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Best Healthy Fast Food: Jour
Fast food chains aren’t usually a health editor’s thing, but leave it to Paris to change that. Unlike at other lunch spots in Paris, you won’t be tempted by pastries at Jour. The perfectly portioned tartes (eggs, veggies, cheese, pastry crust with a side green salad) are hearty but healthy and the salad bowls are really pretty (of course, because France!). The bowl’s colourful toppings are sectioned over greens, from fanned out apple slices to feathered shredded purple cabbage. The restaurant also offers a coding legend, so you’ll know if your dish is veggie, gluten-free and/or lactose-free. The menu changes seasonally (yes, at a fast food chain!), though, so have an open mind when you stop in for lunch.
Jour – a cute little chain with spots all over the Right Bank
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Best stretching class: Éléphant Paname
While a fitness class might not be the first thing on your list of must-dos in Paris, a stretching class should be. After a stuffy eight hours on a flight, random naps to deal with jet lag, and energy levels with more ups and downs than a set of squats, a stretching class led by instructor Isabelle Renouf will feel like a dream. And your body will thank you for getting rid of physical kinks. Renouf is a Sorbonne-trained dancer and sports educator. She leads students through elegant stretching postures in her classes at Éléphant Paname, a gorgeous fitness and dance studio where Parisian dancers train. Don’t be intimidated, though, as many of the students are regular Parisians (including French health editors) who love dance. Back to the stretching. The structured class is part stretching and part active stretching (meaning it’ll feel like a workout and you will have to hold a few squats). The class is very visual, as Renouf demonstrates each move. So even if your French isn’t up to snuff, it’s still possible to follow along.
Éléphant Paname – 8th arrondissement
10 Rue Volney, 75002 Paris, France
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Best Vegetarian Restaurant: Arpège Restaurant
No visit to Paris should be void of a fancy dinner. And Arpège is the spot to have it. It’s renown, and celebs dine here all the time (and health editors, too). It’s a cool story actually. Three star Michelin chef Alain opened Arpège in 1986 and he became well-known for his exotic and creative meat dishes. Then suddenly in 2001 he made the restaurant vegetarian. The reason: He was bored with cooking meats. Ah, l’ennui. Vegetables reinvigorated his love for food. It’s all chronicled on his “Chef’s Table” episode on Netflix. You may have also pinned one of his creations (or a dish inspired by his) on your Pinterest page, namely rosette apple tarts. The restaurant is not cheap. It is a three-star restaurant, after all. If you can, ask to be seated in the cave for an intimate dining experience. Don’t be intimidated by the multiple course menu offerings. The plates are portioned so you can have a taste of everything. We would recommend a dish to try, but the menu changes so frequently, and daily offerings depend on the garden’s offering. Do make a reservation, although we did pop in for lunch unexpectedly and were able to get a table.
Arpège Restaurant – 7th arrondissement
84, Rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris
