Paris amusements

Bains

7 Rue du Bourg-lAbbé, 75003. Phone: 887 3440. Hours: Closed Monday. (F4).

A former bathhouse near Beaubourg has been converted into a punk center called Bains-Douches, which was on top when we were in Paris last time. Each night has its theme. The place also has a swimming pool and a cinema. Beware though that fortunes of this and the disco types tend to rise and fall in no time at all. The famous ones today can be forgotten tomorrow.

Castel

14 Rue Princesse, 75006. Phone: 326 9022. (D5).

The sole top nightclub on the Left bank, quite near the Saint-Germain church. The customers are the best dancers and the most diligent ones in Paris. Castel has the additional bonus that it is possible to make conversation and hear your own words. Also the decorations are the most tasteful of such disco nightclubs, a little overwhelming in the cellar.

Restaurant Princesse with its mirrors on the first floor is surprisingly good. A trick to get inside is to try to book a dinner table at Princesse. But then you should not sound like a tourist on the phone as this is the most heavily closed of all closed nightclubs in Paris. It is a haunt of actors, journalists and page-one girls, all very well dressed.

Crazy Horse

12 Avenue George V, 75008. Phone: 723 3232. (B3).

The best strip-tease in Paris, just near the Plaza-Athénée on the Right bank. Nowhere else is the show better organized into the minutest details. Alain Bernardin is responsible. All technical and optical tricks are used to lift the show far above most others in this genre.

Keur Samba

79 Rue la Boétie, 75008. Phone: 359 0310. (C3).

The center of insomniacs and of noise levels around 140 decibels in Paris, in the the middle of the fashion and nightclub district on the Right bank. It hails from Senegal, and Africans are conspicuous among the customers, for example East-African mannequins and under employed UNESCO diplomats and officials who arrive when other places close down for the morning.

Lido

116 Champs-Élysées, 75008. Phone: 563 1161. (B3).

By far the best place for all-round entertainment in classic Paris style, in the same district as most of the best nightclubs and discos. It is far better than Moulin Rouge at Pigalle which receives busloads of tourists. The spectacles of Lido are performed by elephants, waterfalls, magicians, acrobats etc.

Petit Journal

71 Boulevard Saint-Michel, 75005. Phone: 326 2859. Hours: Closed Sunday. (E6).

The best known of many jazz cellars, a small place beneath a tavern offering relatively inexpensive midnight suppers. The owner, André Damon, has both famous and unknown jazzists performing. Some come from the States, but all of them play classic jazz. The atmosphere is almost homey.

Régines

48 Rue de Ponthieu, 75008. Phone: 359 2113. (B3).

This one has been copied in New York and other cities. Also here it is difficult to get inside, but possible even without a membership card. In any case ties can be rented, if the doorman consents to allow you inside. Bobby Barrier directs and Régine sings. This the main club of the top fashion people. Here dances are introduced before they go out to conquer the world.

Theatre National de Chaillot

Place du Trocadéro, 75016. Phone: 727 8115. (A4).

One of the two main national theaters. Due to language difficulties it is not easy for others than French-speaking people or theater people to enjoy theater in Paris in full. As You Like It by Shakespeare was on the last time we visited the city.

Bar du Caveau

17 Place Dauphine, 75001. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday. (E4).

Lawyers and politicians hang out at this wine bar in peaceful Place Dauphine on Ile de la Cité. This square is an oasis smack in the city center.

Écluse

Place de la Madeleine, 75008. Hours: Closed Sunday. (D3).

This is a chain of wine bars. They are green on the outside and brown on the inside, decorated with wide mirrors and having an ancient atmosphere, zestful and cozy at the same time. They specialize in Bordeaux wines, some of them sold by the glass, at reasonable prices.

Some other addresses of bars in this chain are: 64 Rue Francois I, 75008; 15 Quai des Grands Augustins, 75006

Harry‘s Bar

5 Rue Daunou, 75002. Hours: Open to 4 A.M. (D3).

The most important Paris bar in the American style, near the opera square, not relative of the original namesake in Venice. This one offers over 150 different whiskies and an unlimited number of cocktails. The atmosphere is both lively and civilized. This is the haunt of American intellectuals and correspondents.

Henri IV

13 Place du Pont-Neuf, 75001. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday. (E4).

On the Ile de la Cité, just by Pont Neuf, those barrister and judges who are not at Bar du Caveau at the moment, are here having a glass of red wine. The specialty is Burgundy.

Pub Saint-Germain

17 Rue de lancienne Comédie, 75006. Hours: Open all day, all days. (E5).

The major beer pub of Paris, a few steps from the boulevard of the same name. Available are 300 different types of bottled beer and 20 of watted beer. It is open 24 hours a day.

Willi‘s

13 Rue des Petits-Champs, 75001. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday. (E3).

One of the best wine bars in Paris, near the garden of Palais Royal. A British host serves at least 250 different wines, some of them by the glass. Many of his customers are bankers and journalists.

