This post was compiled from a sequence of other blog posts on the same topic, as well as some casual investigation. Caution is advised, as I have not been able to visit these all.
It is about time that I embrace my repressed personality as an early 90’s blogger venting his frustrations to the world on a blog nobody reads. As a lifelong sufferer of coeliac disease (la maladie coeliaque), I had always assumed that travel to France was virtually impossible due to the pervasive use of wheat flour - from the breakfast pastries to the roux at the base of most sauces and soups, French cooking has had a lifelong love affair with the forbidden grain. Though it’s certainly not trivial, an extended stay in Paris as a strict coeliac is certainly possible without resorting to a stash of bananas and crackers every time eating out comes to mind. The prevalence of coeliac disease in Europe is currently estimated to be around 0.8%, suggesting that a restaurant feeding an average of 100 patrons a night has a 99.6% chance (*) of seeing at least one coeliac every week.
Many of the blog posts used as sources below paint a rosy picture of a gluten free revolution in Paris, but this is not really the case. A French person in a shop told me about her gluten-intolerant friend trying to eat out in Paris, and finding it a bruising experience - “They even put it in chocolate!”, she exclaimed. There are a few places, but if you have come here hoping to experience all of French cuisine in a format tolerable by your guts, you will be disappointed. Going out spontaneously with friends is more of a challenge than in e.g. Edinburgh, Rome, Florence.
(*) Assuming that all restaurantgoers are European and coeliacs eat out as often as non-coeliacs. This assumption is false - one survey suggested that 80% of French coeliacs limit their trips to restaurants.
Methodology
The author entered the search terms from the following list into the DuckDuckGo web search engine, with search localisation set to France.
- gluten free Paris
- Paris “sans gluten”
- sans gluten
- boulangerie sans gluten
Of the sources listed in the bibliography, those which remain open were saved to a Google Maps list for convenience.
I’m mostly just compiling a list here, so the descriptions will generally be quite spartan.
Rolling the Dice
For my last day in Paris, I got some seafood (scallops) from L’Atlas, to be found near Odéon. The process was not as smooth as elsewhere, but the scallops were absolutely divine - cooked to perfection, with a butter sauce and some grilled tomatoes that perfectly complemented the sweetness of the shellfish. (In fact, I was only able to eat there at all thanks to the intervention of a French speaking Englishman seated next to me with a coeliac sister).
I can recommend rolling the dice and going to a place you fancy the look of at least once - it is something of a shame to miss all of the food Paris is famous for. It’s undeniably difficult, and a risk, but in my opinion worth it.
Eating at general bistros is certainly smoothed significantly with the help of a proficient French speaker. If no francophones are available on your day of travel, I’ve found that the key phrases that are generally used for coeliacs are j’ai une intolerance au gluten, sans gluten and sans farine de blé. If travelling without a French speaker, a restaurant card is essential. Yes, you do look like a knob whipping out a little essay in French waxing lyrical about the difference between barley and buckwheat, but it has to be done.
The Gameplan
Your best bet is to go to a restaurant specialising in minimally treated cuts of meat or fish. Thick sauces and soups are dangerous due to the common French ingredient, the flour-containing roux. As anywhere else, stuffed things (which are generally stuffed with bread) and fried things (chips are often floured, and dedicated fryers are unheard of) should be avoided. Try to go at a less busy time, when the wait staff have time to deal with your bullshit.
Glossary
Most Parisians unfortunate enough to staff service industry jobs in the tourist precincts of the city speak flawless English, but nonetheless it’s helpful to know all of the danger terms in French. The necessary nouns are very specific and not particularly similar to the French translations, so knowing these can be a lifesaver.
| gluten free (gf) | sans gluten (sg) |
| flour | farine |
| bread | pain |
| buckwheat | blé noir |
| wheat | blé |
| barley | orge |
| rye | seigle |
| spelt | épautre |
| oats | avoine |
| dextrose | dextrose |
| croissant | croissant |
| thickener | épaississant |
| May contain traces of gluten | Poit contenir des traces de gluten |
Quick bites
La Guinguette d’Angèle
Takeaway-only quick bite, with vegan options as well. [2]
Judy
Nice food in a box to take away and eat in the sun. [5]
The Supermarket
After some searching, I found a packet of five (why five?) slices of Schär gluten free bread and a packet of sweet biscuits available at a Carefour express. Not all Carefours carry it though. However, almost any supermarket will have a packet of puffed-corn crackers (galletes du mais) and a wheel of cheese or packet of ham.
