Tips for addressing allergies in Paris restaurants

The EU requires menus to identify certain allergens (not your DIL's, though), so the idea shouldn't be a problem for restaurants to understand. I suggest she carry a card with the specific items written in French. Most restaurants post their menus at the door (or online if you're making a reservation that way), so she can have some idea whether there will be something on the menu that she can eat.

Almost every restaurant I dined at in Paris last April asked about allergies/intolerances.

I would check online menus or the menu posted at the door before choosing a restaurant. Your DIL can get an idea of the best options for her before discussing with the wait staff.

Prepare a card which visually illustrates what you can not eat. maybe put a red circled X over each item. Label in French. Bon Chance!

Honestly: I think it’s going to be difficult to get restaurant food without onions or garlic. France is not great for vegetarian food anyway so adding an extra requirement is going to make things quite tricky.

That’s a lot of food restrictions, but take heart. I have successfully navigated French restaurants with my own handful of allergies to ubiquitous ingredients - all tree nuts but especially hazelnuts, goat and sheep cheese and latex fruits. European countries take food allergies/safety seriously and many countries require menus to list common allergens. However, I’ve never seen all of mine listed on one menu so the allergens list is a good starting place, but not all inclusive.

Printing out a card in French detailing her allergies is the first line of defense. If you use a tool like Google translate I would suggest cross translating to avoid any mistakes. Go English to French then back again French to English to make sure your message is clear. I’ve always been taken very seriously when presenting my allergy card and once even had a Parisian waiter bring a bottle of sunflower oil out from the kitchen to show me to make sure that he understood my allergies.

Another tip is to research some typical French dishes/recipes before you go to check for possible suspect ingredients. If she has a few “safe” foods in her back pocket that can make choosing a restaurant and navigating menus much less stressful. I’ve found a number of commonly available “safe” foods (plain omelettes and frites are always a good bet). I also know which foods are always a no-go. Sadly, because of the way they are served or prepared I don’t ever eat gelato or crepes - I can’t risk the Nutella or fruit cross contamination.

If I’m buying food in the grocery store, I use google translate with the camera on my iPhone to check ingredients. Have a wonderful and safe trip

The fruits will rarely be an issue when it comes to dinners, so I'd just set that aside. No one has to even know she is vegetarian, just order accordingly. The most important issue is the allergy, and assuming no language skills among the group, I would prepare a translation card stating that allergy.

Things to ponder:
Are you staying in hotels or apartment rentals, where you might occasionally eat in?
Are you going to eat all meals together, or would you split up at times (this could take the pressure off--lifelong vegetarian here)?
Are you planning on making plans and reservations for all dinners or playing it by ear? Doing some restaurant menu recon will probably be beneficial because the allium issue will be the biggest consideration. I'll be honest, this is a hard one--how does she deal with it at home?

Had you looked into self-catering accommodation so you can at least whip up something small, in case the restaurants are a difficult experience? Might be worth looking into.

I was thinking about what might work for food - perhaps one of those Breton galettes that just have something like cheese and egg in the middle? You might be OK with those and they are widely available in Paris. Also going specifically to vegetarian restaurants might eliminate one element that she does not eat and you might be able to negotiate the allergies from there.

Lavandula

Thank you everyone for such great tips and comments. We are using Google translate to come up with spoken phrases and an allergen card. We used the app along with menu photos when we traveled to Japan last year with good success, so we are counting on it again to help us. Luckily a couple of us speak/read some French and have been to Paris several times, so that helps too. Agreed that onions and garlic, particularly hidden in sauces, will be the biggest challenge, but she is used to figuring out what she can eat so long as she can explain her restrictions. Italian food with pasta or pizza is easier for her to navigate so we'll certainly seek out those options as well as ramen. Cheese plates may become her French go to, so long as restaurant staff are not insulted that she has 'dessert' for dinner while the rest of us eat the menu offerings. She's used to doing that in many places. Happy to report back how everything goes, and thanks again for your help!