Angélina

v

226 Rue de Rivoli, 75001. (D3).

The best chocolate in Paris is here, in a big, traditional café in the arcades of Rue de Rivoli, opposite the Tuileries. The chocolate comes in several versions. The same goes for the coffee and tea. The café is often crowded.

Café de la Paix

12 Boulevard des Capucines, 75009. Phone: 260 3350. (D3).

It goes that every American in Paris passes at least once each day in front of this peculiar café at the side of the Opéra. And it offers a good view to the square and boulevards around. It has been renovated in the original style of this typical tourist café.

Christian Constant

20 Rue du Bac, 75007. (D4).

The best baker and confectioner, in the antiques quarter of the Left bank. Adjoining the shop is a small tea room, where polished Parisian ladies meet in the afternoon to sip one of the 40 different teas with honey or with one of the five varieties of sugar. And of course something sweet to nibble at.

Cour de Rohan

59-61 Rue Saint-André-des-Arts, 75006. (E5).

In a pedestrian street behind Rue de lAncienne Comédie, in the atmosphere of the 18th Century. It is an unusually elegant café on two floors. It is furnished with antiques, but most of the guests are of the younger generations. For sale are many varieties of tea, juice, table wine, coffee and chocolate.

Deux Magots

170 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006. Phone: 4548 5525. (D5).

The most famous sidewalk café in Paris, opposite Saint-Germain-des-Prés. We can choose between observing the church tower stones of seven centuries, the performances of actors and artists on the square, or simply the classic Parisian subject, people passing by. You can spend the whole day here as the happenings are non-stop.

Now this has become a tourist place. Formerly it was a haunt of French authors and intellectuals. all the way back to the 18th Century when they were frequented by Voltaire and Rousseau, in the 19th by Victor Hugo and Balzac, Baudelaire and Zola, and in the 20th by Sartre, de Beauvoir and Camus. The last three sat in the cafés here around the church.

Ébouillante

6 Rue des Barres, 75004. (F5).

At a footpath behind the Saint-Gervais church, leading from the river bank Quai de lHôtel-de-Ville, a tiny and an amusing café in the style of a fishing village tavern in Normandy. It is crowded with artists and youths from the youth hostels in the neighborhood. The atmosphere is relaxed and rural. The walls are decorated with sundry objects.

Lipp

151 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006. Phone: 4548 5391. Hours: Closed Monday. (D5).

Opposite Saint-Germain-des-Prés on the other side of the Boulevard, the haunt of famous Parisians, including politicians. The owner, Roger Cazes, takes great care that all well known Frenchmen get a good table on the crowded ground floor and that all tourists are sent upstairs to Siberia.

The food is nothing to write home about, in an ancient sauerkraut-style. But in the afternoon places are obtainable for coffee on the ground floor. That part of the restaurant is beautifully decorated with tiles and wood, big mirrors and exquisite chandeliers. The interior is from 1914. Remember that the specialty is beer rather than coffee.

Battendier

8 Rue Coquillère. (E4).

One of the oldest sausages and tripe shops of the city and probably the most fascinating. It has for more than one and a half century been here, opposite the demolished Halles. The best known products are tripe sausages, blood sausages, the many patés and Parma ham. Fresh goose liver is sold around the year. Wine and patisserie is also available.

Bell Viandier

25 Rue du Vieux-Colombier. (D5).

Near Saint-Sulpice on the Left bank is an old-fashioned hole-in-the-wall for beef, amusingly furnished. Beef is available from several breeds, local and imported, cut in correct sections according to French tradition or done into ready-made dishes. Also on sale is lamb, including a special Ester lamb. And famous blood sausages. This is the best beef shop in the city center.

Berthillon

31 Rue de Saint-Louis-en-lIle, 75001. (F5).

The best ice cream shop of Paris is in this shopping alley on Ile de Saint-Louis. Often a waiting line stretches into the street. The specialties of the house are more than 30 in number, excluding sorbets such as a champagne sorbet. This is the mother shop, but Berthillon ices can also be bought in many other places. The fame has not put up the prices.

Caves Miard

9 Rue des Quatre-Vents. (E5).

The most engaging wine shop is near the Saint-Germain church. The furnishings are from 1850. The shops does not specialize in regions and has an all-round choice. In between there are bottles of grand wines such as Château Cheval Blanc and Château Yquem.

Civette

157 Rue Saint-Honoré. (E4).

The major tobacco shop, aged two centuries, is between Palais Royal and the Louvre. In stock are all brands of tobacco available in France. The havanas are kept in humid rooms. There are also endless rows of pipes and all kinds of articles for smokers.

Coesnon

30 Rue Dauphine. (E5).

On the Left bank, near Pont Neuf, the best sausage maker in Paris sells the greatest number of different sausages and patés. This is also the main choucroute shop in town.

Constant

26 Rue du Bac. (D4).

The specialty of Christian Constant in the antiques quarter of the Left bank is confectionery and chocolates. The latter are made of chocolate and crème fraiche without any preservatives. And this is not only the best confectioner in Paris but also one of the best patisserie makers.

In addition he makes a lot of ice creams and sorbets and does not either use preservatives or colorings in them. He also sells 40 different teas. And finally he is a caterer.

