Cafeography
Végétarien & vegan · Lyon

Vegan and vegetarian cafés in Lyon

Plant-based brunch on the Pentes, vegetarian canteens in the 7th and a botanical café in Monplaisir.

Photo: HONG SON, Pexels License

Lyon's traditional table leans on meat. A bouchon, the city's classic bistro, serves dishes such as tablier de sapeur, marinated and breaded beef tripe, and andouillette made from veal tripe, and the CCI de Lyon has awarded a Bouchons Lyonnais label since 2012.1 Cervelle de canut ("silk weaver's brain") sounds worse than it is: a fresh curd beaten with herbs and garlic.1

Plant-based cooking has found its place in the cafés instead. The Pentes have the most vegetarian and vegan options, ahead of La Guillotière, and in Monplaisir about a third of the cafés offer them. Herbivores, described as the first fully vegan grocery in the city, opened on 25 April 2026 at 36 Rue Pasteur in the 7th, with more than 1,200 products.2

Local tip: Book the weekend brunch at Les Dimanches chez Lou on Avenue des Frères Lumière ahead of time; it runs 09:30–16:00 on Saturdays and Sundays.7

Where these cafés are: Terreaux & Les Pentes (11), La Guillotière (9), Monplaisir & États-Unis (6), Jean Macé & Gerland (5), Part-Dieu & Préfecture (5), Presqu'île (3), La Croix-Rousse (2), Vaise (2), Brotteaux & Foch (2).

At a glance

45Cafés listed
38With opening hours
07:30Earliest opening
01:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Cabaïtan, from 07:30 (Mon–Fri 07:30–17:00 · Sat 11:00–16:00).
  • Closes latest: La Fourmilière, until 01:00 (Mon–Tue 11:00–00:00 · Wed–Fri 11:00–01:00 · Sat 17:00–01:00).
  • Most listed streets: Rue Salomon Reinach (3), Rue de Marseille (2).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (42%), indoor seating (27%), smoke-free indoors (22%).

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Zeitgeist, Équilibres and the Pentes

Zeitgeist Café is entirely vegan: nothing on the menu contains animal products, milky drinks come with a choice of four plant milks, and the brunch changes every month.3 Its seasonal pairings run from a spiced latte with a cinnamon roll in winter to an iced mango matcha in summer.3

Équilibres Café on Rue Terme is 100% vegetarian, a café-brunch that calls itself gourmand et solidaire (indulgent and community-minded) and cooks with organic or local produce; it opens Wednesday to Sunday.4 Café Mãe on Rue Pleney does brunch, À chacun sa tasse on Rue du Griffon opens at 08:00 on weekdays, and Aux Thés des Merveilles serves tea on the Montée de la Grande-Côte.

Vegetarian canteens in the 7th

Okara, in the 7th, keeps its vegetarian menu short to limit food waste, cooks organic, local and seasonal food, and packs takeaway in deposit glass jars.5 At Môt Chút on Rue de la Thibaudière, the bánh mì (Vietnamese baguette sandwich) comes with a vegetarian filling as well as chicken, in two sizes.6

In La Guillotière, Sioou on Rue Salomon Reinach serves weekday lunches, Momento farther along the street opens at 08:00 except on Tuesdays, and Piece of Cake! is on Rue d'Aguesseau. In Gerland, Shibuko is on Rue Sébastien Gryphe.

Monplaisir: a botanical café and a weekly lunch

Les Dimanches chez Lou, at 3 Avenue des Frères Lumière, serves no meat: its seasonal vegetarian cooking includes vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free dishes, and the café also sells plants.7 Weekend brunch runs 09:30–16:00, and booking ahead is advised.7

Le Café imaginaire on Route de Vienne changes its vegetarian lunch every week. For 27–31 October 2026 it priced a leek, courgette and coconut soup with a mushroom tartine at €13 and a pumpkin lasagna at €14; lunch runs 12:00–14:00, and the pastries are baked on site.8 Moi Flexitarien on Avenue Rockefeller opens 09:00–15:30 on weekdays.

Sundays and long days

Sunday is the busiest plant-based brunch day. Zeitgeist Café, Les Dimanches chez Lou and Équilibres all open, Café Mãe serves 11:00–15:00 and Bloomy, near Part-Dieu, 09:00–16:00. Mondays are thinner: Équilibres and Les Dimanches chez Lou both close.

For later hours, NoZe on the Pentes stays open until 22:30 from Monday to Saturday and 20:30 on Sundays, and Coolé on Quai Claude Bernard until midnight. Maison Deschamps in Vaise opens earliest, at 07:30 on weekdays.

Sources

  1. Bouchon lyonnais, Wikipédia (French), accessed October 2026
  2. La toute première épicerie 100% végane de Lyon vient d'ouvrir avec plus de 1 200 produits (Antoine Lebrun, 17 June 2026), Le Bonbon Lyon, accessed October 2026
  3. Zeitgeist Café, Lyon, Zeitgeist Café, accessed October 2026
  4. Équilibres Café, café-brunch gourmand et solidaire, Équilibres Café, accessed October 2026
  5. Okara, cantine caféinée, Okara, accessed October 2026
  6. Môt Chút (published 2 September 2025, updated 19 December 2025), Le Fooding, accessed October 2026
  7. Les Dimanches chez Lou, café botanique, Les Dimanches chez Lou, accessed October 2026
  8. Le Café imaginaire, cantine de quartier à Lyon 8, Le Café imaginaire, accessed October 2026
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By area: Terreaux & Les Pentes Presqu'île La Croix-Rousse Brotteaux & Foch Part-Dieu & Préfecture La Guillotière Jean Macé & Gerland

FAQ

Vegan & vegetarian in Lyon: questions

Are there fully vegan cafés in Lyon?

Zeitgeist Café is entirely vegan, with four plant milks and a brunch that changes every month. Équilibres Café on Rue Terme is 100% vegetarian. For groceries, Herbivores, described as the first fully vegan grocery in Lyon, opened on 25 April 2026 at 36 Rue Pasteur in the 7th with more than 1,200 products.

Where can you get a vegetarian lunch at a café in Lyon?

Okara in the 7th cooks a short, organic vegetarian menu and packs takeaway in deposit glass jars. Le Café imaginaire on Route de Vienne changes its vegetarian lunch weekly, served 12:00–14:00, with dishes at €13–14 in October 2026. Môt Chút on Rue de la Thibaudière makes a vegetarian bánh mì.

Which vegan and vegetarian cafés in Lyon are open on Sundays?

Zeitgeist Café, Équilibres Café and Les Dimanches chez Lou all open on Sundays; the last serves weekend brunch 09:30–16:00 and advises booking. Café Mãe on Rue Pleney serves 11:00–15:00, Bloomy near Part-Dieu 09:00–16:00, and NoZe on the Pentes until 20:30.

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