice that the bed look likemost European hotels give you a bottom sheet and a duvet, no top sheet. That’s totally normal.
Annie Sargent: And the problem is, if you find duvets too warm, you might want to ask for a top sheet. And sometimes they don’t have one. Or bring your own lightweight travel top sheet. That’s what I do, I have a top sheet everywhere I go because it’s terribly uncomfortable for me to sleep without anything on top of me or with a duvet on top of me.
[00:47:22] No toiletries in budget hotel
Annie Sargent: Number two, there are often no toiletries in budget hotels. If you’ve booked a small or a budget hotel, do not count on finding soap, shampoo, or lotion in the bathroom. Some even skip hand soap all together. That’s more rare, but yes. So pack a few travel sized item so you’re not hunting for a pharmacy right after you arrive.
[00:47:43] Bring Your Own Washcloth
Annie Sargent: Number three, bring your own washcloths. This is one of those details that Americans always notice. French and German hotels never include washcloths. Even mid-range hotels won’t have them. I always pack one from home. It takes very little space and makes a big difference.
[00:48:01] Hotel Rooms are small
Annie Sargent: Number four, hotel rooms are very small.
Annie Sargent: I mean, like, really, really small. If you’re used to American hotel rooms, get ready for a shock. Hotel rooms in Europe are often tiny, especially in large cities. Sometimes you can’t even walk all the way around the bed, which I don’t like because if I share the bed with my husband, we both like to be able to get up.
Annie Sargent: And the bathrooms are very small as well. Showers are small. Space in general is tighter. So it’s just how it is. The more you pay for a hotel, the more you will get. And usually when you book on Booking, it will tell you the size in square meters of the room. And to give you an idea12 square meters is small, 20 to 25 square meters is big.
[00:48:45] Turn on the lights
Annie Sargent: Number five, how to turn on the lights. You’d be surprised how many people think their hotel room doesn’t work, the lights don’t work. In many French hotels, you need to insert your key card into a slot near the door before anything electrical turns on. And in England, you usually have to flip a switch on the plug itself. That’s how they keep energy use down. It’s not broken, it’s efficient.
[00:49:12] For Ventilation open a window
Annie Sargent: Number six, ventilation is old school. So Europeans tend to open windows instead of using fans or AC for airflow. If your room feels stuffy, crack open the window. You might not have a ventilation fan at all, which I don’t like, but that’s how it is.
Annie Sargent: More and more they have it, but in all the rooms, no, you don’t.
[00:49:34] No Carpet in most Hotel Rooms
Annie Sargent: Number seven, no carpet in most hotel rooms. Carpet is pretty rare in hotels in Europe. You’ll find tile, wood, or linoleum instead,because Europeans think that carpets trap dust and germs. I like to pack little slippers or tiny socks or something. Hotel floors can be chilly in winter.
[00:49:53] Essential Travel Items and Security
Annie Sargent: Number eight is security checks everywhere. You’ll go through small security screenings at most major attractions, museums, sometimes churches, big libraries, even shopping centers.
Annie Sargent: It’s fast, but it means you want to travel light. Leave the giant backpack in your hotel. You probably don’t need to have a gallon of water with you either. There are places where you can get drinking water in lots of places in Europe.
[00:50:22] Understanding Power Converters and Adapters
Annie Sargent: Number nine, power converters and adapters. This one trips up a lot of travelers.
Annie Sargent: You’ll need to know the difference between a converter and an adapter. Converters change voltage. North America uses 110 volts, Europe uses 230 volts, but most modern electronics, your phones, your tablets, your laptops can handle both. Check the fine print on your charger, the very, very fine print. I need a magnifying glass to see this. If it says 110 to 240 volts, you’re fine. If it says only 110, you’ll need a converter. Adapters are just to change the shape of the plug and yes, every country has its own. French plugs are not the same as British plugs, and in Spain, between Spain and Italy differs slightly, although usually if you have the British and the French you’re good to go.
[00:51:17] Travel Light
Annie Sargent: Number 10, Europeans travel light and so should you. Because hotel rooms are smaller and storage is limited, try not to bring your whole closet. You’ll thank yourself and especially when you’re squeezing onto trains and you know, navigating cobblestones and stuff.
[00:51:33] Cultural Etiquette in Europe
Annie Sargent: Number 12, always start with the pleasantries.
Annie Sargent: In France and most of Europe, you don’t just walk up to launch into a question. You start every interaction with a simple bonjour, or bonsoir if it’s later in the day, but don’t worry about that too much, nobody cares. When you leave, say merci or au revoir. It’s not optional, it’s basic respect. Even if you don’t speak French, this is one little word that opens every door.
Annie Sargent: Smile, make eye contact, and be patient. Rushing or sounding demanding will come across as rude even if you don’t mean it that way. Europeans value civility over efficiency when it comes to personal interactions.
