Vegan
Japanese
Macrobiotic
Organic
Beer/Wine
Asian
Bakery
A vegan institution in France since 1986, le Grand Appetit offers "the ideal macrobiotic plate" balanced to promote good health through natural food. Famous for its vegan norimaki and miso all made from the best Japonese organic ingredients, and SOS homemade desserts. FEB 2018 REPORTED SHUT BY HAPPYCOW AMBASSADOR.
50 Reviews
First Review by siggy
bobbyarroyo
Points +108
Not "Grand Appetit" - Edit
Looking for a place to eat and being very hungry, I thought that with a name like "Grand Appetit," this would be a fitting restaurant to eat at. I was wrong.
Read moreThe food here is bland, flat, and as delicious as a t.v. dinner. Not very appetizing at all. One would think that the food at the window counter is for display only, it's not. What you choose is what they serve you. They reheat the food you select in the microwave (maybe not in the microwave, but that's what it tasted like).
Grand Appetit didn't really have a big selection of food. In total, about ten items, including the side-dishes.
If you're very hungry and looking forward to a satisfying meal, look somewhere else.
Cons: Bland food
Guest
vegman in France
Points +28
Uninspiring - Edit
Have just paid my third visit abeit just to the shop simply because I was in the area. Yet again, the takeaway food, a 'quiche' and an apple tart were both tasteless, tiresome to eat and over-priced at nearly 4 euros a slice!! Outrageous!. I cannot bring myself to risk my hard-earned money in the restaurant. I am vegan because I don't want to contribute to animal cruelty but I want to enjoy my food. This place is just so typical of many in France that are vegan/vegetarian for purely health reasons. For heavens sake, use a bit of salt, it won't kill you!! Frankly, Grand Appetit and the like do nothing to convince non-vegetarians to make the change.
Read morePros: Easy to find
Cons: Mediocre food, Unjustifiably pricey
vegman in France
...and by the way, they use eggs in some of their cakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Read moreGuest
estefinparis
Points +858
Unappealing - Edit
Good location close to Bastille, the food is nothing out of the ordinary but good enough, however the whole atmosphere feels so unappealing... Ironic that it's called "grand appetit". Certainly not the place I would bring any omni friends. Service was really poor, I asked for water at the counter and was told I had to ask one of the tables holding one of 5 water jugs available for the whole restaurant. Pop in if you're in the area and you're hungry, but don't make a trip just for the restaurant, there are more interesting places in Paris.
Read moreGuest
hack_man
Points +23875
Nice Local Diner - Edit
Located just a few minutes from Bastille, this is a functional vegan diner serving decent earthy food. The soup of the day is 4.5 EUR and Vegan Tofu Sushi 6.4 EUR. I get the impression this is a place frequented by locals with a friendly Parisian atmosphere. Probably wouldn't make an effort to go here again as there so many other places in Paris to check out. A good find for a one-off visit. Confirmed opening times are Monday to Thursday 12:00-15:00 and 19:00-21:00 and Fridays 12:00-14:45. It is closed Sat & Sun. The tea room is open 15:00-19:00 Mon to Fri in the health food shop next door.
Read morePros: friendly, decent prices
Guest
CeeDee
Points +153
Wonderful macrobiotic food - Edit
The Grand Appetit does not disappoint! The food was high-quality and delicious. It is a great destination (because it is also in a fun neighborhood) for healthy, whole food. I love this place and will go back every time I go to Paris. The food is well-balanced and wonderful.
Read morePlease do not go here if you expect attentive service, ordering is done at a counter and your food is brought the table. Please go if you are interested in healthy, macrobiotic, vegan food in a sea of pomme frites!
Pros: Delicious vegan food, Clean, open, light atmosphere, Great health food store next door
Cons: Service can be slightly slow, Ordering can be confusing
Guest
TrudiBruges
Points +19668
never again - Edit
Was pretty disappointed. Plat du jour: a piece of marinated tofu with blend cold vegetables on the side. The plate with the 'tarte' had the same cold veggies on the side, and something from far resembling a 'tarte', but the crust so hard, you would risk it flying through the room when trying to cut it with your knife. Just some warmed veggies on the tarte. Old fashoned interior, sitting together at some tables.
Read moreSteep stairs to the one toilet, which turned out to be an old 'French style' toilet (meaning just a whole in the ground, and not very clean. I don't mind the self-service, getting your own knife etc, and cleaning up after finished, but I do expect far more from a restaurant experience regarding food & atmosphere.
Not recommended by any means.
Cons: lacks variety, toilet facilities, atmosphere
Guest
davey_miles
Points +36
Avoid, worst experience in Paris - Edit
During my recent trip to Paris we decided to try this rustic looking vegan eatery. Never again, the food was expensive, bland and poor in quality for the price. The salad looked older than the building. The toilet facilities were very poor with only a ceramic hole in the floor.
Read moreGuest
Niels Van Och
Points +84
Simple, but good - Edit
Grand Appetit serves simple, macrobiotic food in a cafeteria-style decor. A word of warning: the staff only speaks French, so don't go if you don't speak it.
