Before we left cold Melbourne with the plan of never going back, I put together a little book with all those vegetarian restaurants wherever we planned to visit. I showed Paris section to the owner of Hotel Sanguine he pointed out the nearest ones and even booked a table for us at Le Potager du Marais for that evening. Weren’t we glad that he did when we got there?
It is a tiny place with trestle tables. If you need to get up, you need your partner to stand up so that the waitress can pull the table out and you can then go wherever you need to go. The very same table needs to be put back after you are seated again. Thank God I didn’t need to go to the toilet that evening!!
Le Potager du Marais is a very popular place that features a menu of traditional French cuisine in vegetarian with some vegan options. I remember having mushroom faux pate. The food was pleasant and the waitress spoke reasonable English.
For us the best memory about this place was the other people who dined with us at the same time. We had this French couple sitting next to us. They didn’t speak any English and we didn’t –and still don’t- speak French. After the courtesy “bonsoir” exchange we simply ran out of French. Luckily, we were saved by this super-woman from Luxemburg who arrived with her mother. Because of her, we had an incredible multi-lingual conversation between the six of us. Of course, it was silence again after the mother and daughter from Luxemburg left.
Le Potager du Marais is easy to find. You don’t need Jean Pierre to give you directions. Just learn how to use Paris metro and you are good to go. When you get to Rambuteau metro station, you see Rue Rambuteau from the exit and Le Potager du Marais is about 50 meters on the left.
It’s a good idea to make a reservation during peak hours though. It is a very small restaurant and usually packed.
Le Potager du Marais is located at 22, Rue Rambuteau, 75003 Paris
Phone: 01 42 74 24 66
Website: www.lepotagerdumarais.com