Top 10 gluten-free eateries in Paris

Are you looking for a special destination that seems obscure or elusive in the city of baguettes and patisseries? 

Fear not: Zoë Bradley has put together a comprehensive guide for those with allergies, or who are simply looking to experience un certain type of produce. Certes, try something different – but no less delicious!

1. NoGlu

Go here for: gluten-free dining that is cutting edge and cardboard-free.

Part of the ‘With Love Allergen Free’ movement, NoGlu is accredited as being a completely gluten free kitchen, with some dishes even being lactose free. Founder Fréderique Jules is herself gluten and lactose intolerant and so takes Noglu’s title seriously.

The restaurant offers a set, brunch-style menu on weekends, and a traditional, set menu on weekdays with delicacies varying from day to day.

If you don’t have time for a sit-down meal, Noglu are also experts when it comes to sugary treats. But Noglu is better known for their pain, for which you must place an order. I tried a few tranches that came with my meal and was sorely disappointed to be told that there was not even one miette left to buy for the day. Read more…

2. Helmut Newcake

Go here for: 100% gluten free pastries.

Found in the maze of streets off the hip Canal Saint Martin, Helmut Newcake is hunted down by expats, and ravenous gluten-free travellers, who all make the pilgrimage to the holy grail of gluten-free establishments.

There are few blogs or magazines yet to herald the great news, and Helmut Newcake has had little problem in spreading the joyous tidings. Word, or rather the sound of “ooohs” and “ahhhs”, have spread quickly.

A sign on the counter assures visitors, in English and French, that everything in the haven is gluten free, and the air is a melange of sweetness and sighs of relief.

3. Un monde vegan

Go here for: a comprehensive selection of vegan and gluten-free goods.

Un Monde Vegan is a supermarket that caters for the lentil-munching, egg-evading community of Paris, but also has quite a comprehensive gluten-free section containing all manner of vegan, gluten-free goods. Among other tempting brands, they also stock the Orgran label which, if you are intolerant to anything, will become a dear friend. Read more…

4. Bio Sphère Café

Go here for: curing pizza/crepe cravings.

The dishes at Bio Sphere Café are made with high quality, organic ingredients—for both health and taste. There is a glass cabinet laden with an impressive array of gluten free patisseries, not to mention the daily pizzas, crêpes and quiches on offer—all gloriously gluten free. Bio Sphere has recently added baguettes to the collection. Be sure to order on the day before or you will miss out. They are that popular!

Bio Sphère does not scrimp on portion size. When you order a pizza, your plate will be filled with the full circle of pizza, not just one measly slice. And your Bio Sphère pizza will not go rock hard ten seconds after it is brought out, remaining soft, and crunchy in all the right places, right down to the last bite.

Being a bio establishment, you will often find lactose and egg free items among the gluten free options. Bio Sphère also offers macaron making classes, gluten free birthday cakes and the famed galettes du roi and buches de Noël so you don’t have to sit the tradition out. Read more…

5. Bio-Moi

Go here for: their vast array of health food goods.

Paris is not short of good health food stores. While you may be familiar with the Naturalia and Biocoop franchises, Bio-Moi is definitely a health food store that you should not miss. With an impressive range of all things gluten-free, and exhaustive customer service that is unheard of in Paris, this really should be the first place you visit for gluten-free groceries.

Bio-Moi stocks quite a few gluten-free brands that you will not find in the supermarkets or other specialist stores, plus many, if not all, of the old favourites. Read more…

6. Le potager du Marais

Go here for: traditional French cuisine that caters for vegetarians and intolerants.

Blink and you will miss this tiny restaurant tucked tightly between the stores on rue Rambuteau. Don’t blink, because Le Potager du Marais is one restaurant you will not want to miss. A veteran of the vegetarian, organic, dining circle, Le Potager offers an impressive selection of gluten-free options for an establishment that measures just over three metres wide.

An authentic French dining experience for those who don’t want to miss out on account of their intolerances.

7. Bob’s Kitchen

Go here for: your daily dose of vegetables and friendly service.

Affiliated with the famed Bob’s Juice Bar, Bob’s Kitchen in the 3^rd arrondissement offers a hearty variety of gluten-free dishes and desserts. Sit down at the long tables, or grab a box to go. The main meals are full of vegetables and gluten free grains, and the menu changes regularly, ensuring that there will always have something new to try.

If you’re lucky, you’ll visit on a day that they bake their delicious gluten-free Oreos. If not, just have to keep going back until you do. Oh, the inconvenience!

8. Soya

Go here for: fresh vegetarian fare, full of colour and taste.

Soya is located in the très hip 11^th arrondissement, and reservations are absolutely necessary—such is the demand for this unpretentious cantine-come-warehouse.

But your reservation efforts will be rewarded with the 100% bio and vegetarian fare that appears before you. With 95% of the Soya clientele not at all vegetarian, I do believe that they have succeeded in making vegetarian dishes that are both delicious and interesting to even the greatest meat lovers.

Each dish contains no less than twelve ingredients, which require five hours of preparation each morning on account of the restaurant not having any freezers. You can therefore be assured that your dish is fresh and that each mouthful will differ from the last. The restaurant uses very little gluten or lactose in their preparations, understands intolerances well and can steer you clear of the odd dish that does contain wheat.

9. Causses

Go here for: those never-before-heard-of ingredients that your recipe calls for.

Causses is a luxury grocer in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, which supplies the bobo community with every bio, free range and gluten-free goodie that their hearts could ever desire. With produce artistically displayed about the shop floor, Causses is more reminiscent of a gallery than a food store.

Here, you will find a dedicated gluten-free section, but also whole foods and unprocessed ingredients that are naturally gluten-free. A visit to Causses may cause one to alter their recipe just as an excuse to try some of the previously unheard and exotic ingredients. Read more…

10. Chloé S.

Go here for: a classy cupcake with a side of rock and roll.

Chloé Saada is a retro, rockabilly maiden who has married her two loves, cupcakes and all things rock and roll… bringing a little old-world Hollywood style to Paris. She now owns two cupcakeries—both in the 9th arrondissement, and both highly featured in French press. The two salons offer guests a side of 50s diner with their cupcakes with names such as Elvis, Johnny, Otis, and Marilyn.

For gluten-free cupcakes, you must order ahead of time by phone or email, but I can assure you that the effort is well worth it. There are many gluten-free flavours to choose from, and they arrive dressed up to the nines in frosting and glitter, and taste as sweet as Elvis’ crooning. Read more…

Enjoy great gluten-free food in Paris wherever you are –  we’ve mapped our favourites for you on Foursquare! 

And you, do you have places off the beaten path you’d recommend in Paris? Let us know in the comments below!