Ready, Set...

Spring! Winter's behind us, so I'm sharing things to do outside, great places to eat that won't break the bank, and it's time to delve into the world's biggest flea market.

Apr 01, 2025

The clocks have jumped forward, and just like that, we’re leaning toward summer. Bar and café terraces are heaving with locals sipping on glasses of wine and pints of cool beer, and snacking on ham and cheese boards, well into the night. Parisians are planning long weekends away in May and June (there are four!) and before we know it, we’ll be settling into summer, when life here winds down to a healthy halt, whether you’re still in the city or basking in the sun somewhere far flung. But we’re not there yet. We’ve just hit spring, and Paris is awash with cherry blossom, jasmine and magnolia, feeling greener each year as more and more trees are being planted across the city. There’s plenty to see and do before the summer lull; here are a few of my best picks. Happy spring! - Roxy x

4 Things On My Radar This April

Spring’s officially here, as is the much-needed sunshine but here are some extra reasons to get out and about in Paris this month.

Shake your booty at a music marathon in and around Paris. For its 10th birthday, the always-on collective El Hey is celebrating with six events across top venues, including Barboteur (free), Dock B and Cabaret Sauvage, 6B and Station Gare des Mines. The lineup spans minimal, electro, house, and breaks. Check it out. Dates are May 3, June 7 & 8, July 19 - book tickets here.

Stay outside at free parties in the woods every Sunday. La Prairie du Canal in Bobigny, just outside Paris, is reopening this weekend with a lineup of fun day and night parties, including free Sunday sessions (2-9pm). Otherwise, if skateboarding’s your thing, their Skate and Open Air sessions are back on 12th April and they’re promising lots of skating, art, and vibes. There’s so much happening though; take a look and pick and mix what you will. Just don’t forget your sunnies.

Did someone say Easter? There’s so much on in celebration of spring right now, that I almost forgot about Easter. Good thing the folks at La Recyclerie haven’t. A hybrid spot in one of Paris’ abandoned railway stations, it’s one of my favourite places for their parties on the old railway and well-priced brunch (just get there early to avoid the queues). On 19th April, there will be Easter egg hunts and other fun things for big and little ones.

Don’t forget the art. There’s plenty happening indoors too, from an Agnès Varda exhibition at Musée Carnavalet (9th April-24th August) and Richard Avedon’s photography in the American West at the Fondation Henri Cartier Bresson (30th April-12th October), to budding European photography talent at Circulation(s) (5th April-1st June).

On The Menu

Places I’ve loved eating at this month, from a creative Mexican joint close to Gare du Nord, to one of the best veggie spots I’ve ever been to, a bar in a tucked-away corner close to the Canal St Martin that feels like being in the owner’s living room, and more.

Getting saucy at Faubourg Daimant off busy Grands Boulevards. I was so glad when my friend

Sonja Bajic

suggested Chef Alice Tuyet’s digs for our lunch date, as I’d been meaning to come ever since they opened in 2023. Her menu’s all about creative vegetarian cooking with a conscience, in a setting that channels 1900s auberge style (think wooden booth seating and brass candlesticks lined up along off-white square tiled walls). I wanted to order absolutely everything on the menu - thank you, Sonja for reining me in. We got the crunchy croquettes cochonnes with smoked soja paste, mushrooms and thick green ravigote sauce and conchiglioni pasta shells laced with butternut cream and crispy shiitake mushrooms, as well as the effeuillage pourpre beetroot with radicchio leaves and a creamy caper and tahini sauce, which we both fell in love with. In the week there’s a two-course menu for 25 euros, which is a steal. They’ve also just opened a spot close to the Louvre, which I can’t wait to check out next. 20 rue du Faubourg Poissonière, Paris 10

