Paris is the sounds of accordion on the elevated metro, the smell of roasting chickens at the corner butchers, and the unique attitude of its city-dwellers. Sometimes prideful, always poetic – Parisians love their city. We decided to get to know a few of them a bit more, hear their anecdotes, and hopefully take a bit of their love for the city home with us.
What makes a city special, or an arrondissement (Parisian district) charming? We think it’s the people. Our new local friends give us a glimpse of what their Paris means to them.
All of these restaurants, bars, and shops are hand-picked from our free city guide for Paris, momondo places, available for your iPhone.
Les Invalides, 7th arrondissement
David Toutain – 35 years old, chef and restaurant owner at David Toutain
In his 7th arrondissement restaurant, David reflects on the creative, earthy products he’ll be concocting today
From the village of Flers in Basse-Normandie to the banks of the Seine in Paris, David Toutain was determined to share his appetite for vegetables, herbs, and flowers with the refined Parisians. Armed with professional experience from restaurants in Spain and New York and from culinary trips around the world, in 2013, David inaugurates the restaurant to his name in the 7th arrondissement in Paris. “Before travelling, I lived in the 7th, and I love this neighbourhood, with the docks of the Seine – you’re pretty much in the heart of the city.”
A joyous masterpiece of wood, cement, glass, and leather, and sublimed by natural light, each part of his restaurant came to be through collaborations with talented artisans. “When I was looking for a place to open my restaurant, it only seemed natural to look in this area – when I fell across this very luminous place, I immediately felt at home.” Ask to sit at the big, brut wood table, a nod to David’s Normand countryside roots, and detect the seasonal products in your plate like juniper, sorrel, white truffle, pigeon, or young garlic, to name a few.
The Invalides neighbourhood is a Parisian postcard – you might find David walking along the pedestrian Rue Cler street, ogling the colourful stands of fresh produce. “We buy our products straight from the producers – the personal interaction with them makes their products what they are. Their products are their life stories and passions.”
Where: 29 rue Surcouf, 7th arr.
Tel: +33 1 45 50 11 10
Nearest station: Invalides / La Tour Maubourg
Les Archives, 3rd arrondissement
Alain Blackmann – Master barber and curator at Alain Maître Barbier
The smoothest shave in the city is at Alain’s traditional barbershop
In the 3rd arrondissement, off of Boulevard Beaumarchais, between the landmarks of Place des Vosges and Place de la République, sits Alain’s little, red barbershop. Founded in 1938, the shop in itself is a treasure, but inside, barbershop relics of another époque hang on the walls. “I’m always looking for new things for my [barbershop] museum.” For the past twenty years, Alain is the passionate and precise Master barber-slash-curator of the only salon-slash-museum in Paris.
The neighbourhood is also home to the National Archives and many galleries – art, history, and French heritage are ever-present around each street corner. “It’s the neighbourhood that corresponds best with my traditional activity”. With each elegant flick of the wrist, Alain handles his razor blade and homemade shaving cream to perfection, preserving an invaluable skillset. At the Institut National Formation Coiffure, budding-barbers can learn some of Alain’s moustache-taming savvy.
Alain loves greeting new and recurrent clients looking for one of the best shaves in the city. “My clients are all faithful, and the new ones always come back!” But it isn’t just the reputation and skill that keep people coming back to Alain’s shop – “the greatest quality a Master barber can have is discretion”. What is spoken about with Alain, stays with Alain, adding even more intrigue to the museum walls of the salon. Step into history, and step out looking 10 years younger – that’s the Rue Claude barbershop paradox.
Where: 8 rue Saint-Claude, 3rd arr.
Tel: +33 1 42 77 55 80
Nearest station: Saint-Sébastien Froissart
Jules Joffrin, 18th arrondissement
Amine Stambouli – 31 years old, barman mixologist at Sunset
Thirsty for a daring cocktail in a Brooklyn-vibe Parisian restaurant? Just ask Amine © Antoine Motard
“The 18th has always been my neighbourhood. And the Sunset is my neighbour.” A child of Algiers living in France, Amine’s cultural diversity has pushed him to travel and live in different European cities, but he gladly traded his sunny days in Marseille for the Sunset nights in Paris. The Sunset, restaurant and bar, has a clear mission – to offer the clientele of the area a laid-back hangout around good food and good vibes. It has also been Amine’s laboratory for the past year.
