Cool Paris

Text: Rooksana Hossenally for Vingt Paris

Needless to say that Paris doesn’t quite have a bustling nightlife to rival London or New York, but it does have its fair share of quirky and traditional bars, restaurants and cabarets, as well as a number of alternative arty music events in venues all over the city. Popular with the capital’s ‘in’ crowd, venues like La Bellevilloise and La Maroquinerie in the 20th, Point Ephémère in the 10th, Glaz’Art in the 19th and Mains d’Oeuvres at Porte de Saint-Ouen are experiencing a rise in popularity, and it’s not hard to see why. The events held at these venues often combine art and music in quirky unusual spaces that have quickly become the place to be seen, especially for those of you dying to be part of the Paris Boho scene!

Neighbour to La Bellevilloise, La Maroquinerie is a quaint, charismatic and intimate bar/restaurant that also works as an exhibition space, and a 500 capacity concert hall. The small garden that links the two spaces is lit up with lanterns and furnished with picnic tables in the summer, which makes for a popular haven before going to see a gig either downstairs in the venue or next door at La Bellevilloise. Opened in 1997, La Maroquinerie, which literally translates as ‘leather goods maker’ in English, is renowned for its eclectic range of concerts and music festivals. A top-notch, lively and very laid-back venue, La Maroquinerie is one of our favourites, but do get there early as the restaurant and concert hall work on a first-come, first-served basis.

La Maroquinerie, 23, Rue Boyer, 75020 Paris, tel. 01 40 33 35 05, M° Père Lachaise