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Lacto
Indian
Vegetarian Indian restaurant with outlets in Paris serving South Indian food. Vegans should ask for dishes without milk dips or yoghurt dips. Open Tue-Sun 11:00-23:00.
38 Reviews
First Review by vegman in France
julie.sansnom
Points +824
Delicious! - Edit
I’ve been told that the whole dosa section is vegan, except the one with paneer.
Read moreGuest
jaysea
Points +45
Disappointing for vegans - Edit
Nothing on the menu is marked vegan. However many of the dishes are traditionally vegan and the waitress seemed to understand what vegan meant. I ordered a paratha thali which was meant to come with three different curries but instead came with sauces like sambar and coconut. when i requested curries I was brought two ( instead of the three my companion had) and they were very odd : aubergine with soya chunks, and a sort of chunky soup with carrots. I was expecting dahl, channa masala, aloo gobi... something standard. It was never explained why or if my friend's curries were not vegan. Very odd.
Read moreClearly they should label dishes which are vegan and then serve what is on the menu.
Updated from previous review on 2023-10-16
Guest
victisch1
Points +745
Cheap and cheerful - Edit
Simple, family-run family cafe. Cute outdoor seating. Dosas are A-plus!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-04-30
Pros: Friendly , Unpretentious
Cons: Crowded
Guest
Iiris
Points +487
Good indian - Edit
Good and cheap indian food. Good service
Read moreGuest
Lefa
Points +413
Good indian food - Edit
Interesting variety of choises in food. Much more authentic feeling, especially compared to Indian food in finland. Very cheap and tasty, all around solid experience
Read morePros: Cheap, Tasty , Friendly staff
Cons: Not 100% vegan
Guest
HeloiseWallis
Points +47
Excellent Dosa - Edit
Had the masala dosa and kulab jamun for dessert, very tasty!
Read morePros: Whole place is vegetarian, most dishes are vegan
Guest
ZuzaK
Points +1236
Absolutly delicious! - Edit
Food was amazing, felt like love was poured into it. Interior design is nice and interesting
Read morePros: Interior design, Many gluten-free and vegan options
Guest
SBKCH
Points +56
Excellent et simple! - Edit
Un délice.
Read moreGuest
LolitaGaudé
Points +599
Good vegetarian food - Edit
Good and cheap Indian restaurant
Read morePros: Tasty food, Cheap, Good portions
Cons: Very hot inside the restaurant, Not ideal for vegans
Guest
MarkoObradovic
Points +544
Veggie Indian - Edit
Although not the best Indian food I’ve ever had, the food was still very good. They have a takeaway counter as well if you want to pop in and buy some samosas or other similar foods.
Read morePros: Friendly staff, Authentic cuisine
Guest
Shanthuru
Points +168
Satisfying Sri Lankan vegan food - Edit
It is our second time and my girl friend loves the ambience. The staff is friendly and the food is good.
Read morePros: Good price, Tasty, Great ambience
Cons: too crowded , no Vegan markings , not organic
Guest
YevgeniShernoff
Points +59
delicious, but be aware - Edit
There are 3 locations of this restaurant next to each other in this street. Be aware, not everywhere waitresses will speak English. Ask first. Not every place has toilet to wash hands. Also, they do not make home made tee, so you are limited with tee-bag with caffeine.
Read moreFood is good.
Guest
thenaturalfusions
Points +3068
Delicious!!! - Edit
Vegans may need to let them know when ordering.
Read moreHad the chappati and dosa masala (thin rice & lentil crepe filled with mildly spiced mashed potatoes and onions)
Went there a few years ago.
The service was and is still quick, and the food is always delicious!!
Will definitely come back with family and friend....
Pros: unexpensive , affordable, quick service
Cons: busy place I guess
Guest
JohnWHY
Points +110
big portions reasonable price.. - Edit
Headed here after the cycle cab driver tried to rip us off on our trip from the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame.. so we were in the mood for a relaxing atmosphere and good food. luckily we got both here. The waitress was efficient if not gushingly friendly. We chose Bonda's to start. One of mine was slightly doughy but overall they were good. Take note though that these are huge, and you get 2. We probably should have shared them. While I nipped to the bathroom I overheard the waitress trying to explain to the chef what vegans are. it took her 4 attempts.. anyway.. main course, I had the mushroom dosa. it was lovely. Huge. All in all a great place and very reasonable in price. Vegans may need to let them know when ordering.
