Gluten-Free Paris Guide

Paris is a vibrant, historic city and there's plenty of gluten-free food to be had in the capital of France. While I didn't find it my favorite place to visit with celiac disease, I can see the appeal of the City of Light & Love!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure page for more information. This post was last updated in December of 2023.

About This Gluten-Free Guide to Paris

Paris is hotly debated in the celiac community. Some people love it, some people don't really find it all that great. When I shared my candid thoughts on Instagram about how finding pastries/snacks was easy, but finding an actual meal was so much more challenging, I had over 100 people comment and share a similar experience. It made me feel less alone!

But, I do want to put things into perspective for you and share that my experience in Paris in 2023 was TEN THOUSAND TIMES BETTER than my experience in 2010 when I was less than a year post-diagnosis.

But compared to other celiac-friendly places (Italy, NYC, and Portland come to mind), I think other destinations have better options. That's just me though!

This guide will share the cafes, restaurants, and supermarkets where I found gluten-free food in Paris. You'll want to add quite a few of these places to your Paris restaurant list if you are headed to this French capital! There are plenty of great bakeries too. I'll also talk about French cuisine, and the availability of gluten-free food, and offer suggestions to make your trip to Paris easier with celiac disease.

But heads up! This guide is not a complete, comprehensive guide to all the gluten-free restaurants or places to eat in Paris. I'm sharing the places that I visited and had a good experience eating there. I've also included a few other places to add to your list in this blog post, along with where you can find other gluten-free recommendations for Paris.

NOTE & DISCLAIMER

Everyone’s experience with celiac disease is different. Dedicated gluten-free facilities are usually the safest places to go, and you’ll see those listed here. For non-dedicated facilities and restaurants, I only recommend places I have visited or where clear protocols are in place for celiac diners.

My experience is not your experience. This is a guide – a list of suggestions to point you in the right direction. Restaurants can change. Use your judgment and only eat where you feel safe doing so.

Gluten-Free Paris Dining Guide

I've created this Paris map for you to help you find the restaurants, bakeries, and cafes listed below!

About My Experience Visiting Paris with Celiac...

To be honest, my first visit to Paris with celiac disease wasn't a good one.

It was back in 2010, during my semester abroad in Madrid, Spain. Three of my study abroad friends and I decided to fly the cheapest airline (EasyJet) to Paris for a 3-day weekend. And within the first few minutes of leaving the train station, I had my wallet stolen out of my backpack.

Additionally, it was less than a year after my celiac diagnosis and I was still struggling with feeling left out. I had no education in cross-contact and didn't realize the severity of celiac disease. My doctor told me "Just go gluten-free", and I probably took a lot of risks I shouldn't have during those first few years (like picking the cookie out of a chocolate pudding). I just didn't know!

Along with that, there was hardly any gluten-free scene in Paris back then. I struggled through my weekend eating what appeared to be gluten-free but had to watch all of my friends eat croissants and pastries, and I was the only one who couldn't eat them.

So when I planned to visit Europe this past May of 2023, and my parents mentioned they would be spending a week in Paris, I decided it was time for a do-over in France.

But this time, Paris was so much better for me!

While I wasn't super impressed with the selection of gluten-free food (more on that later), I still had TONS of safe options to choose from. I didn't get my wallet stolen (thank goodness!), I enjoyed my time in France and had a pretty positive experience overall.

How To Find Gluten-Free Food in Paris

While this guide will give you my personal recommendations to point you in the right direction for where to eat in Paris based on where I went, sometimes - you need more info.

I get it. Paris is quite the metropolitan city and it is HUGE!

But maybe you're planning to visit the other neighborhoods... or you want to venture out to more than what is listed here in this gluten-free Paris guide. Or maybe, you're looking for a hotel and place to stay that offers a gluten-free breakfast option.

That's why I highly recommend doing your research on an app/website like FindMeGlutenFree.

FindMeGlutenFree can help you get an idea of what other fabulous gluten-free restaurants & safe food choices are in Paris. And with a Premium Subscription, you can filter by most celiac-friendly, see what's open now (so you don't drive to a bakery for breakfast and discover it's closed), and what's gluten-free in the direction you're headed. It's like Google Maps, but a gluten-free version. And no Ads!

I've been an FMGF user for over a decade, but I think their Premium version is much more effective. Take $5 off a Premium Subscription with the code THENOMADICFITZ to make your trip to France a big success!

