September: Any plans this month?
Here’s to harnessing those buzzy back-to-work vibes and diving right into what's new in Paris this season, from creative chefs opening their own digs to art shows to check out.
‘What’s Up, Paris?’ is a twice-monthly newsletter for Parisians and visitors eager to experience the city through the lens of local creatives. A heartfelt thank you for subscribing!
We’re on the cusp of autumn, or ‘fall’ as our American friends say, and the end of the Paralympics is pulling into sight. Temperatures are still soaring, but summer’s nevertheless over. After weeks of Provincial quiet, the city is abuzz again. Parisians are back in town. Bars are full and trains are jam-packed. It’s la rentrée (that time of year when the French head back to work after summer vacation). Like any respectable local, I too complain about the rentrée, but actually, I’m thrilled about the city whirring back into action. I made the mistake of being back in town too early, you see. Had I been in a Western, you would probably have heard tumbleweed roll by quite regularly last month. Even exhibitions were slim on the ground. In Paris. I kid you not. So, after August’s ghostly lull, I’m looking forward to diving into the fresh new promise this upcoming season holds. I’ve rounded up openings on my radar below, and some of my fellow Paris writers also shared what’s getting their rentrée on the rails. So, without further ado: happy rentrée! Roxy
4 things on my radar this September
With summer behind us, the pace of life is picking up and the city is fizzing with openings. Here are some things on my list - check out the full SEPTEMBER CALENDAR too.
Dip into your independent film festival spirit at Festival Silhouette (30th Aug until 7th Sept). At this 23rd edition of the annual event there are screenings (some open-air) of an eclectic range of films, as well as concerts that take place in the Butte du Chapeau Rouge, Paris 19 🎬
Celebrate life on a French army base at the Fête de l’Humanité (13-15th September), a music festival that’s an ode to diversity and togetherness, created in 1930 by left-wing French weekly newspaper L’Humanité. As well as performers Angelique Kidjo, Jeff Mills and MC Solaar, the iconic social justice activist Angela Davis will be there on the 14th at 1pm for a session of debates ✊
Somewhere between Turkey and South Korea with Esu Lee’s latest pop-up at the sexy, candle-lit Double, which you might have read about in last March’s newsletter when it opened. From 4-7th September, he’ll be joined by Turkish London-based chef Sertaç Dirik. They’ll rustle up a seven-course menu blending their Turkish and Korean cuisines🔥 (€75 per person, 7:00pm or 9:30pm).
Dip into the 70s at Super Huit, a laid-back joint that’s about to shake up Paris 8th. Think retro interiors, a monthly rotating bistronomic menu, and a natural wine list, the restaurant is headed up by co-founder Giulian Maiuri and chef Robert Sloan, formerly of Mieux, Super Huit’s big sister.
WHY IT’S GOOD TO BE BACK - according to locals in the know
It’s officially back to work for Parisians, but what’s on the to-do lists of writers, journalists and content creators who know the city like the back of their hand?
Journalist, author, podcast host and long-time Paris local, Lindsey Tramuta also writes the newsletter The New Paris Dispatch.
📌Le Petit Keller’s permanent takeover: “After his excellent summer taco pop-up, Emmanuel Pẽna (whom we all know and love from his years at El Nopal) is sticking around at Le Petit Keller: he’s taking over the space permanently and opening a Mexican neo-bistro. I can’t wait for more of his cooking!”
📌A landmark slated to rise from the ashes - literally: “Years after the fire and a colossal restoration project, Notre Dame Cathedral will finally reopen with its December 8th mass. I’ve gotten so used to seeing the forecourt blocked off, it’ll be a delight just to get close to it again!”
Writer, fellow Brit, and owner of the term ‘NGE’ (nearest generic establishment) for the anonymous yet atmospheric cafés found everywhere here, Seb Emina also has a wide-ranging newsletter: Read Me.
📌Raw revolution at the Bourse de Commerce: “I'm really excited about the Arte Povera show at Bourse de Commerce, opening in October. If I'm honest I couldn't offer you the exact definition of Arte Povera, beyond it being an Italian movement from the 1960s and 1970s, but I've always loved the work that came out of it. My mind was especially blown by the Tate's Alighiero Boetti show in London a while back.”
📌Literary talks to have on your radar: “Also there are some great literary talks on the horizon, both via the Festival America at the end of September (with people like Hernan Diaz and Naomi Alderman) and at Shakespeare & Company starting with Aysegül Savaş on 17th September.”
Fellow hotel junkie, Brit and writer Nicola Leigh Stewart, she knows which hotels and restaurants in France and beyond are worth their salt.