Read moreThe food is quite simple, but good and very healthy. This is definately a strict macrobiotic place with very little salt and sugar. The menu did not offer an overly wide selection, but it was ok.
The ambiance and service was a little lacking to be honest. The place is very simple, and service is minimal: you get your own cutlery and order at the counter. The single restroom is Turkish style (pretty much a hole in the floor), which honestly should be a thing of the past.
The price is decent: not expensive, and you get good value for your money.
All in all, a nice place if you want a cheap, simple meal, but don't go here if you want a real restaurant experience. You can do better in Paris.
Pros: good, healthy food
Cons: staf only speaks French, not much to look at, lousy toilet facilities
Guest
+++VeGaNiSaToR+++
Points +1004
simple but 100% organic & vegan - Edit
the restaurant miss decor and originality. We must not go there to enjoy but rather use it as a canteen, if you pass in the corner or if you do not want to cook.
Read moreGuest
piffelina
Points +3514
good! - Edit
i liked this place a lot!
Read moreit was self-service and the menu was only in french, but everything was freshly made.
we had the lunch plate and were unfortunately too full to have deserts later.
my boyfriend had a cider, that tasted more like really bad beer, so don't get one of those :)
if you go here, definitely visit the toilet, it's like a tourist attraction! i don't know if toilets like that are more common in france, but i've definitely never seen anything like that before.
right down the street, there is a lovely "girlie shop" where you can spend all your money afterwards, buying dresses with "cake frosting", cute photo albums and retro cameras.
Guest
sherill
Points +128
Healthy food - Edit
This is a nice little spot. You need to have cash! My husband had to walk to a cash machine (we felt bad but the lady who was working there didn't seem to mind at all). Good, healthy food. We shared a large bottle of fresh apple juice which was very nice. The food is more healthy than 'gourmet' but if that's what your after, it will hit the spot.
Read morePros: Healthy food, Apple juice - yum
Cons: Cash only-not really a con if prepared
Guest
uddhava
Points +34
A macrobiotic atmosphere - Edit
Located near the Metro Bastille (exit Henri IV) this lovely restaurant with a bio shop next to it, is situated at a 2 minutes walk.
Read moreWhen we arrived and took our seats nobody came to us. We had to really walk in the kitched to get some attention. Unfortunately the cook spoke only french. The menu is also in french.
We ended up not ordering here, but we bought a little "gateaux" or fruit cake. The cake was nice, but without sugar!.
This is a really macrobiotic place with macrobiotic people in french.
Pros: Bio organic, Quiet & peaceful
Cons: Only french
Guest
bookowl1000
Points +63
Little gem - Edit
My husband and I are vegetarian, not vegan, and at home would not go out of our way to eat macrobiotic or 'health' foods. However, when abroad we seek out vegan food as we have discovered that some places have a strange view of what vegetarian means. Having read other reviews on the site we were prepared for eating there to be more complicated than it actually was.
Read moreThe waitress was very friendly and spoke some English which was good as I speak none. She made a good attempt at explaining what was on the menu. I chose to go with the "what is that she is eating?" option as I had spotted a very full, colourful and interesting looking plate of food. The waitress explained that it was a set menu where you choose the tart which comes with set side orders. I chose my tart by looking at the options in the cabinet and pointing at the one I wanted. I did not know exactly what the side orders would be, but looked foward to the suprise, happy in the knowledge that it would all be vegan. It is great to try something new sometimes. The very large piece of carrot, spinach and leek tart came with wholegrain rice, seaweed (something that I had never had before), and 4 different types of salads, with dressings - a bargain at 10 euros. Other dressings/sauces were also available. My husband had the soup + bread, we both had drinks, and the bill was 20 euros: excellent value.
The ingredients used in the food were obviously fresh and of a high quality, definitely home cooking. The fruit juices we had were freshly squeezed - no concentrate or cartons used. To be totally honest I did find the tart a little bland but that is because I am used to more spicy foods. That is a personal taste thing and should not detract from the fact that the food was of a high standard.
This is not a romantic dinner type of resteraunt, but if you want fresh food at a good price it is ideal. For us it was a gold star find compared with food that we have sometimes had to put up with while on holiday. You do set your own table; the place mats, cutlery, glasses and water being centrally located. This we did not consider to be any hassle, though we were glad we knew before hand that we should do it.
Pros: good quality, good value, freshly prepared
Cons: unromantic
Guest
Morbid Cafe
Points +308
like a university diner - Edit
This place was very peculiar - the staff, the customers (mostly older people), the way it functions... The fact that you have to dress your own table and then clean it up, or that they give you a ticket with your order - it all reminded me a lot of my university diner, therefor I found it a bit too pricy for what it was. Concerning the food, there were a lot of things piled up on my plate. Mostly slightly over-cooked vegetables and a TVP sauce that tasted a bit too much like real meat. Overall the food was ok and the ambiance kind of amusing, but I was very shocked to find Turkish style toilets in the middle of Paris.