Travel Tip: Keep in mind when looking at restaurant locations on a map or on Find Me Gluten Free, you may see neighborhoods/areas written as "1st" "2nd" and "3rd". Paris is broken down into what's called arrondissements, or administrative districts. There are 20 in total, and many restaurants will indicate their locations in these terms.

Is Paris Really Celiac Friendly?

There's quite a divide in the celiac community about how celiac-friendly Paris is. In my opinion, I've been to other cities that I preferred a bit more, so it's not at the top of my list as a favorite (New York City, Portland, Oregon, and Florence, Italy, however, are.)

Now, a few factors influenced my decision here, which I'll explain below. Additionally, please note that is not me hating on Paris in any way! It's a beautiful city, rich with history, art, fashion, culture, and nightlife. But on my list of gluten-free destinations, it's not one I'm dying to go back to.

Reason #1: Bakeries & Cafés/Supermarket Reliance

There are LOTS of bakeries and cafés in Paris that are 100% gluten-free or have excellent gluten-free options. You will have NO shortage of croissants, pastries, and fabulous gluten-free baked goods to try. Amazing!

And while this is great...I'm someone who wants an actual meal, especially when traveling. Baked goods are fine for a snack or a small breakfast with coffee/tea, but they don't keep me full. That doesn't work for lunch or dinner and I end up getting REALLY hangry if I eat pastries all day.

So I found myself increasingly frustrated by the fact that there were lots of bakeries that were 100% gluten-free...but not as many restaurants (just like most places in the USA. Sigh.) I ended up eating a lot of pastries every day and had to supplement with supermarket snacks.

Reason #2: Challenging Hours

Often I'd find a restaurant listed online, through Find Me Gluten Free, or perhaps even a fellow celiac's recommendation....only to find they closed at 4 or 5 PM. So when my family and I were done for the day with sightseeing and looking for a place to eat dinner, it became more and more challenging to find an open place. This is probably just a cultural difference, and that's okay and not something I should be complaining about. Everyone eats differently around the world, and I respect that. But as a celiac traveler, it just made things more challenging.

Reason #3: Location!

Paris is a BIG city! After walking around all day, I kept hoping for someplace that wouldn't be an arm and a leg to get to. More often, the few 100% gluten-free restaurants (or ones with celiac-safe options) that were ACTUALLY open were super far away, and not easily accessible from where we stayed (Close to the Invalides train station). If you have the resources to go around Paris to every gluten-free restaurant without having to worry about time, money, or energy - that's awesome and good for you! But this just wasn't realistic for our week in Paris.

Additionally, there's the mental gymnastics of finding a place that looks okay, navigating the language barrier, praying they understand cross-contact...that whole thing. So on days when I was exhausted and just didn't want to try something new that was super far away, I went back to the same places again and again.

Again, this is just my experience of visiting Paris with my family. If I had visited solo, perhaps I would have had more flexibility to go to other restaurants or try other cuisines. But I felt like most of my days were spent eating pastries and on our days when we explored or did excursions, I was relying on snacks from local supermarkets. Even the breakfast options at our hotel were just okay and there was too much risk of cross-contact on the buffet for me to have more than hard-boiled eggs and fruit. On some days, they didn't have hard-boiled eggs at all and we had to request them for the next day, so I had more pastries. Ugh!

Dining Out In Paris With Celiac

Based on 14+ years with celiac disease and my multiple restaurant allergen trainings, I suggest using the words severe gluten allergy when dining out and then clarifying celiac disease. Also, be sure to tell your server about how you need your food prepared to prevent cross-contact.

One way to help with this, especially if you are nervous about visiting Paris, is to have a translated language card in French!

Gluten-Free Language Card: French

We all know that dining out with celiac disease can be super uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing. And when you are dining out in another country, away from home, in a place where the primary language is different from what you know and understand, it can be even more intimidating.

Thankfully, most Parisians speak English. Europeans in general are much more skilled at speaking multiple languages than Americans. While of course, it is much more respectful to speak the local language where you can (as a world language teacher for almost a decade, I can assure you this makes a big difference), sometimes you may not speak the language or have no clue how to explain celiac disease, cross-contact, or know what ingredients are safe.

That's where a celiac dining card comes in handy.

This French restaurant card from Jodi of Legal Nomads has been carefully written and translated by a local to be sure you are completely understood when eating in restaurants, cafes, or shops in Paris. Additionally, another more succinct but equally effective card can be found here from Equal Eats. I recommend both of these cards wholeheartedly.

