Last Updated on 27 April 2026 by Vanessa
Paris has no shortage of vegan restaurants and cafés… but Le Chat-Rivari Café comes with adoptable rescue cats and a strong mission.
This small space is located in the 13th arrondissement, just a short walk from the Corvisart and Place d’Italie metro stations.
If you are currently planning your Paris itinerary and wondering whether Le Chat-Rivari is worth adding as a vegan-friendly lunch or coffee break, this guide will help you decide.
In this review, you’ll also get everything you need to plan your visit: the café’s address and opening hours, reservation tips, menu items, nearby attractions, and, of course, lots of photos.
Related: Cat cafés in France: the ultimate guide to the cutest spots.
Practical info
- Address: Le Chat-Rivari, 40 Bd Auguste Blanqui, 75013 Paris, France.
- Neighborhood: 13th arrondissement (near Place d’Italie).
- Nearest metro stations: Corvisart (6) and Place d’Italie (5, 6, 7).
- Opening hours: Le Chat-Rivari Café is currently only open on weekends between 12:00 pm and 07:00 pm.
- Price: There is no entrance fee. Typical spend per person is between 3,50€ and 28€.
- Time needed: At least 1 hour.
- Cats on site: Usually not more than 10.
- Child policy: To protect the cats’ wellbeing, children under 7 are not allowed inside Le Chat-Rivari. Children above 7 should be accompanied by an adult.
- Reservation info: Reservations are not required. Walk-ins are fine.
What is Le Chat-Rivari Café?
Le Chat-Rivari is more than just a vegan restaurant. It’s a “cat café” that combines plant-based dining with animal rescue, meaning you can enjoy a drink or a meal in the company of adoptable cats.
Cat cafés first became popular in Taiwan and Japan, but has since expanded worldwide and is now a well-known travel experience in many countries, including Mexico, the UK, Belgium, Italy, Greece, and more.
Paris currently has four cat cafés (and one co-working space with cats), each with its own mission and atmosphere. The others include:
What makes Le Chat-Rivari different isn’t just the presence of cats, but the role the café plays in their lives. The space operates as a foster home in partnership with the rescue organization BooGlaw. At any given time, around ten cats live here. They are all rescues, and all of them are waiting to be adopted.
The cats
The café fosters around ten rescue cats at any given time. This number can vary depending on how many have been adopted. Each cat has been selected by volunteers based on its ability to thrive in a social, indoor environment.
Their wellbeing is carefully monitored with the support of veterinary professionals and feline behavior experts. The café team also holds the ACACED certification, which means they have the training required to care for companion animals.
If you form a connection with one of the cats, you can ask for its name and begin the adoption process through the café’s website. This is handled in coordination with the shelter.
The menu reflects the same welfare philosophy. The idea is simple: if you are committed to helping animals, every part of the café should align with that goal. For that reason, the vegan food and drinks menu is a core part of the concept, not an afterthought.
Did you know that Le Parisien ranked Paris as the most vegan-friendly city in France? Over the past decade, the French capital has gone from being difficult for vegans to offering around 90 fully vegan restaurants and more than 1,000 vegan-friendly spots.
Places like Le Chat-Rivari Café are part of this shift.
At Le Chat-Rivari, you’ll find a fully plant-based menu. It isn’t extensive—in fact, it’s quite limited. That’s because the café focuses first on helping rescued cats find homes, and not on serving long, elaborate meals. Because of that, it works best for a quick lunch or a coffee break, rather than a full dining experience.
When I visited, I ordered the butternut farcie with salad and pulled jackfruit. It was simple but satisfying and well-balanced. I paired it with a vegan latte made with almond milk, which was just as good as what you’d find in more well-known cafés. Many visitors also go for the onion soup.
The menu also includes cakes, muffins, juices, smoothies, tea, and coffee, so you can easily stop by whether you want something light or a more filling option.
What I appreciated most is that the vegan concept isn’t just about food. Le Chat-Rivari café builds the entire experience around animal welfare, and the menu naturally follows that idea.
Prices
The pricing structure is tied to how long you stay, which makes sense since the space is very small.
- 1 drink or small snack (starting at 3.50€) → 1 hour with cats
- 1 larger meal (11€ or 12€) → 2 hours
- Brunch (28€ for 1 hot drink, 1 cold drink, 1 small snack, and 1 larger meal) → unlimited time
Extra time is charged in small increments of 2.50€ per 30 minutes, or 5€ for 1 hour. Of course, this extra charge doesn’t count if you order a second drink or snack.
Overall vibe
The interior is calm, respectful, and unforced. You’ll notice illustrated cat portraits from past visitors on the walls, which shows that people who come here clearly care about the animals first. It’s all very easy-going and unpretentious. You come here to support the rescue mission and to enjoy a simple vegan menu—nothing more.
The cats move freely between the main café space and a quieter room downstairs, where they have beds, litter boxes, and food. Some will come up to you, others won’t. They’re free to do exactly what they want.
What to do nearby
The 13th arrondissement is not often included on a Paris itinerary because it’s more residential than touristy. However, it has a good vibe if you take the time to explore.
Here are a few things you may want to add to your itinerary:
Butte-aux-Cailles
After leaving the café, you can walk over to Butte-aux-Cailles, a small neighborhood that feels almost like a village within the city. It’s known for its street art, low-rise buildings, and relaxed atmosphere—very different from central Paris.
Place d’Italie
The area around Place d’Italie is also lively, with shops and casual places to eat. You’ll find even more vegan restaurants here, especially compared to more traditional districts.
Related: 20 unique things to do in Paris if you love cats.
Why you should visit this vegetarian café and restaurant in Paris
The main reason to visit Le Chat-Rivari Café is that it simply feels good to spend money somewhere that does something tangible for animals in need. Not only is the café’s entire menu vegan, they also contribute directly to the care of rescue cats who are waiting for permanent homes.
When you have a coffee or a meal here, you’re automatically supporting their rescue mission. Isn’t that a wonderful reason to stop by? If you’re going to have lunch or coffee in Paris, you might as well choose a place that helps animals.
And, who knows, maybe you’ll even end up adopting a rescue cat of your own.
On top of that, it’s also worth noting that this is the only fully vegan cat café in Paris, as well as the only one with adoptable rescue cats.
If that’s what you’re looking for, then it’s 100% worth it.
That said, this isn’t a place for everyone. If you’re not particularly into cats, the experience might not be your favorite. There is a noticeable “cat smell” inside, although it’s not overwhelming. The set-up isn’t the best for photos either. In fact, the atmosphere feels more like a foster home where you can eat and drink, rather than a traditional café/restaurant.
If you’re traveling with someone who isn’t a cat person, other places like Le Café des Chats or Café Miaou will feel more like standard cafés, but they don’t come with a rescue mission and a fully vegan menu.
Another important thing to keep in mind is temperature. The space can get quite warm in summer because of the large windows and direct sunlight. Even in early March, they had to close the curtains to block too much sun. I can imagine it must become extremely hot during warmer months.
Personally, I don’t mind these inconveniences, especially knowing that each visit supports rescue cats.
Final thoughts
Have you already visited Le Chat-Rivari? Is this vegan restaurant now on your list of must-visit cat cafés in Paris? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Read next: How to open your own successful cat café.
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