Bar and poetry club Culture Rapide occupies prime real estate on a busy corner on the sloping Rue de Belleville, the main drag of the eponymous Paris district spanning the 19th, 20th, and slivers of the 10th and 11th arrondissements. Poet and proprietor Pilote le Hot, who opened the bar in 2006 and never struggles to fill the terrace, admits to a surprising pastime. “My great pleasure is to respond to our Google reviews.”
“You don't like the wine? Great. The beer was hot? It's better when it's hot. You don't like it? I don’t care,” he tells The MICHELIN Guide, exuding a fitting attitude for a quartier with a historically anarchist bent.
It’s the birthplace of La Commune—the socialist anarchist group that inspired philosopher Karl Marx, who described it as the first example of a dictatorship of the proletariat. Unlike other Paris districts topping “trendiest neighborhood” lists, Belleville remains in many respects, unchanged.
Working class, nonconformist, diverse, it’s been home to waves of immigrants since the 19th century: Eastern European Jewish immigrants, Armenians, Greeks, Algerians, Tunisians, Moroccans, Sub-Saharan Africans, Vietnamese, Chinese, and more. In fact, Edith de Belleville, co-author of the forthcoming Paris Cafés, a Love Story, calls her birthplace a “millefeuille”—the classic French pastry composed of countless mouthwatering layers.
Needless to say, one of the reasons Belleville has become a dining destination is the breadth of options. As one MICHELIN Guide Inspector says, "Despite gentrification, the neighborhood has stayed grounded. Its culturally diverse mix and range of spending habits have allowed restaurants to offer accessible price points."
A former wine village, not so long ago deemed a “no-go” zone by a certain conservative U.S. news network, Belleville is brimming with options for locals and visitors alike. Here, we’ve shared top picks from our Inspectors for where to go in Belleville—for an unstuffy MICHELIN Guide-approved meal, as well as sticky, sweet Tunisian pastries, and more.
Where to Eat
Ask any Paris chef to name Belleville’s institutions, and two restaurants consistently come up: Le Baratin and Lao Siam. Each captures the essence of the neighborhood in its distinct way. Argentina native Raquel Carena and her husband Phillipe Pinoteau opened Le Baratin on a side street off Rue de Belleville in 1987. Well before it became a hub of bistronomie—haute cuisine served in a laid-back, bistro-like environment—it was home to artisan craftsmen, including shoemakers.
“They called it rue des Chaussures (shoes),” Carena tells The MICHELIN Guide. In three decades, the environs have evolved but Le Baratin’s cooking has remained steadfast: creative bistro dishes like oxtail Parmentier and rabbit stewed with black olives. Their formula has proven successful—and inspirational. “The menu has never changed,” says Carena, glowing over a simmering saucepan of pigeon in Le Baratin’s slim kitchen.
On the rue de Belleville, the area’s main artery, Lao Siam has become the go-to spot for the city’s top industry folks—like Tatiana Levha of Servan and Luis Andrade of Cheval d’Or—who you might spot with their families on Sunday and Monday evenings, nights when many restaurants take their weekly breather.
Alexandre Souksavanh, one of three brothers whose parents opened the Thai Laotian favorite in 1985, was raised in Belleville and spent formative years at Lao Siam. “Sometimes my nanny would bring me to the restaurant in the morning. I’d be with the cooks, tasting things with them. After school, I’d do my homework there,” Souksavanh tells The MICHELIN Guide. It makes sense that he and his siblings went on to take the reins.
He explains why Lao Siam has become a haunt for the restaurant world’s in-crowd; “They need a place that’s not too complicated. Sure, we’ll tweak a dish if we can improve it, but for the most part, the recipes stay the same.” Their next-door restaurant, Ama Siam, opened in 2020, allows them room to experiment. Asked about his favorite local spots, Souksavanh rattles off a dozen, including Loan for phở, God Bless Brocolli for pizza, and Pacifique for dumplings.
On the higher end of the spectrum is Cheval D’Or, which might be the most compelling restaurant in the area right now. Similar to Le Baratin, it’s a restaurant you must experience to understand. “We always tell people, come see for yourselves, and come up with your own ideas and feelings,” says co-owner Crislaine Medina. Together with co-owners Luis Andrade, Hanz Gueco, and Nadim Smair, the team took over a legendary institution that opened in 1987 and was, in its previous iteration, a bistro blending French and Asian influences.