For starters, you're going to want to look for words like "sans gluten" which means "without gluten" and "coeliaque" which means "celiac. You can also use your iPhone camera or Google Translate to translate individual words, or try brushing up on your French through a free app like Duolingo!

Where to Stay In Paris

Since this was only my second visit to Paris, I can't offer much insight on where to stay. My family and I stayed at the Hotel de France Invalides in the 7th Arrondissement. It was centrally located to most of the major sites and MUCH cheaper than any Airbnbs we could find.

Staying at a hotel isn't my usual first choice, and I prefer to stay at an Airbnb or small apartment with a kitchen so I can prepare food for myself. This is one of my top travel tips for celiacs! I had to utilize the fridge at our hotel to store food prior to my flight home because there were no mini-fridges or microwaves in the rooms either!

The reason we opted for a hotel during our stay (in May of 2023) was simply because of price and convenience. Spring is a very popular time to visit Paris, and the prices of Airbnbs are astronomical. This hotel included a breakfast buffet (which was just okay) and offered a location that was great for getting around. I explained my celiac disease to the staff on multiple occasions for help when asking for food storage, supermarket requests, and getting hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, and they were very kind/did their best to accommodate me.

The other benefit to staying in a neighborhood/area close to a lot of the attractions or points of interest is that's usually where you'll find the most gluten-free options! We lucked out by having Tasca and NoGlu within a 10-15 minute walking distance of our hotel.

100% Gluten-Free Bakeries/Cafés in Paris

You will have no trouble finding a lot of delicious 100% gluten-free sweets and pastries in Paris. Here are the boulangeries/cafes/patisseries I tried, and ones that others recommend!

Copains

Copains is probably one of the most decadent and fabulous bakeries I've ever visited. This was my favorite place in all of Paris, and the staff was especially friendly and helpful, which made me feel so welcome. Everything is 100% gluten-free and they go above and beyond in displaying their incredible array of pastries and gluten-free treats!

The pastries here are seriously, unreal. Tarts, cakes, eclairs, baguettes, croissants, babka, rolls (like the pistachio one above, omg!), whole loaves of bread....You'll be drooling the second you walk through the door.

One thing that was really helpful about Copains was that they also had pre-made sandwiches ready to go for takeaway! This was SUPER because when my parents stopped at a cafe next door and there wasn't anything I could eat, I just took out my sandwich from the bakery and ate it on a plate. Did I feel weird at first? Yeah. But no one was paying attention, and I ate it so fast, nobody knew!

Copains has multiple locations around Paris, and the one I visited was in the 2nd Arrondissement. It was very small without much seating, and no bathroom for the public either. They were also undergoing construction at the time. I'd say this is a fantastic spot to pick up breakfast or treats to go, or a baguette to grab for a picnic with some wine and cheese along the Seine.

For more information about Copains, including their many locations around Paris & hours of operation, check out their website or their socials on Instagram, Facebook, or Tiktok.

NoGlu

If you've been to the NoGlu bakery in New York City, I have bad news.

The one in Paris is better!

This was my first stop (their 7th Arrondissement location) when I arrived in Paris after a flight from Florence. And before meeting up with my parents later that day, I took a leisurely stroll to NoGlu for lunch. It was lovely to walk through the city in the spring, and we were lucky with great weather!

NoGlu is a 100% gluten-free bakery and cafe. And as previously mentioned, they have sister locations in Manhattan (NYC), which I have been to multiple times. However, I have to say that the pastries at the Paris location had a better texture, and the cafe food options were tastier, too!

NoGlu offers takeaway or seated options for breakfast and lunch. Like Copains, they have a few locations throughout the city (the 6th, 7th, and 11th Arrondissement), but not as many as Copains. And their location of Le Pont Traverse now has a dinner option too! Their menus include pastries like croissants and pain au chocolat, cakes, cookies, baguettes, cinnamon rolls, donuts, scones, and more. Their cafe menu includes quiches, salads, soups, sandwiches like croque monsieurs (grilled cheese!), and more!

NoGlu was a great introduction to Paris, and I very much enjoyed my meal here. I got some pastries to go and had a quiche with a side salad. I ate the whole thing! Though I didn't have a chance to go back to NoGlu in Paris, it would have been a regular stop for me if I had more time there.

For more information about NoGlu and their locations/hours, visit their website or follow them on Instagram.

Other 100% Gluten-Free Bakeries To Check Out

I've listed more 100% gluten-free bakeries to consider adding to your list on the Google Map listed at the top of this post.

