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Brace yourself, I am about to write a glowing review of vegan food in France…
Update:
A lot has changed since this original post, so it’s time for an update! Sadly, my beloved Contrast Cafe has closed, just days before my visit this summer, and to say my heart is broken is an understatement. Alas, I have found some stellar new spots I am wildly excited to share with you and made some updates to the previous long standing staples.
Thank you to the Bordeaux Tourism Board for helping me find new places I am excited to return to!
Bordeaux wound up being my absolutely favorite place in France so far. I actually love it, and look forward to visiting. Bordeaux is not some sort of excessive vegan haven, but what they do have counts.
20 years ago France was aggressively disgusted with vegan food in my extensive experience traveling there. I was in a small town by the name of Gordes, and cried more than I explored while submitting to a hunter/gatherer mindset during my stay there. I was constantly getting stung by bees, getting yelled at for not speaking French, and getting handed ham quiche after explaining I was vegan. If you read my last post about France, you’ll further understand why I am in such shock about being so excited about Bordeaux.
Fast forward to Paris. We had the worst time. There was plenty of vegan food, but that same feeling of “Ugh, another American”, was just everywhere. We aren’t people who tend to do really touristy things, so we were experiencing this on the fringe of Paris. We had a handful of nice moments, and stuck to eating at a single cafe where everyone was super nice and the food was amazing. But this is where we started giving up on visiting France all together.
Then one time, on a whim during our trip back from Italy we stopped in Bordeaux to pick up some food. This time, I saw “the special” feeling I was looking for during the better part of two decades. I saw the heart thumping, butterfly-feeling-inducing intersection filled with outside cafes and a warm buzz that made myself agree to give France “one more chance” before I gave up on her entirely.
Bordeaux is just simply ideal for people who:
- Eat vegan food and want to try some new flavors and dishes
- Enjoy vintage, second hand, antiques, and thrift shoping
- Want that storybook feel with out all the buzz
- Want to be treated like a person consistently, instead of “an American”.
- Enjoy little shops and boutiques
- Enjoy French architecture
- Want to chat with French people. even if you speak English or very broken French.
Vegan Restaurant Closings in Bordeaux
Contrast Cafe / 16 Cr du Chapeau-Rouge, 33000 Bordeaux: CLOSED
Contrast! We loved this place and have been back every chance we get. They have a great vegan brunch menu, but also great vegan offerings for lunch, and a wonderful drink menu. It’s worth noting that the vegan tacos are excellent, as well as the vegan hot dog. The service is extremely friendly, and there is greta outdoor seating across the road.
Contract is located in a quieter part of Bordeaux, and gives the welcome feeling of lingering and relaxing. They have excellent coffee and for those who don’t love the pulp in European juices, they have fun straws that filter it out.
La Cantine Viêtgétarienne / 24 Rue du Pas-Saint-Georges, 33000 Bordeaux, France: CLOSED
Let’s Start With Fruit Stands
Bordeaux is littered with awesome fruit stands. Almost every distinct area has at least a small handful of fruits and vegetables pouring out into the sidewalks. The produce is simply amazing. Always fresh, always a huge variety.
For me it’s hard to go someplace exciting and not want to collect ingredients and cook! Even if you don’t love to cook while you are on holiday, these fruit stands are stellar just to grab snacks for your stay.
in summer of 2024 Recharge had delicious glass jared tofu we really enjoyed along with excellent produce.
Monkey Mood / 11 Rue Camille Sauvageau, 33800 Bordeaux
Monkey Mood has always been a place we wanted to try! It’s a 100% plant-based restaurant with a modern menu. We have been trying to get a seat here every time we visit Bordeaux, but somehow we show up when they are closed for a holiday, totally booked for brunch, or packed on a regular day. Sometimes they were so busy when we ask for take-away, it’s just was not possible.
This time, we were in luck, and went multiple times! I really adore their flavorful and unique menu. The nachos were so different from any I have ever had and could honestly feed two people. They weren’t traditional by any means, but they were really, really good. The satay was a favorite as well. Not pictured, we tried the Kimcheeze Burger, which was also a hit. Basically, everything we ordered was excellent.
I suggest making a reservation so you don’t wind up like we did the first five times we tried to eat here. Even though it’s a casual place, it is super popular and fills up quickly.
