Les Marronniers Bar / Restaurant

Marais - 3eme / 4eme, Paris –

Facing an array of shops on bustling rue des Archives, Les Marronniers offers people-watchers a stellar terrace experience in the heart of the über liberal Marais.

Afternoons see the many wicker chairs under the venue’s deep red awning fill with chatty students, buff gay couples, and groups of girlfriends dissecting the day’s gossip over an inexpensive bottle of red.

As waiters navigate the sea of guests – fighting that stereotypical French aptitude for ambivalence as they josh and flirt with the local regulars – patrons watch the comings and goings of the neighborhood and snack on traditional bistro cuisine like duck confit and salmon tartare.

The restaurant’s name means The Chestnuts in English, a name no doubt inspired by the nearby chestnut trees that filter the sun on clear days, or perhaps by the requisite attendance of boisterous groups of boys with perfectly sculpted chests and finely manicured…never mind.

Large crowds perpetually fill the rows of long tables that make up the quaint downstairs bar, but those in the know head straight for the staircase lined with red candles that leads to the second level, where strawberry-red chairs surround little black tables and semicircular windows provide another vantage point on the street below.

With main courses and bottles of wine available for around €20, Les Marronniers serves up casual fare amid a busy but warm atmosphere, making it an excellent spot for a meal among close friends – or brand new ones.