📌Celebrating the Paris pizza movement: “I absolutely love pizza so after the opening of the excellent Oobatz a few months ago I was excited that another pizza spot, RORI, was opening, and even better in my neighbourhood. I didn't manage to get down there just before it closed for summer so that's top of my list of restaurants to try now everyone's back from holidays. In fact, I have plans to go this weekend!”
📌Getting wet at Piscine Pailleron: “A lot of pools closed in the run up to the Olympics to spruce them up before the Games started and so I spent most of August trying different spots once they'd opened up again. I loved Piscine Georges Hermant because of its Olympic-sized outdoor pool but as I still haven't made it to Pailleron, a historic Art Deco pool in the 19th arrondissement, that's where my first la rentrée swim will be.”
📌 Painting men: “One of my favourite paintings at the Musée d'Orsay is by Gustave Caillebotte so I'll definitely be heading there in October to discover more of the artist's work in the museum's upcoming exhibition.”
A writer and American expat Caitlin Gunther gives us glimpses into personal musings in her essays based in France and beyond for the lifestyle press.
📌 Bringing back the retro: “Le Cornichon and Le Cendrillon, two newish restaurants with a lot of personality in the 11th and Belleville, respectively, that I've been wanting to try. (I included both in this guide for Architectural Digest.) If there's one thing I'm looking forward to about the rentrée (besides free child care): all the best restaurants are back in action.”
📌Art Nouveau in a bottle: “This Art Nouveau cocktail bar in the Marais has been on my radar for a while - I'm making a point to get there this fall. Back in his days at Le Mary Celeste, co-owner Marc mixed my favourite margarita in Paris. I trust his and his team's skills. ”
Journalist and die-hard foodie, Florence Valencourt has been a cherished member of the What’s Up team for the last year.
📌 The arrival of Arnaud Faye at Le Bristol: “The chef, who earned two Michelin stars at La Chèvre d'Or in Èze, has the formidable task of succeeding the legendary Éric Fréchon. But something tells me he'll rise to the occasion with flair and finesse... I can’t wait to book a table!”
📌 Free spirits welcome: “The launch of La Fondation, just a stone's throw from my place This hybrid space, designed "for free spirits" (!), features a hotel, several restaurants, a café, a rooftop, offices, a cultural program, and a fabulous spa. Suffice it to say, I might just move in!”
📌The grand return of Marie-Victorine Manoa: “A chef with a strong personality and immense talent, to the kitchen of a Parisian institution undergoing a renaissance under the Fitz Groupe banner: La Fontaine Gaillon. I'm eager to see what she’ll bring to the table.”
French-Indian food writer and illustrator Jody Danasse adds a different voice to the Paris recs you usually read about.
📌 A new bistro in town: “Cocoricains, a new French-American bistrot near the very busy Rue du Faubourg Montmartre opened this summer and was founded by two childhood friends, both French-American. Farm-breaded fried chicken is their thing, but you can also have some peanut soup, probably the only place in Paris to offer it!”
📌A brick-and-mortar spot for a Mexican food truck: “Quiotè has been a famous foodtruck for years at Mairie de Montreuil, but it happens the owners decided to open a sit-in restaurant! Fresh and authentic Mexican food in the heart of Montreuil, the Parisian Brooklyn.”
Writer, podcaster and fellow travel-addict, Fabienne Fong Yan from beautiful Reunion gives us an offbeat snapshot of where to eat and what to see in Paris.
📌 Where dreams and reality merge: “Surréalisme will be the final major exhibition before the iconic Centre Pompidou closes for renovations, and it's set to be an exceptional one. It will celebrate a century of surrealism, marking 100 years since André Breton published his first Manifeste du Surréalisme, which defined the movement. As a self-proclaimed daydreamer, I can’t wait!”
📌Autumnal Japanese vibes: “I'm a lover of gardens and passionate about Japanese culture. France has had a long-standing love affair with Japanese culture, and we're fortunate to have several Japanese gardens around Paris. The most famous, without a doubt, is the Albert Kahn Museum, where a magnificent Japanese maple tree will soon display its stunning fall colours. I'll also take time to rediscover the hundreds of photographs the late philanthropist commissioned from all over the world at the museum. In a different style but with the same contemplative spirit, another wonderful place to visit at the end of summer or the beginning of fall is Monet's gardens in Giverny.”
What else is happening in Paris this month?
There’s too much going on in the city to cram into this edition, so I’ve listed lots more openings in this calendar 👇
Thank you again for being here! See you again for Breakfast Scrolls, the weekend edit of this newsletter, out 20th September! 🥐 A bientôt!