Meats
Proscuitto made in the traditional way is technically not entirely gluten free. When the pork leg is salted and hung out to dry, the cut surface is covered with a wheat dough to stop it drying out to fast and keep the meat soft. If you get a part of this surface in the finished product, there is a low but nonzero chance of contamination. I’ve personally never had problems with flagrantly ignoring this fact though - the flour paste is usually thoroughly washed or cut off by the time it is sold in a packet. To be extra safe, it’s advisable to cut or peel off the outermost surface of the meat.
Wheat is not involved in the ham-making process as far as I’m aware.
Chocolate
Lindt dark chocolate is as far as you can go if you adhere strictly to avoiding “may contain traces of gluten”.
The Eurostar
The on-board menu stocks a gluten free tomato soup and risotto. Not going to earn it a Michelin star, but why would a tyre company want to support the competition?
Hotels
French Theory
I stayed here. They have a small breakfast menu in the cafe downstairs with several GF options. Hipster vibes.
Crêperies
These are your best bet in terms of capital ‘F’ French food that is ‘intrinsically’ gluten free, since buckwheat galettes traditionally contain no wheat flour.
Breizh Café
I found this place almost by accident, and it’s fantastic. It’s a group of three Crêperies serving gluten free buckwheat Galettes with either traditional French fillings (egg, ham, cheese) or some light Japanese fusion (shiitake mushroom with wakame, lobster with yuzu, pastrami with an Asian pickle). Wash it down with a glass of their excellent Breton cider for an immensely satisfying meal.
Reassuringly popular with locals. [5, self]
La Petite Bouclerie
A tiny crêperie in the Quarter Latin, very near Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle. They can do all of their sweet and savoury crêpes on buckwheat galettes. This is a very useful place to know about for a casual meal with friends. ‘Sans gluten’ is advertised on their signs, [5, self]
Caramel Sarrasin
[5]
La Crêperie de Josselin
[5]
Pâtisserie and similar
Helmut New Cake
Friands, Tarts and baguettes. [1, 3]
Maison Plume
Primarily focussed on absolutely exquisite, finely crafted desserts. [1]
Yummy and Guiltfree
Maybe it’s just me, but I get a weird vibe from food that describes itself as “guilt free”. Eat the damn pastry and enjoy it. Maybe there will be cause for regret later, as I nurse a swollen belly, but starting a meal with a passive-aggressive reminder that I should be watching what I eat puts a bad taste in my mouth. If this place is
Pontification aside, this is a popular joint for croque monsuieur and a variety of sweet waffles and ice cream. [1, 3, 4, 5]
La Meringaie
All things meringue based- macarons, pavlovas, and little meringue drops (meringuettes). This is a chain, with 5 stores at time of writing. [1]
Maison Georges Larnicol
Chain of sweet chops doing chocolates and gluten free macarons. [5]
Boulangerie
Copains
Cinnamon rolls, top-tier patisserie and breads that look just likethe real thing, though I did not get a chance to try them. I had an escargot, a babka and a Paris-Brest (a ring of choux pastry filled with a chestnut cream, hazelnuts and flaked almonds. I described this to friends as a ‘topologically nontrivial éclair’). I would count the pastry as the nicest sweet I had in Paris.
If you go to one place on this list, it should be here. It is located relatively conveniently in Les Halles, near the big tourist block consisting of the Centre Pompidou, Louvre, Saint Chapelle and Notre Dame.
The only catch is that they are closed on Mondays. [correct as of June 2022]
[5, self]
NoGlu
Purveyors of glazed doughnuts, baguettes and pastry. Though they open at 8:30, they generally don’t get their stock until 9:30. Try to get in relatively early - by 18:00, they only have a few things left. They serve croque monsieur and similar up to 16:00. I tried their zucchini quiche, éclairs, baguettes, croissants, pain au chocolat, brioche bun, madelines and a cappucino.
The coffee had really expertly made milk, and I certainly can’t fault any of the pastries for technical things - the croissant and pain au chocolat were flaky and delicious, though I preferred the pain au chocolat - but you should be warned that these sweet patisseries are very small and very expensive (even by Parisian standards). The zucchini quiche was delicious, and makes for a very respectable lunch.
