Loving Paris with Food Allergies

Loving Paris with food allergies? Oui 🙂

For many of us, living with potentially life-threatening food allergies, Paris can be intimidating. Not only is Paris known for chic fashions, but Paris is gourmet all the way! From mini petit-four sweets to garlic butter escargot, the food of Paris is vastly different from most places in the USA. Therefore, can be a food allergy minefield. But don’t worry, Paris can be food allergy-friendly!

On our family’s 1st trip to Paris, we arrived from a long travel day in Elba, Itay (see our Italy food allergy trips here!). Of course, we were tired & hungry. Settling into our Paris apartment rental allowed us to quickly prepare a food allergy safe dinner of box pasta we brought with us from Italy.

My husband & I are enjoying a glass of champagne on our terrace while our kids happily played. Doesn’t this sound like a perfect vacation?

Here’s how we travel internationally with multiple anaphylactic food allergies for over 20 years. And you can too.

Although this post talks about Loving Paris with Food Allergies, see our top suggestions for what to see & do in the City of Light here: Paris is always a good idea!

Family friendly & super romantic too – Paris, France delights all who visit. After many trips to Paris, we are still loving Paris with food allergies.

Loving Paris with Food Allergies

Arriving in Paris on an international flight will most likely involve some jetlag. And tired people don’t always make the best decisions. Therefore, have a plan for your arrival day and a Plan B in case of delays. If you have our Travel Starter Guide (TSG), this will walk you through your entire trip planning.

Always bring more allergy-friendly food than you think in your carry-on & checked suitcase. Travel makes everyone hungry!

So loving Paris with food allergies – it’s super easy to do just by looking out the window at this beautiful city and its delicious food!

Paris Food Allergy Travel Tips

Flying to Paris? ✈️ Look at Flying with Food Allergies Guide. This recent trip we flew on Air France & seriously it was the BEST flight we have ever been on.

Of course, super-helpful: Translation Cards from Select Wisely.

You can see our reels on our Instagram: An Easy Journey.

And grab our SUPER HELPFUL & free 🧳 Food Allergy Ultimate Packing List.

Especially useful for having fresh, food allergy safe food while traveling: Backpack cooler.

Also, starting in 2025, US citizens 18 – 70 years old (as well as citizens from many other countries) will have to complete the online ETIAS Visa waiver form before their trip to 30 European countries, including France. It’s easy and most likely you will be instantly approved. ETIAS visa is valid for 3 years or until your current passport expires. Cost is 7 euro (about $7.13 USD).

Hotel or Apartment Rental

A key choice for any vacation if you/family member have life-threatening food allergies/dietary restrictions: accommodations.

In Paris and most international locations, hotel rooms are smaller and may not have little refrigerators or kitchenettes. Also, air conditioning is not as common as in the USA. So, make sure to double-check the amenities that are necessary for your safety and comfort.

We always look for a kitchen, Wi-Fi, in summer months, AC & we really love a terrace or garden. This often makes our top choice an apartment/house rental. Usually, we book through Airbnb, VRBO or a well-vetted local property management company.

Here’s a few of our recommended Paris apartment rentals: By Place Des Voges, Marais Magic Apartment (a travel agency client favorite!), & Rooftop Balcony Apartment.

In our experience, many hotels do not allow us to prepare enough food allergy safe meals/snacks for a week-long trip.

Often, breakfast is included in hotel rates but most times, we are not able to eat it safely. Additionally, other tourists around the hotel are often eating our food allergens (peanuts/tree nuts especially). However, a night or two in a hotel is certainly possible.

Our City Center Paris hotel suggestion: Hotel Kessler which is fantastic! Although, note as with many places in Paris, there are peanuts at the bar.

Because of our many food allergies, the kind breakfast staff at the Hotel Kessler made us delicious, safe veggie omelets with fresh fruit instead of the included breakfast buffet.

Food, Glorious French Food with Food Allergies

Now, the great part: yummy French food! From local French markets, grocery stores, Bistros or restaurants, France has no shortage of delicious fresh & food allergy safe food. As France is part of the European Union (EU), they have strict labeling requirements. All of the top allergens are listed on food products in bold. Also, listed on most restaurant menus.

Make sure to have a translate app on your phone & you’ll easily be able to read for your specific food allergies.

For eating out with food allergies, you really need translation cards. We use and recommend Select Wisely. Their translation cards have photos of your food allergens on each card & all the specific variations of each food. Especially handy to give the manager or chef to take back to the kitchen.

What & Where We Ate in Paris with Food Allergies

Here are some food allergy friendly restaurant suggestions that we enjoyed. But you still will need to vet for your specific food allergies:

So, so delicious and kind, helpful staff: Les Deux Colombes! We had the cheese board, #peanutfree #nutfree baguette, asparagus risotto and the lamb with vegetables. Email in advance to see about your specific food allergies. Reservation highly suggested.