Read moreGuest
clementineveg
Points +227
Nothing special - Edit
An indian restaurant 100% vegetarian, but with nothing special. Didn't see any difference with another average indian restaurant. Many dishes aren't vegan, which reduces drastically options for vegans. Staff was a bit indifferent, and it's not that cheap for this neighborhood. I know better indian restaurants in Paris (that are not even 100% vegetarian). Disappointed.
Read morePros: 100% vegetarian
Cons: average food, not that cheap
Guest
VeggieMon
Points +274
Arguably the Best Indian Food in Paris - Edit
Simple review - outstanding, fantastic, amazing Indian food, period. This is the place if you want the real thing. I really dig what others would consider "very" or "too" spicy, and these folks did not disappoint. No tame seasonings here. So good. We had dosas and a idli & sambar and all were perfect.
Read morePros: Best Indian food we had in Paris
Guest
EsperanzaQ
Points +72
Great for Vegans too! Amazing food! - Edit
I go back here everytime I'm in Paris! There are 3 locations of the same restaurant in this street, but this one is always the busiest.
Read moreIt's an all vegetarian restaurant, and they are not expensive at all, there is lots of choice and they have lots of vegan options. They can also make you a vegan plate and skip the yoghurt/ milk/ butter. Very respectful personnel, and always helpful.
I recommend the thali's, the masala dosa or paddu kota (or something like that).
My favorite place in Paris, I could eat here every day and not get bored.
So I recommend this place to everybody!
Pros: Not expensive , Lots of choice, and they make it vegan, Nice personnel and atmosphere
Cons: A bit crowded sometimes
Guest
juliafraguas
Points +107
GREAT curry - Edit
The food is awesome: naan au fromage c'est superbe. J'aime bien aussi le curry avec épinard et pommes de terre.
Read moreThe waitress is a little bit grumpy but she is a nice person i guess.
I really miss this place!
Pros: naan au fromage, lassi au mange, curry avec épinard
Guest
paperanimal
Points +33
Yummy & filling - Edit
Probably my favorite meal I've ever had in Paris. And I've been there several times. At this location there are actually two dining rooms, one across the street from the other: we opted for the smaller, cozier one. The meal was super authentic, good portion size, and very satisfying. Will most definitely eat here again!
Read morePros: great food, great value, convenient location
Cons: small dining room
Guest
Grieselpfrue
Points +40
simply great - Edit
I went to Krishna Bhavan for lunch having picked up my sister at Gare du Nord in december 2013. We seldom had such authentic, delicious Indian food. I ate the mushroom dhosa, my sister had some chickpea curry. Communication with the staff was not easy but feasible. They really bothered to provide us with food meeting our expectations. And of course, prices are stunningly low! I will definitely come back!
Read morePros: delicious food, convenient location
Guest
JonJon
Points +20546
Good place for vegetarians, beware vegans - Edit
I tried this restaurant as a vegetarian and I enjoyed a lot my lunch. I had a beautiful thali with a lot of flavours for a limited price. Food and place are similar to those you can find in India (and you can eat directly with your hands without being looked at like a crazy). However, as a vegan, it could be more difficult to eat as they extensively use dairy products and it is sometimes difficult to make you understand by the waitress.
Read morePros: typical indian food, nice flavours, low prices
Cons: may be difficult to eat as a vegan
Guest
IsabelleTamm
Points +74
Hare Krishna - French Style - Edit
I go to the version of this restaurant in Perth, Australia called Govinda's Hare Krishna food all the time so I was eager to see what paris had to offer. First I was surprised to see one on each side of the street but that's cool, I promptly chose one and went in. I was pretty confused at how it worked because the one I'm used to is an all you can eat buffet that you add dessert, lasi, samosa &/or pakoras to but this was restaurant style.
Read moreNow I can read & speak both french & english so I asked the waitress if the meal I was looking at choosing had any milk/dairy in it in both french then english and she was still having trouble. I eventually got a very confused no but as it did have any dips I was pretty sure it'll all be vegan. The meal came pretty quickly probably because of the microwave thing but it's cheap and delicious so I don't really care.
As I expected once I'd scraped my plate clean i was very full and had to say no to desert as there was really no room left in my stomach which is pretty good for 6.50 euros in Paris. From my eyes it was pretty clean, there was a cheerful atmosphere but maybe I chose the cleaner restaurant of the street.
My tips are to go when you're really hungry, like when it feels like your stomach is starting to digests itself, it'll fill you up and you'll be good for like 5,6 hours.
I loved it and the entire street smelt delicious.
Pros: Cheap, Delicious, relaxed/positive atmosphere
Cons: Language barrier, microwaved food, can't just add a samosa to your meal
Guest
Notre-Dame
Points +94
I Love it! - Edit
If you are looking for authentic Indian vegetarian food, this is the right place in Paris. Very cheap and delicious.
Read morePros: Good value, Good portions, Nice Vibe
Guest
Babette
Points +2107
Fabulous - Edit
It's one of the best meals I've had when visiting Paris and I visited over 15 vegetarian restaurants there.
Read moreSure, it can be hard to specify you want a vegan meal, but saying no milk and no yogurt seem to do the trick.
No flavorless or bland food here. Pure awesomeness if you're into Indian food.
Pros: Tasty, Excellent value, Large portion
Cons: Communication Issue, Atmosphere
Guest
astro
Points +43
delivate flavours, excellent meal - Edit
There have been many reviews so far - but i hope to reply to some of the compliments and criticism!
Read moreHaving eaten at the majority of Indian restaurants in this Indian area of Paris (one of two areas), I was thrilled when Krishna Bhavan opened to be able to relax into it's totally veg and vegan friendly environment. When i first went there, they told me that only the dips and sauces had dairy, otherwise ok for Vegan. (they also refuse to allow meat onto the premises)
The food is always fresh (although yes they do use a microwave to heat up the idli's, vadai's...as ALL the restaurants in the neighbourhood do), but it is not heavy with oil or ghee, and I find their flavours to be delicate and rounded. Perhaps not flaming hot but as I hadn't been expecting that in the dishes I ordered i didn't miss that.
The masala dosas, sambal vadais and lentil soup are excellent examples.
There are two restaurants - one opposite the other. One has a more formal setting, with tablecloths and dimmed lighting, the other is more of a canteen style, also with cloths (on the formica tables), but a much more informal style. I have to say that this side, (incidently my favourite) although recently re-decorated, feels very mildly dingy, but you have a hand washing tap and everything that comes onto your table is spotless. This side is also usually packed with Indian families whereas the other side gets more tourists and French people. The menu is the same, the quality of the dishes is the same.
Although when it first opened it seemed that some of the staff may have only recently arrived in France, I have found that they all speak some English, if not very good English, and at least some French too. I have always found the staff delightful, smiling and kind.
And it is cheap! I always eat my fill, if not a little bit more, for under 10 euros. Some dishes may cost more - I haven't tried everything on the menu yet! If you add drinks of course that would be a couple of euros more.
Updated from previous review on Tuesday November 13, 2012
Pros: quality indian, inexpensive, fast
Cons: often crowded
Guest
meghnaj
Points +48
poor north indian food - Edit
we had paneer sabzi, which was not good at all. rotis were pathetic.
Read moresouth indian snacks were good
service was not friendly.
Pros: pure vegetarian
Cons: bad service, bad food, unfriendly staff
Guest
Olive
Points +48
Good indian restaurant - Edit
This restaurant has good and fresh food, with a wide choice, of which specialities from Tamil Nadu (South India). And not full of oil as in many others indian restaurants. (their coconut chutney is great !!!)
Read moreThe staff is OK (not very sympathetic but not antipathetic).
The price is not more expensive than the other indian restaurants in the neighbourhood (which is the "indiantown" of Paris), so it's cheap (especially for Paris) !
But the food is almost not spicy (so don't go if you eat indian food for its spice !).
There are many other indian restaurants in the neighbourhood, and even if they are not 100% vegetarian, they always have many vegetarian meals. I would recommend you Thensurabi (60 rue Louis Blanc), which has excellent "Masala Dosai" (a Tamil speciality).
Updated from previous review on Saturday November 14, 2009
Edit, 22/11/2011 : they changed the menu, the meals are the same, but prices increased by 1 to 2€ (10 to 25%).
Pros: fresh and good food - not fat, wide choice, quite cheap
Cons: not spicy (it can be a pro...)
Guest
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