Secret Paris: Les Epinettes
A kooky quarter of the 17th arrondissement, it’s here, in a lane of gorgeous townhouses, the Cité des Fleurs, that Catherine Deneuve was born.
Every time I tell someone - even a local - where I live, the response is almost always: “Uhm, Les Epinettes? Where?” A kooky quarter of the 17th arrondissement, it’s here, in a lane of gorgeous townhouses, the Cité des Fleurs, that Catherine Deneuve was born. It’s also here that artist Simon Hantaï lived and worked. And while the area’s gentrifying, it’s still a pocket of communities from all over, including artists and models who hide out here during fashion weeks and art fairs.
Lined up along the rue de la Jonquière, Les Epinettes stretches from Guy Moquet metro station close to the bustle of the market shops and stalls of Avenue de Saint Ouen, to the Boulevard Bessières which links to the line 14 at Porte de Saint Ouen. The locals here know they’re onto a good thing with small independent bars, restaurants and shops fuelling a small self-contained pocket of Paris that resembles village life.
Directory —> Check out My map for all the places below:
Cité des Fleurs, street of townhouses built in the 1840s.
Chez Lucette, a restaurant with net curtains and mirrored pillars where Rose has been cooking meals for tens of years. So, who’s Lucette? Her sister.
Champs des Rêves organic grocery store where you can sponsor a meal.
Junglii Indian restaurant with the nicest owner and authentic flavours.
Konvives restaurant serving modern bistrot cuisine done well.
Mésère chocolate by Florian; don’t miss the real thick hot chocolate.
Pimpin café owned by half-French, half-English sisters where the carrot cake is top-notch. Also a good place to get some work done.
Ménélik Ethiopian restaurant is a symbol of the original Les Epinettes, scattered with African cafés and restaurants that are slowly giving way to other businesses.
Hasard Ludique bar on Paris’ abandoned railway inside a former railway station always has something on; and if not, lounging on its terrace is plenty enough.
L’Usage du Monde bookshop with staff that makes great recommendations; there’s an English section and readings by some of the authors who books they stock.
Octopussy bar with always at least five types of craft beer on tap and couch to sink into on cold blustery nights.
Fromagerie Goncourt where they offer very good cheeses from all over France.
Boulangerie Basso, the beating heart of the area where the staff is always kind and the bread always fresh.
Everyone’s always at Irène et Bernard or the next two bars along, all with terraces for summer.
Les Deux Coupoles has to be my favourite bistrot; think 70s interiors, the best staff and home cooked French meals eaten to the owner’s best picks of 80s music clips. What’s not to love?