[00:52:13] Handling Problems Calmly in Europe
Annie Sargent: And number 12, stay calm when something goes wrong.
Annie Sargent: If you run into a problem, your reservation is missing, your meal isn’t right, something broke, whatever, stay polite and measured. In North America, you grew up with a customer is always right mindset, but that attitude does not translate well in France or in most of Europe. Raising your voice or demanding to speak to the manager will backfire every single time.
Annie Sargent: Instead, take a gentler approach. You could say something like this, "Perhaps this happened. My mistake, but I’d really appreciate your help to fix it." That phrasing works wonders. It shows respect and gives the other person a chance to help you, and that’s what they’ll respond to. And don’t be fooled, even if the person spoken English seems hesitant, they can totally read your tone and your body language.
Annie Sargent: A little humility and warmth go much further here than righteous outrage.
Annie Sargent: And if you want to hear the full version on this topic, check out episode 213 of the Join Us in France Travel Podcast, Your First Time in Europe.
[00:53:22] Renting and Driving Electric Vehicles in France
Annie Sargent: One more thing, about driving EV. This was a Facebook question that I answered on Facebook, but I think all of you need to know this stuff as well. This person wrote, "Hi, I’m looking for help making a decision about renting an electric car, a Peugeot 5008. Apparently some of these are hybrid, but the one we’d rent is all electric."
Annie Sargent: Yeah, hybrids, don’t get a hybrid, that’s just silly cars. "In any event, if you’ve driven one before,Annie has talked about how much more prevalent charging stations are in France than in the US and we’re tempted to try one. Is there an app that helps find public charging stations in France?
Annie Sargent: How do you know how long charging stations will take to charge a vehicle? I’m guessing some are faster than others."
Annie Sargent: Oh, yes, yes, yes. So let me tell you a little bit.This is what you should know before you try it. Driving an EV in France can be fantastic, but it’s not for everyone.
Annie Sargent: If you already drive an electric car at home, you will probably feel right at ease here. You already understand how charging works, how to plan stops, what kind of cable or charger you need for different situations. If you’ve never driven an EV before, France may not be the easiest place to learn.
Annie Sargent: Doable, yes, but be ready for surprises. Why? Well, language and time constraints mostly. But if you’re comfortable speaking French and you can take your time, why not? So let’s go step by step.
[00:54:49] Charging Your EV in France
Annie Sargent: Understanding the basics, AC versus DC charging. In France as everywhere, there are two main kinds of charging, alternative current, AC, and direct current, DC.
Annie Sargent: AC charging is slower, that’s what you use overnight or if you’re parked for several hours, perhaps while you visit a village or a museum or something like that. DC charging is the fast kind you’ll find along highways. That’s what you use for quick top-ups, during long drives. Perhaps not just a top-up, but that’s what you find on the freeways.
Annie Sargent: Now, there’s something a lot of visitors don’t realize and that’s that in France, for alternative current charging, AC charging, you use your own cable.
Annie Sargent: When you rent an EV, make sure they give you that cable before you drive off. It’s called a T2 cable. Open the trunk, check the little bag and look at the cord inside. It’s not necessarily a little bag. It can be a big bag. Those things are big. If it’s missing, ask for it. You will need it to plug into most AC chargers.
Annie Sargent: It’s also a good idea to ask for a granny charger. That’s the little cable that lets you plug the car into a regular household outlet. The kind that you might have if you’re sleeping overnight at an Airbnb. That’s slow and it will take all night to get you a meaningful charge, but it’s better than nothing, if you’re staying somewhere without a dedicated charger.
Annie Sargent: I wouldn’t say that you have to have the granny charger. I have one and I rarely take it when I go out even on the road, because I’m just going to plug into a DC charger or an AC charger along the way, and I don’t count on these granny chargers very much. I don’t need them. And also you never know, you might plug in somewhere at an Airbnb and blow up their circuits because it’s not made for that.
Annie Sargent: You don’t know what the electrical situation is at the Airbnb where you are staying.
Annie Sargent: If you’re a Tesla driver, good news, the experience in France is almost identical to what you’re used to.
Annie Sargent: Tesla’s Supercharger network covers the country wonderfully and you can navigate, charge and pay just like you do at home. Tesla chargers, most of them in France are also open to non-Tesla EVs. So even if you’re not driving a Tesla, you could choose the Tesla Superchargers. You need to use them through their app, and I’m not sure what car rental agencies will rent you a Tesla.
Annie Sargent: You need to inquire before you book.