“The point of Cheval d'Or is continuing a legacy. We're very much against just breaking everything down and starting completely from zero. The restaurant that opened in 1987—we consider ourselves an extension of it,” says Medina.
Today, the dishes are delicious, sometimes playful, and always executed with the precision you’d expect in a MICHELIN-Starred establishment. A recent tasting menu included crispy roasted noodles topped with crème fraiche and Petrossian caviar, devastatingly tender lacquered pork, and a delicate crème caramel with a floral note of jasmine. The team is as diverse as the neighborhood, reflecting the neighborhood’s DNA, with roots spanning Cape Verde, Portugal, Palestine, Jordan, the Philippines, and Australia, and collective experiences living across the U.S., Europe, and beyond.
In the heart of Belleville, Le Grand Bain is a stunning little bistro with a sleek-wood horseshoe bar and a mosaic tile floor. Diners check the blackboard for daily small plates like veal tartare, tarama, radishes, and goat-cheese deep-fried tapioca—equal parts food porn and finesse.
Another Inspector offered a couple of choice restaurants from their address book. “Dilia is a refined, creative Italian modern bistro and I personally think their pasta dishes are very good. With a fantastic atmosphere, it’s easily one of my top picks in the neighborhood. I also like Soces, closer to the Buttes-Chaumont park. Soces is a shellfish-focused spot that ticks quite a few boxes—efficient service, great music, and a very cool vibe.”
It would be a rookie move to visit Belleville and not save room for dessert. Pastry options abound, from the glistening, golden, deep-fried zlabia at La Rose de Tunis, a staple for Tunisian patisserie, to the Scandinavian cinnamon rolls at coffee-cum-bookshop Bokbar.
Where to Sip
When Margot Lecarpentier opened Combat, her craft cocktail bar in 2017, she had a vision: to disrupt the male-driven, speakeasy-style cocktail culture. In place of moody leather and red velvet, her bar would feature a stainless-steel counter, live foliage dangling from the ceiling, and the fresh aroma of eucalyptus. A space by women, for everyone, and, above all, safe. Having honed her craft at mixology icons like Experimental Cocktail Club, Lecarpentier wanted her drinks to be top-notch but accessible—no inflated price tags here. Her boldest move was bringing this idea to life in the then-unfashionable hills of Belleville.She explains that she wanted to be near the restaurants that shaped her palate, like Le Baratin and Chateaubriand in the 11th arrondissement. “The first time I tried Iñaki’s food (Le Chateaubriand’s chef-owner),” she says, “it changed everything.” The bar’s name, Combat, reflected her journey: navigating the red tape and hurdles of being a woman opening a cocktail bar in Paris.
Nearby, Kissproof, a divey cocktail bar from Beirut native Micky Abou Merhy, mixes crafty drinks, like a “dirty” michelada, served in a can of Tecate with house-made Clamato and a shot of mezcal. Kissproof stands out for the selection of artisanal absinthes and torch-grilled cheeseburger.
Traces of Belleville’s past as a winemaking village are few—though you can still find vines in Belleville Park. Today, the legacy mostly continues through the numerous caves woven through the hills. While the pioneer of the natural wine movement, Cave de Belleville, no longer serves wine by the glass, you can sip beautiful additive-free wines at La Cale, nestled on the upper reaches of Rue de Belleville. Its nautical-inspired interior—complete with porthole windows—echoes the hull of a boat. In addition to a solid Mediterranean menu, occasional guest chefs keep things exciting; a recent collaboration with Paris's dumpling master, Hanzhou Piao, delivered a standout menu featuring delicate, crispy-edged dumplings and buttery skate wing with capers.
On Rue des Rigoles, a little further east, Dix Visions de la Joie is a carefully curated cave with plenty of indoor and outdoor space for sipping, plus dishes like bulots (whelks) with homemade mayonnaise and chorizo pintxos roasted in wine. On Rue Pradier near the entrance of Buttes-Chaumont, Buttes Snack Bar is a chill cave à manger serving low-intervention wines. Restaurant scenesters closely follow their Instagram to keep tabs on the latest pop-up collaborations with Paris’ culinary cool kids.
No list about Belleville would be complete without mentioning Aux Folies, the Rue de Belleville bar and brasserie with inexpensive drinks and an ever-packed terrace, plumes of smoke hanging under illuminated heat lamps—Thursday soir catnip for 20-something Parisians.