The baguettes are fairly standard gluten-free fare - they did not weave the same magic as others have with achieving soft exteriors and crisp exteriors. A Schär roll (one of the ones sold part-cooked that you have to finish cooking in the oven) arguably gives an experience that approximates a baguette more closely.
[1, 2, self]
La belle vie sans gluten - Clementine Oliver
A master bread baker. Baguettes, whole loaves, scones and a small collection of sweet cakes. A bit out of the way, but you can order online! [1]
Boulangerie Chambelland
Loaves, crackers, focaccia, cakes, patisserie and éclairs. [1]
Maison Kayser / Boulangerie Eric Kayser
A huge international chain of bakeries. These have a “gluten free corner” consisting of a few loaves of bread and cookies. I did not add these to the map. [2]
Café and Lunch
Note that locals will typically have a very light breakfast, e.g. granola or coffe and a pastry, rather than sitting down to a full smashed avocado toast + egg as is typical in anglophone countries. Due to the tourist trade, this makes big-breakfast serving places more likely to have a GF option.
Adam & Eve Café
Worthy “clean eating” type place. [2]
Twinkie Breakfast & Lunch
All day brunch - pancakes, egg on toast etc. A tourist-focussed place, “Breakfast” and “Lunch” signs are written in English. [2]
Lunch & Dinner
Italian Restaurants
You probably didn’t come to Paris for this, but as far as I can tell, a lot of the best 100% gluten free places in Paris comes in the form of Italian food.
L’Osteria Ruggera
Gluten free menu. Pizzas are prepared the day before, so order at least a day in advance. Pizzas are cooked in the same oven as normal, so cross contamination is a possibility. [2]
Gemini
A chain of mid-range Italian restaurants. They can use gluten free pasta, and offer gluten free pizza bases (with a “may contain traces” disclaimer). Useful to know about if you need a place to eat, but probably not a destination in its own right. [2]
Little Nonna
A dedicated gluten free Italian restaurant. [2, 6]
Manicaretti
100% gluten free. Fresh salads, pasta, arancini - all the good stuff. [6]
Alla Mano
“In hand”. A 100% gluten free place, run by the people behind Manicaretti. Selection of hand-eating focussed foods includes panzerotti (large fried dumpling) and suppli [6]
Mimi
100% gluten free Neapolitan food, serving house made pasta. [6]
Tasca Bio
100% gluten free, informal pasta and pizza with outdoor seating. [2, 6]
Gusto Italia 218 / Giacomo
Though not a dedicated gluten free place, their gluten free pasta is house made and certified free of cross contamination. [6]
IDA
A small, “semi-gastronomic,” trendy place. You can only choose between two options - the Chef’s menu (blind) and the Chef’s favourites. Both are excellent - the house made pasta was replaced with gluten free spaghetti in a truffle and cream sauce, while other items can generally be modified to be made gluten free in a trivial way (e.g. leaving the cracker off the burrata course). All dishes are freshly made with care and attention to detail. Try to telephone ahead if you can to advise of your dietaries, and they will be able to accomodate you - they did a pretty good job with me, even without advance warning. [6]
La Scuderia del Mulino
Specialise in all things pizza. [6]
Piccola Strada
[6]
Baffo
Tuscan fine dining with a menu that shifts every three days.
Not Italian
Nous
A chain of fun, fresh looking foods. [2]
Soya cantine Bio
As worthy as it sounds. [2]
Ice cream
Berthillon
A famous café situated on one of the two islands in the middle of the Seine, serving gelato, pastries, cocktails and coffee late into the night. Their ice creams and sorbets do not contain any gluten ingredients, but the ice creams suffer from the dreaded “may contain traces” disclaimer. Sorbets are 100% safe though. They have two shops - one by the river that you can sit at, the other (a block away) is a wood-paneled tearoom.
Grom
Supposedly has gluten free cones. [5]
Sources
Note that all of these are out of date. Parisian restaurants drop like flies at the best of times, and covid certainly didn’t help. These are not in any order.
[1] Thorough, but outdated list of places with some gluten free options (fr) [2] “Top 10” style listicles (en) [3] [4] Includes some useful phrases (en) [5] Spartan list of 30 GF places. (en) [6]
Really good, recent (2022) blog for gourmet and fancy places (fr).
Permanently Closed
- Biosphère Café
- Onyriza