Boulangerie Chambelland

A boulangerie and 100% gluten-free bakery selling bread, pastries, and groceries. Visit their website here for more information.

Maison Plume

A patisserie serving gorgeous pastries that are 100% gluten-free. Visit their website here for more information.

My friend Matt of Gluten-Free Street Gang and my friend Morgan of How to Coeliac both are based in the UK and have visited Paris on gluten-free diets a lot more than I have! I highly recommend going to their Instagram pages for additional bakery recommendations!

100% Gluten-Free Restaurants in Paris

Tasca Bio

You know when you find a 100% gluten-free restaurant while traveling, and you go back to it multiple times because it's easier? That was our experience with Tasca Bio.

Tasca is a 100% gluten-free Italian restaurant just a short walk from the Eiffel Tower and also nearby to our hotel in the 15th Arrondissement. This made it a very simple choice for dinner on multiple evenings when we were just too exhausted!

Now, this was a very good restaurant with seating both indoors and outdoors and a HUGE menu. The thing was - I had just come from Florence, Italy for the previous 10 days, so I was a little disappointed by some of the dishes. A few came out warm, one came out cold, and some lacked the flavor I was hoping for. But overall, it was a safe bet, so we went back multiple times.

They bring fresh bread to your table, and their menu is enormous. Pastas, pizzas, fish, appetizers, risotto, salad, desserts - all 100% gluten-free. To have this option so close to a very touristy area was extremely beneficial. And not having to explain anything about celiac disease made it a win-win.

Again, some of the dishes left a little to be desired, but overall, I'd give this restaurant a solid 7/10. The ease of going to a celiac-safe place where I wouldn't have to worry about the language barrier OR cross-contact made it a simple decision.

Tasca doesn't appear to have a website, but they do have an Instagram page you can check out here with more information about their food & hours.

Other 100% Gluten-Free Restaurants To Check Out

Tasca was really the only dedicated gluten-free restaurant I visited. But that doesn't mean it's the only one you can visit too! Check out the Google Map I've created above with more ideas, and these two recommendations that others have shared:

Little Nonna

A 100% Gluten-Free pizzeria that other celiacs have raved about. It was just too far away from our hotel to get all the way over there after a long day of sightseeing. Hopefully, next time! Click here to learn more about their menu.

Kapunka

A 100% gluten-free Thai restaurant in Paris! I love thai food and Thailand (especially pad thai) but this wasn't something my parents and I could all agree on eating, so we opted to go back to Tasca Bio instead. Click here to learn more about their menu.

100% Gluten-Free Ice Cream in Paris

Grom Gelato

How much do I love Grom gelato?! Let me count the ways!

Grom is a 100% gluten-free ice cream shop with locations all over Europe. I wish they still had their location in New York City too, but sadly they closed during the pandemic.

Everything at Grom is gluten-free, EVEN THE CONES. This place became a daily, sometimes twice-a-day ritual during my previous gluten-free adventures in Europe. Every flavor I've had is fantastic, and having ice cream in a cone is such a special treat we don't normally get to have.

Thankfully, there are a few Grom locations in Paris, and I made a point to visit here for dessert at least twice. An ice cream is a welcome snack on a hot day, or seriously any day can be made better with ice cream.

For more information about Grom gelato and their locations in Paris, visit their website here for more details or you can follow them on Instagram.

Restaurants With Gluten-Free Options in Paris

Bernadette

Bernadette is an adorable galette restaurant in the 11th arrondissement serving up a great lunch. They offer gluten-free galettes and hard ciders. My parents and I had lunch here after visiting a museum and we had a very pleasant meal!

First off, if you are not familiar with a galette, they are a savory pancake made with buckwheat flour. Buckwheat, despite its confusing name, does not contain wheat or gluten and is safe for celiacs to consume. These can be stuffed with ham, cheese, veggies, eggs, and a variety of other yummy ingredients. So by the nature of this dish, I knew it would be a good option!

However, we always have to check with cross-contact when it comes to celiac. Not only did they have savory galettes on the menu, but they also had sweet crepes made with regular gluten-containing white flour, so I knew I had to ask some questions.

The server was excellent (I think he may have been the owner!), spoke great English, and assured me he understood my concerns. He explained that all of the savory crepes were gluten-free (the galettes with buckwheat flour) but he had a separate cooktop/space to prepare them away from the sweet crepes. He also understood celiac and explained how they would be prepared, so I felt very comfortable ordering.

