![[ Adrian Leeds ]](Adrian.jpg)
Except from the Parler
Paris newsletter:
In Ruth Mastron's presentation this past weekend (co-author of "Au
Contraire: Figuring Out the French"), she described the linear
progression of an Anglo-Saxon's romantic relationships, starting
with dating, going steady, getting engaged, then married and
possibly ending with divorce. The French have a more circular
approach. They meet often within a circle of friends, spend time
together within that same circle, bond with one another more over
the course of time, leading to invite the other to a family
gathering (a big step) and then to eventually seeing each other
alone -- their circles converging just prior to marriage...the
opposite of what we think is the norm. No wonder newcomer single
American women in Paris are so surprised when an acceptance to
dinner seemed to mean she might be the dessert!
The Latina, 20 rue du Temple, 4th arrondissement. Métro: Hôtel de Ville, shows movies in Spanish, also Italian and Portuguese. One of the main meeting places for the South American community in Paris.
The Champo. 51 rue des Ecoles, 5th arrondissement. Métro: Cluny or St. Michel.
Lucernaire Forum. 53 rue Notre Dame des Champs, 6th arrondissement. Métro: Notre Dame des Champs. An art center housing a theater, three cinema screens, a bookshop, art gallery, café, and restaurant. Debates are organized with film directors and writers before some screenings: best to get your tickets early.
La Pagode. 57 bis rue de Babylone, 7th arrondissement. Métro: St. François-Xavier. The most beautiful of Parisian cinemas.
Studio 28. 10 rue Tholozé, 18th arrondissement. Métro: Blanche.
Entries below are taken from Parler Paris newsletter and Christine Graf, "The Cafes of Paris." They're mostly fairly trendy, but not all packed with tourists.
Bar du Caveau.
17 Place Dauphine 75001,
Métro: Pont Neuf.
"The closest thing to a secret garden I've found in Paris.
Inexpensive, rustic look with beams and stone walls."
(Christine Graf. "The Cafeés of Paris.)
Chez Leon (le Rubis).
10 rue du Marché-Saint-Honoré, 75001
Métro: Pyramides or Palais Royal.
An authentic bistro between the Tuileries and the Opera.
Low-prices lunches and a good range of wines by the glass.
Le Ver Luisant
26 rue de Mont Thabor 75001
Métro: Tuileries or Concorde.
A pleasant little cafe with a copper bar, one block up
from the rue de Rivoli.
La Tartine. 24 rue de Rivoli. Métro: Saint Paul. Old Paris at its best: charm and then some. Inexpensive sandwiches for lunch.
La Samartaine department store cafe. . 19 rue de la Monnaie 75001 Métro: Pont Neuf Stunning view of Paris.
Ange'vin. ????? Apparently no longer exists. The homey ambience of a neighborhood bistro.
Le Dauphin. ?????? Apparently no longer exists. Corner of the Rue St Denis and rue Etienne Marcel, 75002 Frequented by retired people living in the district and also a certain number of streetwalkers.
Chez Prune. 71 Quai de Valmy 75010
The Marais
La Belle Hortense.
31 Rue Vieille du Temple 75004.
Métro: Hotel de Ville.
Near the National Archives.
Bookshop, literary salon, wine bar.
Reading room in the back.
Ma Bourgogne . 19 Place des Vosges 75004 Really a restaurant, but drinks available at off-peak hours. Terrace gives a view of the Place des Vosges, the interior is warm and welcoming.
La Perla.
26 rue Francois Miron. 75004.
Métro: Hotel de Ville.
Mexican food.
A long old-fashioned wood bar and old-fashioned chairs.
Le Temps des Cerise.
31 rue des Cerisaie. 75004.
Métro: Bastille
A wonderful little cafe attracting regulars from the area.
A country-like ambience.
Closed evenings, weekends, and August.
Cafe Martini.
11 rue Pas de la Mule. 75004.
Métro: Bastille.
A lively crowd.
Zéro Zéro. 89 Rue Amélot. Métro: Bastille. Just north of the Place de la Bastille. "When you're practically sitting in a stranger's lap, it's not surprising you wind up talking to him (or her)."
