Terre-Terre is the first permanent restaurant from chef Merouan Bounekraf, who first came to prominence on Top Chef Season 10. Located on the first floor of Galeries Lafayette Gourmet in Paris’s 9th arrondissement, the restaurant serves a creative, 100% vegetarian and alcohol-free menu from breakfast through dinner.
What is Terre-Terre?
Terre-Terre marks Merouan Bounekraf’s first long-term restaurant venture. Before opening it, the chef launched Panade, his bakery and pastry shop in Paris’s 15th arrondissement, followed by a temporary version of Terre-Terre at La Villette in 2024. This time, however, the concept has found a permanent home.
The restaurant is tucked away on the first floor of Galeries Lafayette Gourmet, at 35 Boulevard Haussmann. It’s not necessarily the kind of location you would expect for such an authentic and thoughtful dining experience.
The setting is a pleasant surprise. We expected something rather generic, squeezed between gourmet food counters and luxury delicatessen stands. Instead, Terre-Terre offers an elegant dining room with around thirty seats, an intimate bar area, and a warm, welcoming atmosphere that feels lively without being noisy.
Most importantly, the kitchen is entirely vegetarian, a bold choice that we wholeheartedly applaud. Far from feeling restrictive, the menu showcases vegetables with creativity, precision, and genuine culinary ambition.
The Chef Behind the Menu
It’s impossible to talk about Terre-Terre without talking about Merouan Bounekraf, because this restaurant is a true reflection of his culinary identity.
Trained in some of France’s most demanding kitchens—including Le Bristol, Eden Rock and L’Escargot 1903—the chef has developed a strong technical foundation that he now dedicates entirely to plant-based cuisine. A vegetarian since the age of 14, Bounekraf only serves what he genuinely believes in and consumes himself.
As a result, the menu features neither meat nor alcohol. Not out of dogmatism, but as a natural extension of his personal values and lifestyle. This authenticity is evident throughout the dining experience.
His cooking draws inspiration from both classic French haute cuisine and cherished family memories. The result is a menu that feels refined yet approachable, combining technical precision with generous flavors. The dishes are elegant and carefully crafted, but never austere, a balance that has become one of the chef’s signatures.
We really enjoyed…
The Princess Loved
The ultra-indulgent chocolate mousse, the incredibly stylish take on minestrone, and the alcohol-free drinks, perfect for kicking off the meal with a well-crafted mocktail.
On both visits, she was also a huge fan of the menu concept. Presented as a deck of tarot cards, it turns choosing your dishes into a fun and engaging experience, making the whole meal feel a little more playful.
A special thank you as well to the chef for his warm hospitality, and to the entire team, who were genuinely friendly and welcoming throughout our visit.
What We Enjoyed
The savory menu starts at 11 a.m. and revolves around seasonal vegetables, which are treated as the true stars of the show rather than mere side characters.
We visited Terre-Terre twice, and on both occasions, the experience delivered genuine culinary pleasure. Special mention goes to the burgers, which are among the restaurant’s standout dishes, as well as the asparagus plate featuring green asparagus, scrambled eggs, confit shallots, puffed rice couscous, and a wild garlic egg cream.
Another highlight was the restaurant’s playful and inventive minestrone: a comforting bowl of pasta and vegetables cut into alphabet shapes, paired with white beans and azuki beans, topped with a warm Coco de Paimpol bean ice cream, pesto, and an envelope-shaped crisp. It’s a dish that perfectly captures the restaurant’s creativity and sense of fun.
And then there are the desserts. Rich, decadent, and unapologetically indulgent, they provide the perfect finale to a meal that consistently balances technical skill with generosity and pleasure.
Practical Information
At a glance
Terre-Terre by Merouan Bounekraf
Galeries Lafayette Gourmet – First Floor
35 Boulevard Haussmann, 75009 Paris
Metro: Chaussée d’Antin – La Fayette (Lines 7 and 9)
Opening Hours
- Monday to Saturday: 9:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.
- Sunday: 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Cuisine
100% vegetarian, alcohol-free, and entirely homemade.
Capacity
Approximately 30 seats. Reservations are recommended.
Price Range
Affordable to mid-range.
Final Verdict
With Terre-Terre, Merouan Bounekraf proves that vegetarian cuisine can be ambitious, creative, and deeply satisfying without ever feeling restrictive. Combining fine-dining techniques, seasonal produce, and a playful sense of storytelling, the chef has created a restaurant that feels both personal and accessible.
Whether you’re a committed vegetarian or simply curious about a different way of dining, Terre-Terre offers a refreshing experience in the heart of Paris. Thoughtful dishes, inventive presentations, indulgent desserts, and genuine hospitality make it one of the most compelling new openings in the capital’s dining scene.