Le Refuge des Fondus Restaurant

Montmartre - 18eme, Paris –

Located in famously bohemian Montmartre, Le Refuge des Fondus makes no secret of its intent – this jam-packed and kitsch-filled eatery is all about mountains of melted cheese, meat…and more cheese.

A painting of a rather disturbing clown weightlifting two rounds of Gruyère peers through the front window, acting as prelude to the mad chaos that awaits within this tiny venue.

Crammed along tight rows of tables, merry coworkers, boisterous birthday parties, and unapologetic cheese-hogging tourists chat loudly between dripping bites. Space is at such a premium that when a new group is seated, half the party must clamber across the table or tuck in along the graffiti-covered walls to reach the bench on the other side.

The set menu is intended to be shared, with a choice of cheese or meat fondue. Regardless of the selection, the meal takes a rather surreal turn when the perpetually grumpy waiter provides patrons with a baby bottle of wine – a signature custom at Le Refuge that nobody quite understands but everyone seems to love, despite the fact that it’s impossible not to look like an idiot drinking from those tiny bottles.

A restaurant where writing on the walls is encouraged, playing with one’s food isn’t frowned upon, and boozing from the bottle is downright cute, Les Refuges des Fondus is the kind of place that thrives on being perpetually cheesy.