Additionally, I got a side salad, and when asked about the dressing if it was gluten-free, he said yes and went over the ingredients with me too. Our galettes were delicious and we had a lovely time here!

Of course, always ask questions at places that are not 100% GF, and be sure they work for your needs. I found this restaurant on Find Me Gluten-Free and was happy with my meal. You can learn more about Bernadette on their website to view their menu or check them out on Instagram and Facebook. From their Instagram profile, it looks like they are open Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Lou Lou

LouLou is an Australian cafe & coffee shop serving brunch all day in the Latin District, or 5th arrondissement, not far from Notre Dame. They have a gorgeous terrace and pretty decor inside which gives off a chill vibe. LouLou offers a variety of dishes, including:

"Specialty coffee, morning eggs on toast, salads, avocado toasts, burgers & cheesecakes. Every dish is homemade with fresh and qualitative products, served in a welcoming and cool Australian environment. Loulou also prepares sweet and savory gluten-free & vegetarian meals, as well as organic cold-pressed juices." - from their website

I had also found this restaurant on Find Me Gluten-Free and when seeing the "GF" symbols on their menu, had a feeling this would be a good option. Additionally, their servers spoke good English, and they were understanding of my needs when I explained celiac disease. They assured me of how food with allergens is prepared in the kitchen, including a dedicated fryer for the fries (chips), changing of gloves, and separate preparation.

Not only was the food super tasty, but I loved the atmosphere. It was very relaxing and eating either inside or outside would be lovely. As previously mentioned, since this is not a dedicated gluten-free restaurant, always double check a place works for your celiac needs. I had a good experience here and had we spent more time in this area, I would have come back.

For more information about LouLou, visit their website to get their full menu. They are open until midnight every day. You can also find them on social media via Facebook and Instagram.

La Citrouille

La Citrouille is adorable and a traditional French restaurant was one of our favorite places. So much so, that we went back for dinner 3 times and became friendly with the manager and even had inside jokes! This was seriously, such a fantastic dining experience, and the restaurant is beloved by locals and travelers.

Serving up classic French cuisine (and I mean, really delicious French food) this place is tiny, picturesque, and located in the 6th arrondissement by an area with many other shops/restaurants. Though not marked, there are tons of gluten-free menu options and the servers can walk you through what is safe to consume. The restaurant is really in the heart of everything and there is a Grom gelato around the corner, too!

The food here is fantastic. My parents raved about their dishes, and I loved every single thing I ordered. I had beef burgandy, roast chicken, soup, fries (chips), and green beans, and even sampled some desserts like creme brulee. And not to mention, the prices were REASONABLE and they also had fixed menu prices available too!

This is the type of place where you can sit down and order a bottle of wine, relax, watch people go by, and have a French dining experience. The service was great - we loved our servers and they were extremely helpful in navigating the menu.

I'd highly recommend coming here for a nice dinner, and then taking a stroll around the block for Grom gelato, if you have room!

For more information about La Citrouille, visit their new website. They don't really utilize social media. They are open every day but hours vary depending on weekdays/weekends.

Supermarkets With Gluten-Free Food in Paris

Supermarkets were of the utmost importance during my stay in Paris. We made regular stops in them looking for snacks and food almost every day. Most supermarkets had gluten-free options, but some were better than others.

Carrefour: Carrefour is one of my top go-to supermarkets in Europe. They have entire gluten-free sections and plenty of Schar products at reasonable prices. This is a great place to stop to create a picnic - especially since the French love their cheeses! You can also get wine, fruit, vegetables, meats, crackers, snacks, and sweets. Lidl is a similar supermarket, but I didn't see as many of these as I did Carrefour in Paris.

Monop & Franprix: I didn't visit these as often, but maybe once or twice. These are some of the most common French supermarkets, but I found Carrefour had more gluten-free options. Any supermarket is always a welcome find when you have celiac disease, so it never hurts to check!

I always recommend visiting a supermarket when you arrive at your destination and the day before you leave. I made a point to do this the night before my super early flight back from Paris to Boston, so I was armed with some food to keep my hunger at bay.

Final Thoughts: Gluten-Free Paris

Am I dying to go back to Paris?

Not necessarily...I've got other cities and destinations that I prefer.

But was my trip here with celiac disease 10 times better than my first time?

Absolutely!

Paris is a beautiful city and you will definitely find plenty of yummy gluten-free pastries and baked goods. I'd say the restaurant situation is bit more challenging, but that was my experience!

Have you been to Paris?

How was your experience in Paris with celiac?

Let me know in the comments!