Situated close the Butte de Montmartre, behind the large glass windows, you’ll find him stirring, shaking, tasting, mixing, and flaming all kinds of delicious elixirs from his palette (as he calls it) of premium alcohols. “My signature cocktail is the Dengue Fever” – mezcal, Tequila, lime, pineapple coulis, and pepper bitter. Pair the cocktail with a few of the shareable dishes that change every week, based on the selection of seasonal produce the chef comes across. Just like the neighbourhood, Sunset’s creativity is ever-changing. “The 18th is a whole other planet – with so many types of artists.” After 12 years living in the capital, his current abode being on Rue Lepic just nearby, Amine calls this place home.
Mid-conversation, with a casual “Salut, ça va et toi?” (Hey, I’m good and you?), Amine salutes different patrons and regulars. It’s safe to say, with a smile as big as his Afro haircut, he doesn’t go unnoticed. If you ask him what his favourite place to go for good food and a good, unpretentious wine, he’ll tell you its the Bistrot des Halles in the 1st arrondissement, a typical Parisian joint.
Where: 100 rue Ordener, 18th arr.
Tel: +33 1 71 28 99 33
Nearest station: Jules Joffrin
Read more: a day in the north of Paris: what to do in one of the best Parisian quarters
Le Quartier Latin, 5th arrondissement
Kévi Donat – 32 years old, tour guide of Black Paris Walks
Paris painted black – Kévi shares all his local insight about Paris’ Black heritage
What was meant to be a temporary job as a tour guide turned into a personal calling – a way for Kévi to use his knowledge of political sciences and foreign language skills to share his curiosity about Paris’ rich history. “Foreign visitors are often surprised by the diversity in Paris. Creating a walking tour focused on Black history in this city was a way to answer their questions.”
Since 2013, Kévi meets groups from France and abroad wanting to get a new angle on the city of lights, far from the clichés. Start your day by meeting in the heart of the Quartier Latin, home to the Sorbonne and the Pantheon. “I love the Pantheon, it is one of the monuments that reveals the most complexity of French history”. Try one or try all three tours – The Left Bank and its pioneers, The Right bank: from Pigalle to Little Africa, and The Paris Noir (Black Paris). Through the experiences and influences of Aimé Césaire or Richard Wright, discover the highlights of the Afro-descendant diaspora, striking up conversations about Jazz, the Negritude literary movement, and African produce shops.
Setting his own stone in the foundation of Parisian history, Kévi also happens to live in the Quartier Latin. “This is where I have my little habits, like drinking a coffee and cream at the terrace of the Café de la Nouvelle Mairie.”
To get more of Kévi without necessarily having to be in Paris, word on the street is he’s developing a podcast about black identity in pop culture – Le Pitch Black.
Where: Place du Pantheon, 5th arr.
Nearest station: Luxembourg
Le Marais, 4th arrondissement
Karim Laroui – 44 years old, chef, restaurant consultant, and dj at Vins des Pyrénées
Karim is the king of the kitchen by day, master of the turntables by night
Since the ripe age of 11, Karim has grown up with Le Marais, watching the neighbourhood evolve from leather workshops to hip bars. His Marais stretches from the Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, where he previously worked as a chef for Chez Julien, to the Rue Beautreillis, where he currently cooks up a storm at Vins des Pyrénées (VDP). This neighbourhood is his playground, where he can express his multifaceted vision as a chef, restaurant consultant, and interior designer to give a fresh renewal to a rather classic Parisian establishments.
Here at VDP, they practice the new trend of bistronomie – gastronomical foods served in a laid-back setting. “You can’t eat this way just anywhere.” Karim’s favourite dish is the blanquette de veau (French veal ragout) seasoned with vanilla and candied lemons, but he can easily be swayed for the Pluma de Bellota, an extremely tender piece of meat from Iberico Bellota pork. At night, Karim trades his stove for turntables, transforming the VDP into a dancefloor. Soul, funk, electro, and chansons française – “I mix only prime music, from Alain Souchon to Pachanga Boys.”
Work may be in Le Marais, but Karim lives in the 9th arrondissement, home to the Opéra Garnier and the Olympia music hall. “I love the 9th, but when I go to the Marais, I have many roles – chef, architect, dj – they’re all different but all within the same goal, to create something.”
Where: 25 rue Beautreillis, 4th arr.
Tel: +33 1 42 72 64 94
Nearest station: Sully-Morland