Casa Gaia / 16 bis Rue Latour, 33000 Bordeaux
Casa Gaia is a mainly organic restaurant sourcing local produce. Their goal is to be ecologically responsible, while serving up delicious food. We tried all the available vegan options, which was a combinations of sides and a Falafal bowl.
The produce is fresh and flavor food and the preparation was interesting. Casa Gaia is open for lunch and dinner and has a lovely outdoor area and a delicious drink menu.
Matsa caffè / 16 Av. Thiers, 33100 Bordeaux
With the closing of Contrast, we were in search of a new place we could fall in love with, and this was it. Matsa Caffe has the sweetest owners, cutest serving set up, and most delicious options. Something about this place took me back to Williamsburg, Brooklyn in the early 2000’s and I was there for it.
The cafe is fully vegetarian with lots of vegan options – and we tried them all, and loved them all. The olive oil raspers dessert blew me away and the corn dip appetizer was new to me, and now favorite. So happy we found a cozy place filled with great options this trip!
Orta / 3 bis Rue du Hâ, 33000 Bordeaux
Orta is a cute spot with a secret speakeasy upstairs that’s great for snacks if you are vegan. This new restaurant focuses on environmentally respectful practices in their offerings. They happen to be very close to La Recharge, on a lovely street for wandering around. Perfect pit-stop for a snack and drink.
Les Récoltants / 18 Rue Sainte-Colombe, 33000 Bordeaux
Part farm, part shop, part restaurant, Les Récoltants is the perfect example of a 0km establishment doing it right. This cozy spot surprises guests daily with a new menu – based off of whatever the farm is offering the chefs that day. The meals are inventive, and some of the best food we had in Bordeaux.
Produce is available in the front of the shop, more items from the farm and local produces are available in the middle of the restaurant after the cafe, and in the back is a magical greenhouse area for guests to dine. This whimsical space hides its bathroom behind armoire doors, and serves its plates just asas magical as its interior.
Beirut Kitchen / 8 Quai de la Grave, 33800 Bordeaux, France
I love this place so much! We have done take away about five times since discovering it. There is a single vegan option of all their vegan plates, which is big enough for two people. The flavors are incredible. I love every single thing that comes with this spread. Obviously I am a huge flavor fan, and this place really knows how to make flavors pop.
Jolly / 7 Pl. du Parlement, 33000 Bordeaux, France
We have had a mostly great experience with La Cantine Vietgerarienne. Sometimes it’s a little greasy, but most of the time it’s awesome. We have gotten a variety of dishes and the flavors and sectors are fantastic.
Vegan crepes! I was so excited to find a place with vegan crepes! Vegan waffles! Vegan whip! They even had vegan savory crepes. This is such a fun place! In the middle of the main square, and flanked by a light buzz of activity, Jolly is such an unsuspecting treat for vegans looking to experience an authentic French crepe.
I love my crepe with just lemon and sugar, but there are many options to chose from including vegan ice cream. The own is fun, sweet, and accommodating as well as every staff person we encountered.
L’Arepa / 17 Cr de l’Yser, 33000 Bordeaux, France
I am sad I didn’t take any photos! It was a delicious surprise to find this place. Truth be told, we ate in the car the first time we drove past Bordeaux, way before we knew how awesome it was.
L’Arepa has really fantastic vegan arepas and delicious plantains, which was such a nod to the food I grew up with in South Florida. The owner is incredibly sweet and everything is fresh and delicious. The chimichuri sauce was a literal time machine, brining me back to all the awesome flavors I tend to miss more often than not.
Michel Mabelle / 33 Rue Gaspard Philippe, 33800 Bordeaux, France + *additional new location* 15 Rue Maucoudinat, 33000 Bordeaux, France
This pastry shop was an awesome find. Filled to the brim with vegan offerings, all delicious! I was excited the had pumpkin pie! It had been some time since I was able to find it made vegan. The case was filled with everything from fancy fig tarts, to classic cookies.
On My List for Next Time
While we haven’t been able to hit up every vegan spot or place with vegan offerings in Bordeaux, we plan to make sure we do.
Finally, I am sharing a short list of places I want to explore for next time. I will make sure to do an update to this post once I get a chance to go back.
We tried to do Monkey Mood on a Sunday, but we needed reservations and it was dine-in only. We wanted to do take-away. So we will have to try again, because it looked like it was going to be great!
Dis Leur
Café Kokomo
Kabana
Ana
What a great post! Beautiful pictures too. When travel, i love to explore non touristy places, to Rey a real feeling of the local life.