Camion Bazar: A Local's Guide to Paris
Paris, the world's most visited city, offers a multitude of tourist attractions, great avenues, museums, theaters, concert venues, restaurants, cafes, and bars.
Among all the options available to you, the best is to walk through an arrondissement (borough), talk to people on the street, or listen to music, such as our new single Horizon (available on all music streaming platforms), while you wait for our upcoming EP Alteration to be released in February 2023.
Taking a walk along the Seine river will provide you with a glimpse of Paris' magnificent beauty and history. Get a glimpse of the local lifestyle found in all of the Parisian arrondissements, with great boulangeries (bakeries), cafes, bars, bistros, movie theaters, and parks. We've put together a list of places that we think you should check out. These premises are run by some very special and committed people.
Restaurants & Cafés
Mobhouse - (70 Rue des Rosiers, 93400 Saint-Ouen)
A jewel in the midst of Saint-Ouen's flea market is Philippe Starck's Mob Hotel. It's more than just a hotel; it's a concept full of surprises. This hotel offers hybrid rooms, a gym, and a swimming pool, as well as a variety of events throughout the year. This is a luxurious, self-deprecating hotel. In the hotel's restaurant, everything is gold and shiny, like Gucci meeting Céline Dion at a Las Vegas show, but with French traditional cuisine. If you want to learn more about the Mob spirit, ask for Tiifo, who is the best representative.
La Casbah - (18-20 Rue De La Forge Royale, 75011 Paris)
Or as they like to call themselves: “Bistrosouk”. Besides a restaurant, it also has a cocktail bar and a live club. It's amazing food, from Thursday through Saturday. They throw their well-known Couscous party every Wednesday. There is a hidden club with crazy events going on, with drag shows, DJs and models, and all the crème de la crème of Paris.
Sélune - (37 bis rue de Montreuil, Paris)
A restaurant that serves haute cuisine with a seasonal menu. We like to think of it as a soft mix of western French cuisine with ingredients from all over the world. Bérangère Fagart, chef and co-president of the Ecotable community, which promotes sustainable food is always there to greet you with a smile.
La Bicyclette - (5 rue de Chaumont 75019 Paris)
In the 19th arrondissement, it's a cozy local bistrot serving tasty seasonal cuisine and fine wines by chef Slavica M. There is a great atmosphere thanks to Bertrand, the owner, who is welcoming and humorous.
Louie Louie - (78 rue de Charonne)
Pizza means happiness, so we had to mention a pizzeria. It’s very easy to find one, they are on every corner, but it’s not so easy to find a really good one. Louie Louie has the best mouthwatering pizza, with delicious ingredients and an amazing pizza base. They have a great selection of natural wines and cocktails. Perfection.
Bars
Bar Gallia - (35 rue Méhul, Pantin)
It’s where the famous Gallia beer is made! The bar is in the brewery, with its giant steel vats space. It’s beautiful, local, and people are nice and relaxed. You can drink the Champ Libre or the Follamour, or any other beer from their large selection and eat while listening to a concert and then dance to a great DJ set. The best time of the year, is Oktoberfest, with Munich style beer tables, DJ sets, games, shows and happenings. A must do.
Moonshiner - (no address, as it’s a hidden place)
Did we mention that we are amateur cocktail lovers? And it’s all thanks to bars like the Moonshiner. Behind the cold room door of a snack, you can find this beautiful speakeasy with its mind-blowing cocktails. Talented bartenders are mixing refined ingredients and alcohols in a muted ambiance.
Le Zorba - (137 rue du Faubourg du Temple, Paris)
Is it a corner bar? Is it a local café? Is it a concert venue or a morning-party-lovers hot spot?
It is all of that and even more. It’s one of those Parisian myths. It’s always open, always packed with regulars, the nearby shopkeepers, the local residents and a large panel of party-animals. Le Zorba hosts concerts in the evening and also secret DJ sets starting at 5am in the weekend, in its dark basement. Coffee, beers and spirits are all mixed together at the counter, for a joyful and colorful mess.