Annie Sargent: Highway charging. That’s easy, but very varied. So every service station on French toll roads, we call them Aires d’autoroutes, has EV chargers now. A bank of them usually. You’ll never be stranded on the freeway. The tricky part is that each charging station will have chargers from different brands. Ionity, TotalEnergies, Engie, Fastned, Allego. There’s many more. Almost never Tesla, however, on the freeways. Tesla chargers are usually off the freeway, sometimes not very far off the freeway, but they are off the freeway. And all of these brands work slightly differently. By law, every public charger is supposed to accept credit card payments, but in reality, it doesn’t always happen.
Annie Sargent: Sometimes the terminal is down on that particular charger or for the whole station, or the payment screen is confusing, or it simply doesn’t read foreign cards. I don’t have a foreign car I can test it with. So, you know, eh, there’s uncertainties. Sometimes they have one payment machine for the entire charging station.
Annie Sargent: You’ll need to look around and understand the situation on a case by case basis. That’s why experienced European EV drivers always carry an RFID card linked to a charging network like Chargemap or Electroverse. You just tap the card, the charge starts instantly. Well, within a minute usually, and the payment goes through your account later. It’s really simple and reliable.
Annie Sargent: If you’re coming from abroad, order one of those RFID cards before your trip. I have both Chargemap and Electroverse, and between the two, you’re usually good to go. You can also pay through an app dedicated to that specific brand of charger that you’re using, but that takes a lot more time.
Annie Sargent: You need to download the app in the parking lot, create the accounts entering credit card details. It’s not fun when you just want to go pee and have a coffee and hit the road. As I get older, my need to go to the bathroom has been increasing notably. Alternative current EV chargers on city streets, so, you know, AC chargers, the ones where you bring your own cable, on city streets or in villages, they never used to have a credit card payment terminal.
Annie Sargent: A few do now. It’s changing, but very slowly. So again, make sure you have a couple of RFID cards, like Chargemap or Electroverse, before you arrive in France. And those apps will also help you find chargers around you. That was my next point. There are dozens of apps that can help you find chargers.
Annie Sargent: Chargemap and Electroverse are very good, but I mean, Ionity has a map. They all have a map. They show you what’s near you, which ones are available, what kind of connector and power level they offer. You can drill into all sorts of details.
Annie Sargent: If you’re on a French toll road, don’t worry.
Annie Sargent: There will be chargers at regular intervals, usually between 40 and 60 kilometers. Outside of highways, many French grocery stores, especially big ones like Leclerc, Carrefour, Intermarché, Super U, they also have chargers in their parking lots, and it’s great if you want to combine grocery shopping with charging.
[01:00:50] About the Price of Charging
Annie Sargent: How much will you pay for your charging? Now charging apps typically tell you how much you’ll pay. Sometimes the screen on the charger will tell you, not always sadly, and on the older AC chargers that don’t even have a screen, you never know how much you’re going to pay unless you dig around on the app, of course.
Annie Sargent: So never plug in your car all night unless you know what the overnight rate is going to be. This is really important. Underground parking garages charge an arm and a leg for power, I avoid those like the plague. If I’m stopped somewhere in a city and I’m in an underground parking garage and I’m going to be there for three hours, I plug in, that’s fine, but never overnight.
Annie Sargent: And this is also true with village chargers. Don’t stay plugged in all night. Plug in for two or three hours while you have your dinner or visit the place or whatever, then move your car. Okay?
[01:01:46] Final Thoughts on EV Travel in France
Annie Sargent: So final thoughts. France is becoming one of the easiest countries in Europe for EV travel. The infrastructure is here.
Annie Sargent: The technology is improving fast, and you’ll find chargers almost everywhere. But remember, success with EV driving comes down to preparation. So make sure you have the right cables. Get an RFID card, like ChargeMap or Electroverse. Know your car’s limit and charging speeds. Plan a few minutes at each stop to relax and enjoy the breaks, and whenever you stop, plug in.
Annie Sargent: That’s it. Do that, your EV road trip through France will be smooth, affordable, and surprisingly enjoyable.
Annie Sargent: And also, ask your rental agency how much charge they require when you drop off the car. If they say more than 80%, you have a problem, so, make sure that the company that rented you the EV is reasonable as well.
[01:02:38] Conclusion and Upcoming Episodes
Annie Sargent: Okay, that was a lot, wasn’t it? As mentioned before, I’ll share a video with patrons with all of this as well.
Annie Sargent: My thanks to podcast editors Anne and Christian Cotovan, who produced the transcripts and the audio.
[01:02:51] Next week on the podcast
Annie Sargent: Next week on the podcast, an episode about using home exchange for your next vacation with Malie-Anette Arnstad, and great timing, I will be back from my first experience using four different home exchanges on my trip through France.
Annie Sargent: Thank you so much for listening, and I hope you join me next time so we can look around France together.
Annie Sargent: Au revoir.
[01:03:15] Copyright
Annie: The Join Us in France travel podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Annie Sargent, and Copyright 2025 by AddictedToFrance. It is released under a Creative Commons attribution, non-commercial, no derivatives license.