Les Chouettes Restaurant and Lounge: Hip Dining in Paris’ Fashionable Marais

Newly opened on Rue de Picardie in Paris’ Haut Marais neighborhood is the visually pleasing Parisian bistro Les Chouettes. With an elegant interior by design firm Lázaro Rosa Violán, the three-story restaurant and cocktail bar feels like a modern rendition of the Parisian art deco lounge.

From the ground-floor restaurant situated beneath a soaring glass ceiling, a winding staircase leads to the second and third stories where you can enjoy a drink at the old-world cocktail bar or lounge, dotted with leather armchairs, iron globes, and an impressive little library collection.

On a chilly December afternoon, I cozied up in a chair by the fireplace to enjoy lunch with a friend who was visiting Paris for the weekend. The daily prix fixe menu was too good to pass up, beginning with a warming butternut squash soup sprinkled with lardons and crowned with a foamy mushroom mousse de lait.

Our plat du jour was a beautiful presentation of roasted chicken with crisp potatoes and seasonal vegetables in a creamy mousseline sauce. Pistachio shortbread topped with fresh rhubarb, agrumes, and a dollop of subtle lemon-flavored ice cream ended our meal on a high note.

The restaurant serves a large selection of wines at 6 euros a glass, as well as coffee from Paris’ established Café Coutume. We’ll be coming back on a winter evening for one of the delicious-looking cocktails we spotted on the menu.

Les Chouettes is open everyday from 8am to 1am, with lunch service from 12pm to 2pm and dinner service from 7:30pm to 10pm.

32 Rue de Picardie, 75003. Tel: +33 (0)1 44 61 73 21

Related links:

• Not far away in Paris’ Haut Marais is Rachel’s Restaurant and Bakery, serving up American-inspired sweets and savory snacks.
• Also in the neighborhood are restaurants and boutiques from the exciting La Jeune Rue initiative.
• Enjoy a cheeky article from Messy Nessy Chic on the trendiest restaurants in Paris.

Written by Emma Stencil for the HiP Paris Blog. All images by Emma Stencil. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, London, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.