Corcellet

46 Rue des Petits-Champs. (E3).

A pleasant shop near the Biblioteque Nationale. Paul Corcellet mainly sells preserves and jams in glass jars and rare alcohols from far-away places, also coffee and tea.

Debauve et Gallais

30 Rue des Saints-Péres. (D5).

The most elated chocolate maker has been at this place in the Saint-Germain area since 1818. The furnishings are almost unchanged since then. They are unusually charming are now protected by the authorities. It is difficult to choose between gazing at the decorations and the gooey chocolates.

Fauchon

24 Place Madeleine. (D3).

The most famous general gourmet shop in the world is beside the Madeleine. Nothing is lacking that could tempt the gourmets who come here for sightseeing as others go into the cathedrals of Paris. Also sold are take-away dishes.

We can buy date-stamped coffee from the four corners of the world; all important varieties of caviar, including white; home made confectionery and chocolates; the finest goose liver in town; perfect patisserie; 42 sorts of tea; rare black truffes; the most expensive vintage champagnes and distilled fruit spirits; and more types of herbs and spices than we thought existed.

Flahec

135 Rue Mouffetard. (F6).

A captivating, tiny fish shop is at the downhill end of this pedestrian market street. It offers some of the best choice in fish and shellfish, including many varieties that are not usually seen elsewhere in Paris.

Fruits de France

72 Rue de Saint-Louis-en-lIle, 75001. (F5).

On the quaint island street, at no. 72, shopkeeper Turpin has both fruits and vegetables and also all kinds of game. Among the vegetables the many types of mushrooms are noteworthy and also the various spices and herbs. The game is available according to the season and never comes out of a freezer.

There are wild geese and ducks, sparrows, pheasants, grouses, partridges, hares, deer and also some cultivated fowl.

Gambrinus

13 Rue des Blancs-Manteaux. (F4).

In the Marais, just east of Palais Beaubourg, is the best beer shop in the city. It offers more than 400 types of beer from 34 countries, including mixed cases according to countries or brewing techniques. Also sold are books on beer and brewing. The shop also boasts of many whisky brands and malts.

Haupois

35 Rue des Deux-Ponts, 75001. (F5).

The best bread available in Paris is baked by Haupois in the street that crosses the middle of Ile de Saint-Louis. He also does some patisserie. The methods are traditional, fitting the 17th Century aura of this delightful island.

Hédirard

21 Place Madeleine. (D3).

The second most world famous gourmet shop is also beside the Madeleine. It is an all-round store. Among the most notable items are chocolates, jams, 25 years old vinegar, 80 types of jar preserves, coffee, goose liver.

Not to be forgotten are the 300.000 bottles of wine, priced from FFr. 11 to FFr. 13,000. There are 17 vintages of Château Latour alone. And the almost unobtainable Romanée-Conti is only sold here.

Lecomte

76 Rue de Saint-Louis-en-lIle, 75001. (F5).

If we walk eastward along Rue de Saint-Louis-en-lIle, we find this cheese shop on the northern side, one of the top few ones in Paris. The cheeses develop in the care of the shopkeeper himself.

Each type of cheese has its season, münster in January, roquefort in February, camembert in March, brie in April, goat cheeses in May, non-sterilized cow-cheeses in June, white cheeses in July, reblochon in August, etc.

Maison du Miel

24 Rue Vignon. (D3).

Near the Madeleine a honey shop offers over 30 different types of honey, including mountain honey and Hungarian acacia honey, all displayed at the counter. Other specialized honey shops are in the city, but this is the most important one.

Olivier

77 Rue de Saint-Louis-en-lIle, 75001. (F5).

The best olives in the city are of course sold in a special olive shop. In addition to many varieties of olives, numerous types of oils are sold, not only cooking oils, but also lubricating oils from sheep legs to name an example. Not to be forgotten are the many types of vinegar, including a champagne vinegar.

Pain de Sucre

12 Rue Jean-du-Bellay, 75001. (F5).

In a small side-street near the western tip of Ile de Saint-Louis there is a tiny, enthralling shop of sweets, jams and sugars. There are a few varieties of rhubarb, jam and coffee chocolates. also fresh truffles of the day, without preservations. And all kinds of sugars, including various candied ones.

Petrossian

18 Boulevard Latour-Maubourg. (C4).

Caviar is the specialty of this gourmet shop, near the Esplanade. It always sells Russian beluga, sevruga and oscietre. Its smoked salmon is also considered the best in town.

Verlet

256 Rue Saint-Honoré. (D4).

The most aristocratic coffee and tea shop is north of the Tuileries gardens. It sells coffee from all known coffee-producing countries and also from countries such as Hawaii and Papua. Customers can test all these varieties, freshly ground, on the premises, or ask Pierre Verlet to make a special mixture for them. We can also test some of the innumerable teas on the spot.

Bastille Opéra

120 Rue de Lyon, 75012. Phone: 4001 1789. Hours: 11-18 Monday-Saturday. (G5).

A controversial opera building from 1989, a massive and circular building of glass, seating 2700 spectators, inferior to the traditional Garnier Opéra.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson