Leftbank | Vegetarian Experiences in Paris

Behind the Institut du Monde Arabe sits Beirut Down Town, a small restaurant with rough stone walls and a set of simple tables. The front of the restaurant is dominated by a display case filled with hummus, tabouli, and assorted dishes ready for take out. It’s roomy interior is great for large groups.

Lebanese cuisine is filled with vegetarian options and Beirut Down Town’s Assiette Vegetarienne features 7 items for the reasonable price of 11.50 euros. It includes hummus, tabouli, labneh, 2 feuilletes (turnovers) of spinach and cheese, falafel, stuffed grape leaves, and pita bread. It’s a nice variety of dishes for dinner. They also offer a variety of vegetarian sandwiches and plates.

I was looking for something different and this seemed like the perfect place for dinner.

I have to say that I was underwhelmed by the food. It didn’t taste as fresh as I would have liked. I felt like some of the items were pre-packaged or made for the previous day’s lunch time rush (I visited it on a Saturday evening).

However, I have to give them benefit of doubt. The asbestos removal construction across the street had made the nearby restaurants seem like ghost towns. I was the only one in Beirut Down Town.

Student Dining

Beirut Down Town is next to the University of Paris and probably does great business during the week when students are hungry. The portions are large, there’s a nice variety of dishes, and the location is convenient.

I don’t know if I would go back again, but I would suggest it for people in the area looking for something other than another cheese sandwich.

Beirut Down Town: 30 rue des Fosses St. Bernard (5°); Metro: Cardinal Lemoine, Jussieu; 01 43 29 98 86; Wheelchair Friendly: The entrance is tight, but the rest of the restaurant is roomy

Overall: 3/5
Taste: 3/5
Vegetarian Options: 4/5
Vegan Options: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Location: 3.5/5

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The Bollywood Lounge sits in the popular, tourist-friendly left bank near Notre Dame. It’s colorful interior will draw your attention. It plays on the seduction of Bollywood and promises a sophisticated, hip interpretation of Indian food.

I have not eaten here yet. However, their menu (.pdf) is available online. Unfortunately, it only gives vegetarian food lip service and instead focuses on Chicken, Lamb, and Seafood. It’s probably due to the high rent neighborhood and the higher fees these dishes can capture.

Bollywood Lounge does offer a vegetarian Thali, but it only consists of dal, raita, rice, samosa, and eggplant caviar for 14 euros. You can also order off the vegetarian side dishes menu. While this restaurant looks promising, I’m going to continue my search for good Indian food in Paris elsewhere.