Paul Bugat. 180 rue du Temple. 75003. Métro: Bastille. One of the highest rated pâtisseries in this part of Paris. Tables filled mostly with locals.
Bar 14.
14 rue de Bretagne. 75003.
Métro: Arts & Metier, Filles de Calvaire.
Very simple, typical workingman's bar. Low prices and good service.
El Amigo. 59 rue des Archives. 75003. Métro: Filles du Calvaire, St. Sabastien-Froissart. Very friendly.
Jo Goldenberg's Deli.
7 Rue des Rosiers.
Run by the sons of Russian emigres, "offers its own Russian
vodka, a classic assortment of food, and a terrific
introduction to the neighborhood."
Before it became the big Paris gay neighborhood, the Marais was the Jewish quarter, and Rue des Rosiers was its main street.
Oberkampf and Bastille
Rue Oberkampf is the trendiest neighborhood for the young crowd, both Parisians and visitors. The region just north of Place de la Bastille used to hold that title, and is still pretty lively (rowdy in certain places).La Mercerie . 98 Rue Oberkampf
Les Trois Tetards .
46 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud 75011.
Métro: Oberkampf or Parmentier.
Just north of Ave de la Republique.
"Everyone seems to know everyone else, or maybe they're
just very good with strangers."
I haven't been there when it's crowded,
but it's friendly.
Cafe Charbon.
109 Rue Oberkampf 75011.
Métro: Menilmontant.
Food and drinks, no entertainment.
Prices slightly above the norm.
This is the ultimate trendy spot for those
in their twenties.
This is a place where everyone goes
because everyone goes there
Le Cannibale.
93 rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011.
Métro: Coronnes.
Not expensive. Lively young Rue Oberkampf crowd.
Friendly service.
The Clown Bar.
114 rue Amélot. 75011.
Métro: Filles de Calvaire, right off the Blvd du Temple.
Next to the Cirque d'Hiver.
Murals of clowns. Food is not cheap, but affordable sandwiches.
A lively intellectual-looking crowd.
Cafe Le Bastille. 8 Place de la Bastille. 75011. Reasonable prices, lunch and ice cream.
Le Saint Sebastien.
42 rue Saint Sebastien. 75011.
Métro: St. Sebastien Froissart, St. Ambrose.
An old cafe in the style of the 70s. Nothing special to
look at, but a friendly atmosphere. Customers are
local people from the district.
Scop Merle Moqueur.
11 rue Butte aux Calles. 75013.
Métro: Corvisart (Line 6).
You can hear the songs of Brassens and Vincent Absil
and maybe a little Bob Dylan. It has its own
newsletter with articles about poetry and songs.
James Joyce Pub. 71 Blvd Gouvion St-Cyr. 75017. It's just what you would expect from the name.
Montmartre & Pigalle
La Fourmi .
74 Rue de Martyrs 75018.
Métro: Pigalle.
Young arty crowd and even artier staff
Aux Negociants.
27 rue Lambert, 75018.
Métro: Chateaux Rouge.
Off Rue Custine, next street west of Rue Ramey
Open daily except weekends and August
A cafe favored by poets as well as working people
from Monmartre
Tabac de Deux Moulins.
15 rue Lepic. 75018.
Métro: Blanche.
Directly away from the métro station.
Between the tourist hordes of St. Coeur and the frantic
sleaze of Pigalle. A place where all types drop in
for a quick quiet drink before doing what has to be
done that night.
Le Crêpe à Pic . 35 rue Lepic. 75018. Métro: Lamark-Calaincourt. One of the more charming places in the area. Bright tablecloths giving the look of Province. Avoid the noon rush and dinner hour unless looking for a real meal.
Le Lapin Agile. 22 rue des Saules 75018 Métro: Lamark Calaincourt. Caters mostly to tourists looking to hear old-fashioned French chansons.
Le Sancerre. 35 rue des Abbesses. 75018. Good simple meals.
