A Parisian weekend for the books
Not, not another Paris guide.
If you’ve perused through my notes recently, there’s an obvious influx of Parisian content. I arrived here about a week and a half ago, and it’s exceeding all expectations. In fact, as I write this, I’m sitting in Certified Café with my croissant and decaf cappuccino, and the most gorgeous man sitting right across from me.
I was so busy leading up to this trip that I landed with little to no plan—which has made this experience, especially my first weekend, all the better. I’m here for about five weeks, so I thought I’d wing it. The only thing I know I can’t leave without seeing is the Lindbergh exhibit at Galerie Dior.
I am, however, being intentional about seeing certain sights each week. For instance, this past week I went to the Perrotin Gallery, today I’m going to the Musée YSL and next week I’m hitting up Fondation Louis Vuitton to see the Hockney exhibit.
Now, I’m not sure if Substack needs another Paris guide, but my first weekend here was one for the books. It was totally kismet, and I had the time of my life. Every moment—every place we went—captured Paris in its highest form: red velvet, dimmed candlelight, the effortless ambiance of romance that makes your legs tingle, and, most importantly, superior playlists that had us Shazaming nearly every song.
Friday Night
La Collier de la Reine — 39 R. des Petites Écuries
Parisians eat late, and with my girlfriend and I working nonstop for clients in the EST time zone, it worked out perfectly. We had a 9:30 p.m. reservation at La Collier de la Reine, a French oyster bar and resto. Pictures can show you what this charming hole-in-the-wall looks like, but the way I felt when I walked in was the best welcome to Paris I could have ever asked for. We were seated in the front right corner of the restaurant—an intimate little spot near the window—with a perfect view of the people dining outside.
The atmosphere: wooden walls, real burning candlelight, the aromas of quintessential French cuisine, and the buzz of conversation among patrons. We were so hungry that we couldn’t fully appreciate the ambiance until our food arrived. We kept it simple—steak frites and a fresh salad—with a Negroni and a decaf espresso martini for yours truly.
It’s worth mentioning that this charming little spot is located on Rue des Petites Écuries, which has a lineup of cozy dining spots worth checking out. My girlfriend said you really couldn’t go wrong with any of them.
Hotel Grand Amour — 18 rue de la Fidélité
Shortly after our dinner, we connected with the table next to us—a group of late-twenty-something Italian guys who, if I may say so myself, complimented me on my Italian-speaking skills. (I’m still riding the wave of glory on that one.) They invited us to join them for a drink at Hôtel Grand Amour.
The hotel itself is charming, dimly lit, with red walls and loads of character, perfect for after-dinner drinks. There’s a little bar tucked at the back of the hotel where our new friends took us. It had a chill, eclectic vibe and is definitely somewhere I’d go back to. But we were in the mood for something a bit more upbeat and underground.
La Colonia
Our next stop was Le Colonia. Adding to its mystique, this place doesn’t have an address listed on Google. Even more intriguing—you need a password to get in. My girlfriend happened to know someone who worked there, giving us access to the code on any given night. No photos were taken, which, of course, is the ultimate sign of a good night.
Upon arrival, we had to dial a numeric code into a keypad to enter what I’d call the reception area. From top to bottom, the walls were covered in something that resembled cobalt blue Vietri ceramic tiles. On the right side, there was an unassuming door that led into the club itself.
The space felt almost cave-like. The music, the vibe, the crowd—it was everything we were looking for that night. The bar was packed, but we eventually secured another Negroni and a Montenegro for yours truly—keeping our drinks covered the whole time, because people are dropping all kinds of things in drinks these days.
We spent a good while standing at the bar and eventually bumped into a group of people from Montreal, along with a few more Italians. We all became fast friends and danced the night away until 4am.
Saturday
A Day in Le Marais
After waking up around noon, we vowed to seize the day and head to Le Marais for brunch and a few errands. We originally had our sights set on Café Charlot—but so did the rest of Paris—so we walked a little farther and landed at Café de la Poste for coffees and avocado toast.
