A night at the Canal

If you feel like having a romantic dinner near the Canal, you’ll find numerous options. For a true French “Bistrot” feeling, try the Cantine de Quentin (52 rue Bichat). This wine bar and restaurant welcomes you at a fair price. If you want to spend a little more for a more stylish option, try Ploum, (20 rue Alibert). It’s a heaven for lovers of Japanese raw fish served in modern settings with large windows.

On the Valmy side, the restaurant known as Et dans mon cœur il y a (which can be translated as “What I hold in my heart...”), is set at 56 rue de Lancry. Wooden panels, chandeliers and a spiral staircase welcome you in a refined atmosphere. The menu looks like an antique book, and the cuisine is mouth-watering: try the roasted wild duck on a pepper sauce for example. At 67 rue de Lancry, a tiny eating house of eight tables welcomes you for a tasting of organic wines: Le Verre Volé. On rue Yves Toudic, check the Alhambra, a concert hall set at n°10 in a beautiful Art-deco building.

If you like the lively atmosphere and some loud music, you should discover two other nightlife classics of the neighbourhood. For a Caribbean atmosphere, the Favela Chic is as hot as a day at the Rio Carnival, with salsa and caipirinhas (at n°18, rue du Faubourg-du-Temple). If you're more on the indie side, check the Gibus (at the same address under the arches). It's been running hard since 1967.

At the North-East side of the canal, the Abracadabar welcomes parties every night or so. This local bar (at 123, avenue Jean Jaurès), organizes concerts, slam competitions or theatre shows, followed by DJ's.