A la Mere Catherine. 6 Place du Tertre. 75018. Prices are relatively reasonable for the Place du Tertre.
Le Sans Souci. 65 rue Pigalle. 75009. Métro: Pigalle. A mixed clientele: bourgeois and people of the street.
Latin Quarter (i.e. Fifth Arrondisement)
Le Verre a Pied.
118 bis Rue Mouffetard. 75005.
Métro: Censier-Daubenton
"Locals and street performers crowd in at the small tables."
La Formi Alliee.
8 Rue deu Fouarre 75005
Métro: Maubert-Mutualite.
Open noon to 3PM (July and Aug also 7 PM to midnight)
Tea room, packed with books, lamps, and blue and white teapots.
Cafe le Volcan.
10 rue Thouin 75005
Greek food. Open for lunch and dinner.
Métro: Monge or Cardinal LeMoine
Au Depart.
1 rue Gau-Lussac 75005
Métro: Luxembourg
Shiny brass-colored bar and a pinball machine.
Across from the Jardin du Luxembourg.
Not expensive.
The Fifth Bar.
62 Rue Mouffetard, 75005,
towards the lower end of Rue Mouffetard.
An English/Irish bar with a very friendly
owner and staff.
A fairly young crowd, although some older tourists
also show up.
Sixth Arrondisement (St. Germaine)
Le Bar Dix. 10 Rue de l'Odeon Métro: Odeon
Les Editeurs.
4 Carrefour de L'Odeon 75006
Métro: Odeon
Shelves stacked with books from nearby publishers.
Restaurant des Beaux-Arts.
11 rue Bonaparte 75006
Métro: St. Germain des Pres
Opposite l'Ecole des Beaux Arts. Reasonably priced menu.
La Palette.
43 rue de Seine 75006
Métro: Mabillon
At Rue Jacques Callot.
A "bohemian" cafe, where students from the Ecole des Beaux Arts
and dealers from nearby art galleries come.
Very touristy, at least in the day time.
Outside tables only.
Le Mazet .
61 rue St. Andre-des-Arts, 75006
Métro: Odéon
People from all over have raved about the warm welcome
they have received from the proprietors here.
Inexpensive.
Relais Odeon. 132 Blvd Saint-Germain 75006 Has kept its turn of the century charm.
7th and 15th
Au Dernier Métro.
70 Blvd de Grenelle 75015.
Métro: Dupleix.
Small, but wonderful posters on the wall.
Cafe de Lettres.
53 Rue de Veneuil 75007.
Used by Maison des Ecrivains for literary discussions
and novel readings.
Le Bouquet.
25 rue Daguerre 75014.
A homey cafe with a clientele of regulars:
intellectuals, businessmen, executives employees, workers.
Very few students. A few movie stars.
Chez Perez. 6 rue Daguerre 75014. An old-style cafe with good Burgundy and Beaujolais. Sandwiches made with good regional ingredients.
20th
La Flêche d'Or.
102 bis rue de Bagnolet. 75020.
Rue Bagnololet is a major street,
going from Métro Alexander Dumas to Porte de Bagnole.
Young, lively, hip. Grunge chic: More grunge in the
daytime, more chic at night. In an old railway station and
looking like the site of a junkyard explosion.
Breakfast in America.
17 Rue des Ecoles 75005.
Métro: Cardinal LeMoine or Jussieu.
An American-style coffee shop with American-style
breakfasts, burgers milk shakes, etc.
Owner is a very nice American.
Apparently very popular with the French.
Lina's Sandwiches is a chain with shops all over Paris. Clean and bright with reasonably priced food.
Courtesy of ParisMarais monthly newsletter
San Francisco Book Co., 17 rue Monsieur le Prince, 75006
(Métro: Odéon).
Used English-language books.
The Paris Branch of Jim Carroll's books in San Francisco.
The Village Voice 6, rue Princesse, 75006 Paris, 6th Arrondissement, (Métro: Odéon), Tel: 01.46.33.36.47 Big selection, very friendly. Good bulletin board.
Tea and Tattered Pages, 24 rue Mayet, 75006
(Métro: Duroc).