What to Do
One of the most whimsical aspects of Belleville is the views. On an otherwise ordinary corner, home to a busy fast-food chain, clear nights reveal unobstructed views of the glittering Eiffel Tower. Lecarpentier suggests taking the city in from Belvédère, an open-air lookout spot on the top of Belleville Park. Souksavanh recommends grabbing a seat on the terrace of Moncœur Belleville. Or stroll around the high point of Buttes-Chaumont for views of the cream cupola of the Sacre Coeur in the neighborhood of Montmartre.
Of the different Paris tours that Edith de Belleville offers, one focuses exclusively on the footsteps of her namesake singer, who, according to legend, was born under a streetlight on Rue de Belleville (probably not). Edith likes to take visitors to Le Vieux Belleville, a restaurant near Belleville Park that erupts into an Edith Piaf sing-along every Tuesday night. “It’s working class. It’s authentic,” says Edith. For the literarily inclined, Edith recommends Bokbar, where you can enjoy Nordic literature and warm Swedish cinnamon rolls. Or Le Barbouquin, serving craft espresso drinks and gently used books. “It’s a bit hipster, but it's always lively.”
At Culture Rapide, Pilote le Hot has created what he calls a laboratory dedicated to poetry, offering an open stage to poets and aspiring artists. Le Hot hosts poetry slams every Tuesday night religiously. “My grandmother goes to mass on Sunday, my grandfather goes to the mosque on Friday, I go to slam every Tuesday,” says le Hot.
Belleville is also a perfect place to bring your empty tote bag. Here, you can shop for specialty ingredients from across the globe. “Paris is the only city in the world with several Chinatowns—including one in Belleville,” says Edith. Stop by Tang Gourmet, a delicatessen and rotisserie, for prepared dishes like crispy pork and lacquered duck, or Tang Frères, the parent company established in 1976, where you can find otherwise hard-to-source Asian products.
Lecarpentier recommends Ô Divin, an épicerie with a thoughtful selection of natural wines and artisanal products. “It’s nothing fancy, it’s just really good,” says Lecarpentier.
Where to Stay
La Nouvelle République, located on Rue Moret and a five-minute walk to Place de la République, is another well-priced option with retro-inspired, earth-toned interiors, providing a fresh take on Parisian hospitality. Offering much-appreciated amenities like triple-glazed windows, reading lights, and in-room tablets loaded with magazines, it’s a stylish and accessible choice—and great jumping off point for exploring Belleville.
If you wish to sleep in the thick of it, Scarlett hotel sits in a transformed industrial building, once abandoned, now a boutique hotel on Rue Jouye-Rouve. From the reception desk crafted from repurposed wooden crates to the antique-inspired suspended lighting, the interior feels modern and industrial with Haussmannian touches. Guest rooms are compact yet bright, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and modern amenities like flat-screen TVs, stocked minibars, and workspaces.
The luxury hotel wave has not reached the hills of Belleville—and possibly never will, but there are a couple of boutique stays to bookmark. Still, there’s plenty of reason to traverse the city to take in all this pocket of Paris has to offer.
Address book
Hotels
La Nouvelle République - 9 rue Moret, 75011
Hotel Scarlett - 1 rue Jouye Rouve, 75020
Restaurants
Le Baratin - 3 Rue Jouye-Rouve, 75020
Lao Siam - 49 rue de Belleville, 75019
Cheval d'Or - 21 rue Villette, 75019
Le Grand Bain - 14 rue Denoyez, 75020
Soces - 32 rue de la Villette, 75019
Dilia - 1 rue Eupatoria, 75020
Cafés
Bokbar - 72 rue Julien Lacroix, 75020
Mardi - 29 rue de la Villette, 75019
Bars
Combat - 63 rue de Belleville, 75019
Kissproof - 50 rue de Belleville, 75020
Culture Rapide - 103 rue Julien Lacroix, 75020
La Cale - 113 rue de Belleville, 75019
Dix Visions de la Joie - 80 rue des Rigoles, 75020
Buttes Snack Bar - 10 rue Pradier, 75019
Aux Folies - 8 rue de Belleville, 75020
Other
Belleville Park - 47 rue des Couronnes, 75020
Univ-Fresh supermarket - 9 rue de Belleville, 75019
Ô Divin - 128 rue de Belleville, 75020
Cave de Belleville - 51 rue de Belleville, 75019
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Hero Image: Phillipe Pinoteau, Le Baratin. (© Joann Pai)