Comer parís.méxico, where chefs actually eat. Last Friday was all grey skies and drizzle, until I stepped into this little pocket of Mexico that added just the right amount of kick to the day. A steaming meat tamal, a pork huarache slathered in salsa verde, and a fudgy brownie later, things were looking up. Unlike the punchy Mexican flavors I know (and love, don’t get me wrong), Carlos Moreno’s cooking is more restrained, more refined. Clearly, I’m not the only one who thinks so - Crislaine Medina (Cheval d’Or) and Erica Paredes (Reyna, one of my favorite spots in town) were perched at the same high table as my friend, jewelry writer Kate, and me. And Moreno himself was present, no absentee owner vibes here. Just a tight-knit crew of industry folks and flavour seekers gathering in this unexpected little spot, steps from Gare du Nord. 96 rue Hauteville, Paris 10

Laid-back vibes at Martha. In a tucked-away corner between the Canal St Martin and Belleville, there’s a small street with lots of fun bars and small restaurants. Here, Bastien Sion turned a small artist’s atelier, into a bar with dark green and exposed stone walls, with a couple of tables and high-stools. Locals come for wine and bites like the Queen, a focaccia affair with Brie cheese, apple chutney and smoked pork, that packs a punch and enjoyed by candlelight in a setting that feels like Bastien’s living room. He’s often here mingling with punters and staff, giving it a more personal edge. 5 rue Sainte Marthe, Paris 10 (not to be confused with the speakeasy bar of the same name off the Champs-Elysées ;))

A French bistro with a retro kick at Magnolia. Another recent find is this gorgeous little place right in the heart of Pigalle, northern Paris. Its orange velvet banquette seating that matches the sign above the door gives a little retro nod to the place that’s actually more contemporary bistro than 70s. It’s light-filled and airy, and on the menu, there are things like beef and cheddar croquettes and hake beignet or fitter, with new potatoes, pickled fennel and tartare sauce that recalls fish and chips, rustled up by the English chef. However, that was before the new chef Noah Howell, previously at Le Collier de la Reine in Paris, arrived yesterday - let’s see what’s he’s got in store. 5 rue Henri Monnier, Paris 9 (lunch menu of three courses for 29 euros)

Micro-itinerary: Les Puces, St Ouen flea market

One of the world’s biggest flea markets, it’s only normal one should get lost here... As promised in my latest post on Instagram, I’ve finally got round to mapping failsafe spots, so you don’t get lost and confused as many times as I did!

Flea Market Map

☝️☝️

Les Puces de Saint-Ouen isn’t just a flea market, it’s a 70,000-square-meter maze that’s like a living museum of vintage glamour finds and antique treasures. Officially opened in 1885, it began as a gathering place for ragpickers and scavengers, pushed to the fringes of Paris. Over time, it became a collector’s paradise, and is now home to 12 distinct markets that make up one of the largest and most storied markets in the world. I like to start at Marché Paul Bert Serpette (entrance is next to Café Jaune) as it’s here quiet with lanes snaking between outdoor stores draped in scenic greenery and antique spots indoors. Marché Vernaison hums with nostalgia, its stalls overflowing with Art Nouveau posters and delicate porcelain, while Marché Dauphine draws vintage hunters with mid-century furniture, vinyl records and rare books, as well as a huge orange (grounded) UFO.

There are more and more places to eat in Les Puces, but my go to is a family-run Moroccan place called Le Coq d’Or, which does a really good, and well-priced, couscous. I also really like Mob Hotel (not Mob House, which is a little drab) for its pizzas and lively atmosphere. Check out independent arts venue Mains d’Oeuvres too, which has free outdoor live music in summer. As the sun begins to dip, grab a drink at one of the market’s tucked-away cafés or at a bar lining rue des Rosiers, the market’s main artery, like La Chope des Puces, which sometimes puts on live jazz.

That’s it for now! A big merci for reading April’s edit of What’s Up, Paris? See you again for the mid-month weekend instalment of Breakfast Scrolls! In the meantime, I’ll be reviving the Instagram, so catch up with me there!