The name of the store says it all. The books are almost all
cheap and very worn paperbacks of no particular distinction,
but still good when you want something to read.
Shakespeare and Company, 37 rue de la Bûcheie, 75005
(Métro: San Michel).
Not Sylvia Beach's original shop, but in somewhat the same
spirit. Loosely affiliated with City Lights in San Francisco
and some other bohemian bookstores in Berkeley and San Francisco.
(See also Shakespeare & Co in New York,
although the New York shops are much more commercial.)
Walk eastward along the left bank of the Seine
(Quai de Montebello)
about two blocks from the Blvd St. Michel. It's set
back from the street a little, right across the river
from Nôtre Dame (just past the Pont au Double).
The Abbey Bookstore,
29 rue de la Parcheminerie, 75005 (Métro: St. Michel
and Cluny la Sorbonne).
A long, narrow Canadian owned shop stacked with
books by Canadian, American, and British authors.
W.H. Smith, 248 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 (Métro: Concorde).
Gagliani, 224 Rue de Rivoli 75001, between Rues d'Alger and Castiglone, just down the street from W H Smith.
Brentano's, 37 av. de l'Opéra 75002 (Métro: Opéra).
Red Wheelbarrow (former Albion), 22 Rue de St. Paul, 75004. Métro: Sully Morland (Line 7). Small shop, friendly.
Virgin Megastore, 52 Ave. des Champs-Elysée 75008 Huge selection in both English and French.
The American Library in Paris, 10 Rue du General Camou (between Ave Rapp and Ave de la Bordonais, 75007. Near the Champ de Mars, Métro: Ecole Militaire, or, nearer, Pont de l'Alma (R), Alma-Marceau).
Taschen (German art books), 86 Rue de Buci, Métro: Odéon
La Hune, 170 Blvd St Germaine at Rue St. Benoit (Métro: St Germain)
French language. Intellectual.
*** NEW...THE PARIS BOOK EXCHANGE. (Announcement from
Parler Paris newsletter.)
Buy, sell or exchange your books with other book lovers...at the
Wildgeese Pub, 140 boulevard Richard Lenoir, 75011 Paris, 5 p.m. to 7
p.m. the 1st Thursday of every month. Entry is free.
For more information contact Wynn Jones at
bookexchange@paris.com
La Belle Hortense,
31 Rue Vieille du Temple 75004
Bookshop, literary salon, wine bar.
Reading room in the back.
Zero Zero,
89 Rue Amélot,
Métro: Bastille
"When you're practically sitting in a stranger's lap,
it's not surprising you wind up talking to him (or her)."
La Mercerie, 98 Rue Oberkampf 75011
Les Trois Tetards,
46 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud 75011,
Métro: Oberkampf or Parmentier
"Everyone seems to know everyone else, or maybe they're
just very good with strangers."
Café Charbon, 109 Rue Oberkampf 75011
Chez Prune, 71 Quai de Valmy 750010
James Joyce Pub, 71 Blvd Gouvion St-Cyr 75017
Le Verre à Pied,
118 bis Rue Mouffetard,
Métro: Censier-Daubenton
"Locals and street performers crowd in at the small tables."
La Formi Alliée,
8 Rue deu Fouarre 75005,
Métro: Maubert-Mutualité
Open noon to 3PM (July and Aug also 7 PM to midnight)
Tea room, packed with books, lamps, and blue and white teapots.
The Fifth Bar,
Rue Mouffetard 75005
English, Irish, American.
Named because it's in the Fifth Arrondisment.
Le Bar Dix, 10 Rue de l'Odéon, Métro: Odéon
Les Editeurs,
4 Carrefour de L'Odéon 75006,
Métro: Odéon
Shelves stacked with books from nearby publishers.
Au Dernier Métro,
70 Blvd de Grenelle 75015,
Métro: Dupleix
Small, but wonderful posters on the wall.
Café de Lettres,
53 Rue de Veneuil 75007
Used by Maison des Ecrivains for literary discussions
and novel readings.