Read moreI might go back there someday to see if the food will taste better the second time, but I'll definately keep myself from visiting the facilities.
Guest
SallyP
Points +282
Wholefoody and tasty - Edit
A typical wholefood style cafe that serves tasty food. All vegan - hurrah. Had desserts. Apart from ordering at the counter, everything was self-service. There's a shop next door which could be handy. Average Parisian prices.
Read morePros: good food, good selection, all vegan
Cons: self-service
Guest
Miggi
Points +2647
Good Wholefood Cafe - Edit
The health food shop next door is excellent, good range of stuff and will help vegans survive Paris!
Read moreWe went to the cafe one evening. As some of the other reviews say, they have a bit of a peculiar system that regular users obviously know but is hard for a first-time person to work out. There's a mixture of ordering at a counter and helping yourself to things. The lady who served us didn't speak very much English but coped patiently with our lack of French and we got there in the end.
Everything is Vegan - yey!
There's a limited range of options such as miso soup, onion tart or a grain loaf with veg and salad, desserts. Basically you pick small or large plate and which dish you want with your wholegrain rice and salad.
All seemed a bit too worthy and healthy to be enjoyable at first but actually our food was really good. The onion tart in particular was wonderful. Everything was fresh and well made. We had sugar-free apricot tart for pudding which was really delicious.
There is an urn of herbal tea and drinking water free with the meal or you can order organic drinks / wine / beer.
The place was perfectly friendly but had the ambiance of
somewhere that fed people who were mainly health freaks needing a quick meal on the way home from Yoga. As another review here says it's like eating in a monastery!
The decor, ambiance and limited options mean this isn't exactly a venue we'd recommend for a romantic dinner but you get a hearty meal at a good price.
Pros: Vegan, Healthy, Price
Cons: Ambience, Decor, Limited choice
Guest
jrm212
Points +220
cute place, good food...but not warm/friendly - Edit
i would go back for the food, but i felt i was visiting a monastery. no smiles or hellos. as someone mentioned in another review, it's as if everyone who eats there is expected to already know the system. nice little health food store next door with a few takeaway items from the restaurant.
Read moreGuest
kaitimar
Points +39
Home cooking - Edit
Grand Appetit is one of those places that look as if you walked into someone's house. It has that home-made feel to it. I went there once with my son and it was ok. The food was ok, the price was ok, the staff was ok. it is just that you get the feeling that you are expected to know your way around and not to bother people with such questions as " where are the napkins" or "can I get another fork". It is clearly a place for locals to get their everyday vegan meal, not so much a fussy tourist destination. I guess if I came a couple of times and got used to the peculiar workings of the place, I might find a pleasant refuge there.
Read moreWorth giving it a try.
Pros: Good food, good value
Guest
juliej
Points +94
cute - Edit
This place was lovely. When we went in there was only 2 other people eating. The lady spoke English. I didnt find the food tasteless. We had a vegetable cake with tasty salad.
Read morePros: good value, tasty food
Guest
Ben
Points +102
Best food we had in Paris - Edit
We tried a few other veggie restaurants but this was by far the best! It was much food for the spent money, it was all vegan, super healthy with no artificial ingredients or sugar etc. It was tasteless if you're used to eating spicy. But we're not and this food was exactly what we make at home which is not very easy to find when traveling.
Read moreThe nice japanese waitress told us that a french couple started this restaurant some 20 years ago. And that they're very much into healthy food themselves.
Do check out the nice organic health food store next door with the same name as the restaurant. Be aware if you're vegan that they do sell some fish products.
Pros: all vegan, healthy, home cooked
Guest
matrosin
Points +168
good food, bit expensive - Edit
I was there 2 days ago,staff was friendly and spoke english. It was nice sitting in a whole vegan restaurant! Food was good, little bit tasteless and super healthy. We eaten really much but price was to high for this food.Desserts were good but 3,90 euros for a cakes is defenitly to much.Ambient was nice,really alternativ. Water and tee was for free.
Read morePros: all vegan, super healthy, friendly
Cons: unprofessional, cold, expensiv
Guest
button
Points +206
Super Healthy - Edit
A cozy little place with really healthy Macro Vegan food. A welcome cuisine in the heavy food capitol of the world! Not a lot of english spoken, but the staff was happy to try! There's a health food store next door too,
Read morePros: Light Healthy food
Cons: Somewhat limited menu
Guest
siggy
Points +23
Great for Macros!!!!!!!!!11 - Edit
I really love this restaurant (service is typically French) but when you are munching on delicious food it does not matter! I had a great pilau with lentils good just right! The desserts are also fantastic and sugar free! I had a cherry pie which was divine. It does get busy but there are loads of tables so that is not really a problem
Read morePros: location, delicious food, MAcro!!!
Cons: Service
Guest
For Members
Why was my review removed? Guidelines for writing a review View our privacy policyFor Business Owners
Claim this business
See inaccurate information? Submit an update here Link to this page from your site See an unfair review? View full terms & conditionsThis page has been viewed 41980 times.