Record Stores & Shops
Yoyaku Chapelle XIV - (14 boulevard de la chapelle, Paris)
Our favorite record shop in town! They have the best records selection for clubs and after- parties. Dub techno, dark minimal, micro house and electro weapons, are sold in this refine place with a 5 star audio system. The staff is very welcoming and the shop is inside the Chapelle XIV gallery. They also host release parties and digger collections. Yoyaku is also a label and they organise events all around the world. If you want to go out at night, you should ask for suggestions there. ☺
Dizonord - (9, rue André Messager, Paris, France)
A charming and relaxed record store, with an outstanding selection of rare vinyl and audio oddities. The atmosphere is great thanks to Xavier & Vincent, the owners.
Ultraviolet - (5 rue Saint Maur 75011 Paris)
Visiting a city often goes along with shopping. We recommend you buy 2nd-hand clothes for obvious reasons. And there is a perfect place for that: Ultraviolet. It provides with a great selection of top-of-the-range clothes and brands (you have to be quick, they sell their items really fast) and the owner, Lorraine, is the funniest girl in the city, with her contagious laugh and energy.
Mémé Dans Les Orties - (12, Rue Ramey 75018 Paris)
A very romantic place, close to Montmartre and in a nice street of Paris, rue Ramey, with a lot of restaurants, cafés, bars and bakeries. The place is beautiful and smells so good and the owners are always up for a chat, which is a big plus.
Le Bouclard - (56bis rue Olivier Métra 75020 Paris)
If you are up for a haircut, you have to meet Yessica. She opened her salon one year ago, where she does her magic, sells the best hair products (the Davines brand) and hosts gallery exhibitions.
Nightclubs
La Station - (29, Avenue de la Porte d’Aubervilliers, 75018 Paris)
La Station, from the MU collective, is an artistic place (on a former coal station) where you can find innovative post-punk experimental concerts, all kind of artistic initiatives, exhibitions, workshops, radio, visual art shows and of course nightclubbing. They also have gardening spaces and their Air de repos, a welcome center for refugees, with psychological help, therapeutic activities and artistic workshops. During the summer you can enjoy concerts and outdoor DJ sets. During the winter, concerts and DJ sets are indoors, and both are great experiences. The sound-systems are the best quality and line-ups are very interesting: most of them are techno artists and there a special atmosphere of an underground freedom.
Rex Club - (5 bd Poissonière 75002 Paris)
It’s an institution, the origin, the oldest, biggest and most famous techno and house club in Paris. But Rex is always up to date, renewing its sound-system, its dance floor, DJ booth and line-up. It hosts new local crew parties, invites emergent DJS from all over the world alongside techno and house headliners. DJing there is a great experience, the booth is so comfortable and you have a great view of the crowd. We love to play there, 3 or 4 times a year with our Darkmoon residency. You should come for the next one!
Badaboum - (2 rue des taillandiers 75010 Paris)
From the owners of la Casbah, Badaboum is a young club that managed to established itself as a key player in the Parisian nightclubs. With its many spaces, secret rooms and very mixed crowd, it has a huge dance floor, where the audience stands very close to the DJ. Perfect sound-system and lighting installations.
Cabaret Sauvage - (Parc de la Villette, 59 Bd Macdonald 75019 Paris)
It’s a magical place, under a circus tent, with burgundy velvet and wood. It also has an outdoor space during the summer. They did renovations a few years ago, the tent and the sound system were improved, which makes this place 100% amazing. It hosts concerts, shows and events late at night, with the best crews in town. There’s a special atmosphere and chill vibes thanks to the Sauvage’s man, the lovely Steven. You have to go there, also because it’s in the middle of Parc de la Villette, a modern park with a sound route and gigantic installations, crossed by the canal river.
Be sure to catch Camion Bazar on tour in 2023. They will premiere their live Alteration A/V set on February 9th at La Machine du Moulin Rouge.
Watch the video directed by Marc Armand for their single Horizon here.