Absolutely mouth-watering: Le Maxan – close to all the shops on the Champs Elysees. Although we thought we weren’t hungry when we arrived, we finished our entire dinner! So, this is what we ate: appetizer of homemade cheese bread (scrumptious with a house red wine!), a delicious plate of sausages with mashed potatoes, white asparagus with grapefruit, and the duck with kalamata olives. Also, we were able to safely eat for our #foodallergies dessert of lemon sorbet and it was spectacular!

Verse Toujours – They were so kind! Their response to my pre-trip email asking if it would be possible to eat at their restaurant with our food allergies was amazing. They said they could absolutely meet our dietary requirements and they far exceeded our expectations! Also, good to know locals were eating here. We enjoyed: Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses, Salmon salad with avocado and apple and their yummy vegetable lasagna. Especially nice was ability to have their delicious raspberry sorbet for dessert!

Madame Brasserie restaurant at the Eiffel Tower is spectacular! From our welcome glass of French champagne, a lovely food allergy-friendly side salad, scrumptious homemade pasta & a specially made apple dessert that was dairy-free & peanut free – everything was scrumptious! As well as how careful the staff is when looking at our multiple anaphylactic food allergy card. Of course, the view here is the perfect place for a special meal! Reserve as far in advance as possible.

Dinner at the Moulin Rouge was not tasty & a true disappointment for our only option: their vegetarian meal. Of course, when we had spoken with them pre-reserving, they assured us they could accommodate for our food allergies. But it was not a good experience for us & in the future, will only make reservations for the show.

Chain eatery: Pret-a-Manger. Lots of locations and super good grab and go breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner. Online allergen menu but again, double-check onsite. Especially great for picnic lunches. We enjoy tomato soup, blackened salmon salad, tomato and mozzarella wraps with individual bags of potato chips.

🥐 Gluten-free/Dairy-free/Vegetarian Chambelland Bakery has bread, baguette, cookies and cakes. Note: it was not peanut or nut free and some items had sesame. However, their smaller Chambellines rolls are amazing! Again, email them in advance for your specific food allergens.

Are you loving Paris with food allergies?

Markets and Groceries in Paris

Always a food allergy family favorite: fresh food markets and grocery stores. Even if staying in a hotel, it is really nice to shop like a local for a few items.

Loving Paris with food allergies jackpot: The fresh Market at Rue Montrouge’ll!

Here you can find the freshest fruits (hello strawberries! 🍓), vegetables, butcher, 🐟 fishmonger, 🧀 cheese shops as well as organic artisanal cider.

Now when we have an apartment rental, this is a must-visit for those of us with food allergies/dietary restrictions. I am imagining my inner Julia Child. Although picking up some wine, baguette and olives will make an easy, no-cook aperitivo or picnic no matter your accommodations.

French grocery Monoprix is also helpful with fresh fruits, vegetables and wines. However, there were none of our familiar allergy-friendly brands for cookies, crackers or cereals. Unlike the London Whole Foods stores which did have some of our familiar food allergy brands.

Food Allergy Friendly French food and wines

France has a variety of foods, depending on location. Regional specialties vary greatly. In Normandy, cider and apples are abundant. In the South of France, there is a lot of peppers, eggplant and beans. And everywhere is baguette with the most delicious butter!

Also, in Paris, we found quite a bit of food made with/in peanut oil. The good news is that most places know what’s in their food. As Paris is the most visited city in the world, most places are used to tourists and therefore, food allergies. Some are accommodating, some not – as with any locale.

🙂 Here’s some of our notes for loving Paris with Food Allergies:

Happy Hour – OOH LA LA! Peanuts, nuts, potato chips and wines. Everywhere! Be aware of possible wine finishing ingredients: fish, egg and sulfites.

A lovely traditional French cocktail is the Kir Royale, made with blackberry liqueur and champagne. Cheese and charcuterie are often served as well.

Desserts – Pastries, tarts, cakes, sorbet, cheese and fruit. Although a drink, our food allergy-friendly Hot Chocolate recipe is easy to make in an apartment rental & a sweet riff of Paris’ famous Cafe Angelina’s.

Loving Paris with Food Allergies: Delicious Vacations

Loving Paris with food allergies – a delicious vacation no matter food allergies or dietary restrictions in this spectacular City of Light/Love! Also, a perfect Honeymoon with Food Allergies choice.

Our Food Allergy Travels and Life private Facebook group is the perfect place to connect/chat with others who are travelling or have traveled to Paris, France with food allergies. Come say Bonjour!

🙂 Have you been to Paris with #foodallergies?

What was your experience?

Any favorite #foodallergyfriendly restaurants?

Was #eatingoutwithfoodallergies easy or not so easy? Let us know in the comments below.

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