Drôle d'Endroit Pour Une Rencontre (DEPUR) Bar / Café / Restaurant

Les Halles / Rivoli - 1er / 2eme, Paris –

Whether or not Drôle d'Endroit Pour Une Rencontre really is – as its name suggests – “a strange place to meet” is a matter of opinion, but few people would argue that it isn’t a quirky French spin on the New York diner.

The place definitely looks like a diner with its stark white-tile walls dotted with Big Apple photos, vintage ads, and nostalgic bric-a-brac like old Betty Boop figurines, model planes, and a bizarre red alligator statue.

But that’s about where the similarities end.

Couples cuddled on the couch in back and trendy young professionals crowded around the simple tables are more likely to be eating beef tartare or caramelized ribs than traditional diner fare, and even the homesick Americans enticed by classic cheeseburgers will find buns made of brioche.

College students drop in during the day to browse the eclectic magazines on the bookshelf or take over a wooden desk with their laptops, as suited businessmen and lively twenty-somethings gather on the terrace to people-watch, smoke, and down some fruity cocktails.

Larger groups of friends gather later before setting out for a night on the town, and many return for the late-night Happy Hour or on the weekends for brunch, bleary-eyed and in dire need of a Bloody Mary.

New Yorkers might find Drôle d'Endroit Pour Une Rencontre a little strange, but its off-kilter style and cozy vibe manage to bring a lot of people together.