The iconic place to be in Marais since ever!

Opened in 2011 by the people at Magnum Photo Agency (their Paris bureau is a few streets away), Le Bal is an institutional exhibition space dedicated to the documentary image. For the most part that means lots of photography exhibits but they like to mix up the shows with videos and especially books. They hold conferences with a great line-up of guest speakers and screen documentaries and other films at the nearby Cinéma de Cinéastes. Be sure to check out the bookshop where you can browse through their connoisseur’s collection of high-end photo books and limited edition zines. Le Bal Café is a great place to meet friends for a quick drink or sit down and taste Anna and Alice’s Anglo-French cuisine. And if you’re wondering why it’s called Le Bal, the space was once a dance hall cum brothel in the roaring ‘20s.

The cocktails there are very good and refined. The food is great too. This place is very successful so it’s not always easy to get a place especially during fashion weeks.

Yorgaki is my brainchild. I felt there was a need for a place to share my culinary passions with others, and help people discover the uniqueness of Greek coffee traditions. And of course the adventure serves as a design experiment, with napkins designed like the paper tablecloth maps of the Cyclades, with a humorous take on Paris’ neighborhoods. Freshly opened in the 9th Arrondissement, Yorgaki is the first « Kafeneion », or Greek Café, in Paris. Serving Greek coffee cooked on hot sand, Frappés, Fredo Expressos and more traditional hot and cold Hellenic drinks, it also has a selection of fresh food prepared on spot. Tzatziki, Melitzanosalata, Tarama, Greek Choriatiki salad, marinated anchovies and kalamata olives can be shared around a Fix or a Mythos, the classic Greek beers. For dessert, Loukoums and Kourabies sourced in Greece, a locally-produced Portokalopita, and the legendary Caprice biscuit are here as reminders of the taste of Greece.

Great gay place to party. Full of cheesy and pop music