In waiting

A just-opened hotel with soothing vibes, a mystical club for late nights, eats I've tried, a cult shop’s second outpost, books for your reading list, work from 150 Black artists in Paris and more.

Mar 03, 2025

What’s Up, Paris?’ is a twice-monthly newsletter for Parisians and visitors eager to experience the city through a local lens. A heartfelt thank you for being here!

In waiting. As translatlantic tensions rise at the top, life here continues as normal for now. The César Awards, France’s Oscars, took place, Valentine’s Day came and went, and this month, on 20th March, we’ll officially be in spring mode. The winter’s felt so long that I think my body’s given up on it ever ending, so it’ll be a nice surprise when it actually does. While we wait for spring, for cherry blossoms…. and for what’s next… I’ve put together some hot openings and fun projects to tide us over. Here’s to spring! - Roxy x

4 things on my radar this March

Dance till dawn at a club in the basement of a restaurant hidden behind a boutique, refresh your pad with some homeware inspo, soak up a bit of culture at a new art show, or embrace your inner hermit and get crafty at home.

Put your glad rags on for a night out at sexy hybrid restaurant and fashion space Halo Paris’ new basement club Heclipse, which the guys behind the venue inaugurated with an installation focused on sound by buzzworthy multidisciplinary artist Harry Nuriev of Crosby Studios. I love this spot; the owners are talented and down to earth (read the backstory).

Leaf through new books from a Paris artist and food journalist. Jessie Kanelos Weiner, a watercolour painter whose work I love and who gave me the inside scoop on her Paris in this newsletter, is releasing Thinking in Watercolor on Tuesday, reminding us how powerful getting lost in a creative project can be. Meanwhile, one writer and author I deeply admire for her insightful yet accessible approach, Lindsey Tramuta, has teamed up with online food culture title Eater to bring us a shiny new guide to Paris that’s packed with recs and views you can trust. It comes out on 29th April but you can pre-order it now.

Make the most of the last few days before the Centre Pompidou’s permanent collection galleries close for a five-year renovation on 10th March. In the run-up, the art hub’s putting on a host of farewell events, and they’re all free. However, don’t miss the Centre’s new temporary show entitled Black Paris, opening on 19th March, that brings to light the work of 150 artists from the African continent, the Caribbean and the US and maps their influence in France.

Break that piggy bank for a stint at home interiors, beauty and fashion store Merci 2. Most of you will know the flagship in a slick loft-like space on the fringes of the Marais little with a red Fiat 500 stood in the courtyard - and hefty price tags. But their curation’s so good that it’ll have you shelling out way more than you bargained for, for the most ordinary of things. And now you can do it at their second location in the 1st district of Paris at 19 rue de Richelieu or 8 rue Molière.

On the menu

There are some real stunners here, from pretty and tasty dim sum at great prices, to a locale you’ll want to go back to for ice cream (and everything else), and a sumptuous manor where Paris Society haven’t done a bad job.

Dim sum stacks at Steam Bar. In the heart of St-Germain-des-Prés, Steam Bar is the kind of place you stumble upon and wonder why you haven’t been coming here all along, at least for my friend Kate and I. It’s all about Hong Kong-style dim sum with serious flair. Chef Chi Cheung Wong, who used to helm the dim sum game at five-star hotel Shangri-La’s Shang Palace, is behind the menu - think delicate dumplings, juicy gyoza, fluffy baos, and izakaya-style small plates meant to mix, match, and share (or not). The vibe is cool without trying too hard: warm, backlit fluted wood that glows orange against raw concrete walls, with louvered blinds adding a subtle pagoda feel. This summer, Flora Mikula - recently named Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur - joined, bringing her fine-dining style to the mix, but keeping things easy and approachable. Order the Steam Tower at lunch: five steaming baskets of dim sum goodness, sticky rice cakes, a zesty lemongrass broth. At 31 euros, it’s a steal.