After brunch, we explored vintage shops and pop-ups in the area. The vintage shopping scene in Paris is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I’m not a big vintage shopper or thrifter, but the way these pieces have been cleaned and cared for is definitely something to phone home about.
My girlfriend was also set on taking me to Rue de Temple to peruse the shops, and it did not disappoint. We found ourselves in Perfumer H, selecting a fragrance for her love back home.
By that point, it was around 5 p.m., and we needed to head home to make our 7:30 p.m. reservation at Sugaar—we weren’t about to get charged €100 for a no-show.
Sugaar — 5 Rue Gozlin
We were an hour late for our reservation, which was entirely my fault. Thankfully, they were kind enough to hold the table for us, with minimal attitude. That said, I wouldn’t recommend playing with fire like this when it comes to the French. Our night could have looked very different had they not been so accommodating.
There are two floors at Sugaar: a moody first floor with red velvet, white tablecloths, and candlelight, and a romantic, dimly lit upstairs area where we were seated. Once again, we were given what I call the million-dollar table—tucked into the far-left corner, offering just the right amount of intimacy and a perfect vantage point for people-watching as we dined.
The. Food. Was. Magnificent. Truly, there are no words. Our meal began with whipped taramasalata and a basket of fresh baguette, which we devoured in under 60 seconds. (Yes, we ordered a second round.) For dinner—taking a cue from the table next to us—we went with steak again, this time with potatoes and salad. The cut was different, and it melted in our mouths.
The vibes inside Sugaar were immaculate, and as the night went on, the place filled up even more. We didn’t want to leave. So we ordered not one, but two rounds of crème brûlée cheesecake, which I inhaled.
Before fully succumbing to our food-induced comas, we headed to our next spot to meet up with our new friends from the night before.
Thoumieux — 79 Rue Saint-Dominique
This Parisian Brasserie is an elegant piano bar, complete with crisp white table cloths and Art Deco touches that still allows for the perfect balance of rowdiness and dancing for a night to remember. Picture this: patrons finishing dinner only for everyone to get up and dance and sing to sarà perché ti amo, dancing wherever there was space.
The irony for us was that our friends from La Collier de la Reine were at one table and our friends from Le Colonia were seated at another. All of our meet-cutes ended in the same place this Saturday night. I was dancing with strangers and requesting The Gypsy Kings. Life was good.
We definitely didn’t want this night to end —and it didn’t.
Le Piaf Paris — 38 Rue Jean Mermoz
As we made our way to leave Thoumieux, there was some debate if we should call it a night. But we were easily talked out of that and made our way to Le Piaf at around 1:30am. We didn’t entirely know what we were getting ourselves into but as we headed down the stairs and heard the build up of I Feel Love by Donna Summer, we knew we were in the right place.
We. Danced. All. Night. Long. They played everything from Depeche Mode to David Bowie to Dennis Ferrer. People were dressed to the nines and dancing their asses off. I couldn’t help but whisper to myself every 5 minutes (“I love Paris”). It was the best night with the best crew. And we rolled on in at 5am…again.
Sunday
Back in Le Marais
After two late nights in a row, we opted for a slower Sunday back in Le Marais. After a weekend of wreaking havoc, there are two spots worth highlighting. First, we popped into OFR Bookstore — I think I could have spent 5 hours in that place. It was Coffee Table Book Heaven with a unique selection of what felt like were hard-to-come-by reads (given their price points), along with stationary and store merch. We ended the day right next door with an early dinner at Café Janine. Seated outdoors facing the streets, we enjoyed paté, escargots, and a burger and frites to share. I loved this place so much, I returned this week for coffee and snacks.
The best thing about Paris, is you don’t need a lot of time here to make it count. While I have just over a month to explore the city, I’m hoping this guide can make even 48 hours here some of the best in your life.