Page 312 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Paris

310  TR A VELLERS ' NEEDS

a glamorous venue serving the Marais, well known for its Marais. The owner of Ten Belles,
creative cocktails to a cool exhaustive choice of tea; you which was one of the first, went
young crowd. Also popular can also buy loose-leaf tea on to open the Belleville
is the stylish Experimental from an impressive array of Brulerie, now the city’s top
Cocktail Club, which lives up caddies lining the walls, plus local roaster. The Caféothèque
to its name with cocktails such lovely teapots to take home. is another major roaster in the
as Blind Date at Chelsea (sloe Also very classy is Ladurée, Marais and has plenty of space
gin, cognac, maraschino and near Place de la Madeleine, for laptop-wielding workers
strawberries). Le China, an where you can sip tea and looking to get away from their
Asian bar/restaurant with chic nibble the house specialities, home offices. HolyBelly and
Neo-Colonial decor and a macaroons, amid the splendour Craft Café are popular with the
romantic ambience, also does of gilt-edged mirrors and fashionable crowd and offer
great cocktails. ceiling frescoes. Ladurée has some delicious lunch options
Oberkampf, in the east, is equally grand outlets on the too. KB in Pigalle and Coutume
one of the best areas to go Champs-Elysées and in on the Left Bank have also
for some late-night bar action; St-Germain. Perhaps the helped spread the coffee craze
well established on the scene city’s most sumptuous tea further afield.
are Café Charbon and Le Kitch. room, though, is the lavishly
Bespoke is a speakeasy-style decorated café in the Musée Street Food
bar specializing in creative Jacquemart-André (see also
cocktails – try, for example, p211), where you can enjoy Street food has really taken
the Capri C’est Fini (tomato, tea and fine pastries while off in Paris, and there’s a large
basil and balsamic vinegar). admiring the wall tapestries variety of offerings. Alongside
The Canal St-Martin area also and Tiepolo’s ceiling fresco. the more traditional crêpes and
has some great venues for More relaxed options include ham-and-cheese baguettes,
canalside drinking, such as Le Loir dans la Théière in the you’ll also find New York deli-
the energetic Point Ephémère, Marais, where you can sit back style sandwiches, bagels,
which also programmes live in a comfy sofa and feast on burgers, tacos and empañadas.
music and DJ nights. A number the heavenly lemon meringue Frenchie To Go attracts queues
of bars bring in DJs on the pie. Good for both afternoon at lunchtime for its tasty
weekends; the best are listed tea and Sunday brunch is the pastrami sandwiches and other
on p345. charming L’Heure Gourmande, deli-style fillings. Chezaline
Bars that are great for a hidden away down a passage in serves gourmet baguettes in a
relaxing drink include the tiny, St-Germain; on sunny days converted horse butcher’s, and
stone-clad Stolly’s in the Marais you can relax on the tranquil Big Fernand styles itself as an
and the legendary Harry’s New terrace, away from the crowds, atelier du hamburger, using
York Bar, which has been and enjoy hot chocolate and carefully sourced ingredients to
serving cocktails since 1911 and home-made cakes. Another produce burgers with a French
claims to have invented the haven from the city bustle is twist. At lunchtime, La Pointe
Bloody Mary. the lovely, mosaic-tiled Café du Groin, a café/wine bar near
de la Mosquée, where you the Gare du Nord, does
Tearooms can get sticky pastries and excellent takeaway Breton-style
aromatic mint tea. Nearby, rolls and baguettes with fillings
Tea rooms are well-established and perfect after a visit to such as goat’s cheese, pickled
Paris institutions. They usually Notre-Dame, is La Fourmi peppers and rosemary honey.
serve a tempting array of Ailée, a cosy place with books For Middle Eastern street food,
exquisite cakes, elegant pastries on the shelves and a fire head to Rue des Rosiers, in the
and a wide choice of tea. burning away in the colder Marais, where you’ll find the
Typical opening hours are months. renowned L’As du Falafel
11.30am– 7pm. Some salons de Chocolate-lovers should head (see p296), among many other
thé also offer light lunches, as to Chocolaterie Jacques Genin, falafel joints. Montparnasse has
well as breakfast and afternoon which combines a shop and a the best crêpe stands: the
tea; many open on Sunday salon de thé; enjoy a pot of undisputed favourite is
for brunch. decadent chocolat chaud or Crêperie Josselin.
A long-time favourite, buy a bag of the delicious Ice-cream stands open
dating from around 1903 and caramels to take away. around noon and stay open
sporting a fabulous Belle late in the summer. It’s worth
Epoque interior, is Angélina, Coffee Shops queuing (sometimes around
renowned for its thick hot the block) for the city’s best
chocolate and the Mont Blanc, A new wave of boutique coffee ice cream at Maison Berthillon;
a rich chestnut, cream and shops and roasters has popped seasoned gourmets come from
meringue confection. Mariage up in recent years. The best across the city to sample a
Frères, in business since 1854, ones are located around the scoop or two of their delicious
is an elegant salon de thé in Canal Saint Martin and the concoctions.

309-311_EW_Paris.indd 310 03/04/17 10:58 am