Travelling back in time at Baronne. The latest addition in the Paris Society empire, the group behind glossy revamps of iconic historical restaurants like Maxim’s and Le Laurent. This time, they’ve set their sights on the Hôtel Solomon de Rothschild, a grand mansion house near the Champs-Élysées that my friend and fellow writer Jen wanted to check out. Walking in feels like slipping into a fairytale: a sweeping double staircase leads to a warren of opulent dining rooms, each more decadent than the last, dripping with crystal chandeliers and lined with centuries-old tapestries. Despite the grandeur, the vibe is buzzy and laid-back, and tables packed even on week nights, the hum of conversation filling the space. The food keeps things simple but (surprisingly) spot-on: think sea bream to share, silky mashed potatoes, and French-Mediterranean hits with a twist, like raw beef tacos. After dinner, head to the bar for a nightcap - it’s all wood panelled walls and heavy tapestries, the kind of space that makes “stepping back in time” feel less like a cliché and more like a fact. It’s definitely on the pricey side, but if you’re looking to splurge, it delivers.

Keeping it sultry at Taverna. It’s just like Athens’ cool candle-lit locales packed with laid-back arty crowds come to dig into plates heaped with haloumi, fresh fish and full flavoured veggies, and, as my friend Annick and I agreed, it’s totally worth skipping a steak-frites for if you’re visiting. Husband-and-wife duo Chef Paul-Henri Bayart and Margaux Varnavidou are putting her Cypriot roots in the limelight through dishes like tangy botarga taramasalata, smooth dolmades, and a frozen yoghurt ice cream drizzled in olive oil that’ll have you addicted from the very first spoonful. It’s an intimate spot with only a handful of tables, so book before you go. There’s also a private dining space upstairs that been known to host some wild nights.

Le Petit Marché has a surprisingly small kitchen. When my friend Grace comes to town from London or Berlin, it’s usually for fashion week, and we always have dinner somewhere different. This time, she wanted to go to trendy Chez Janou, but because they never answer the phone - who needs a phone? - Grace booked its little sister, that’s got heaps of classic bistro soul. It’s packed on most nights and by the time Thursday night rolls around, it’s pumping with the staff’s sound track. The chef, who you can see through the pass, is a picture of calm despite the packed space of hungry diners, and brings out French bistro classics with an exotic twist, like duck magret with bananas and a subtle caramel sauce that’s excellent. It’s more French than fusion though. Paintings depicting female subjects hang in the dimly lit space that feels like someone’s living room with red leather banquettes and dark wood tables.

Magdalena’s got some great views of the 1800s Madeleine Church. More of a crossroads between neighbourhoods, it’s rare to head to this area for dinner, but this new spot’s trying to change that. It’s got a bit of an echoey marble dining room on the ground floor and a cosier salon upstairs with big windows looking out on the imposing Greek temple-inspired church, and in summer, there’ll be outside seating facing the church for unbeatable views. The staff’s attentive and makes you feel at home - even with the loud party of four expats I was a part of. The dish to order is the Chateaubriand, which is cooked to perfection, or the sole meunière, which come with light mashed potato purée that’s so good, you’ll be scraping every last bit, wishing you could lick the bowl.

I’m trying to finish a little guide to well-priced places to stay in Paris this month, but in the meantime, here’s a new spot that stands out in town - and that’s no easy feat in a city packed with hotels.

Some places in Paris still feel like well-kept secrets, and this is one of them. It doesn’t have a big bold sign hanging above the door, so blink and you’ll miss the entrance. The Elysée Montmartre Hotel sits right in the thick of Pigalle’s neon-lit frenzy, just a few doors down from the Moulin Rouge and a short climb from Montmartre. But the second you step inside, the chaos fades, replaced by soft lighting, blond eucalyptus wood, and a quiet that feels almost illicit, probably thanks to its owners’ experience at keeping sound out (or in). They also own the legendary concert venues on either side - Le Trianon and L’Élysée Montmartre, where everyone from Bowie to Daft Punk has played.

The hotel opened just 10 days ago, and I got to check it out last weekend while my friend Sinead was in town from Manchester. Inside, it’s all wabi-sabi-inspired elegance: handcrafted furniture with sharp attention to the details, muted tones and a soothing little café (for guests only) that’s perfect for easing into the day after a long night on Pigalle’s cocktail circuit. Rooms are compact and cosy, with a few duplexes offering two-bedroom setups for groups or families.

When I was there, the crowd was a mix of French creatives celebrating a birthday, a young hip mum with her kids, a group of friends on a weekend getaway, and a couple slipping away for a quiet escape. And then there are the perks: a hidden rooftop entrance giving guests VIP access straight into Le Trianon, and a tiny retro cinema stacked with rare LaserDiscs for late-night nostalgia.

Thank you for reading to the end of this month’s What’s Up, Paris? See you again for the mid-month weekend instalment of Breakfast Scrolls 🥐