The 11th Arrondissement of Paris is home to two quite different but equally blossoming centers of Parisien nightlife.

The streets just northwest of Place de Bastille are full of little bars which attract a mix of young suburban parisiens, ex-pats, and foreigners. Many have a Latin-American theme.

Meanwhile the restaurants, bars, and wine-bars around Rue Oberkampf in the north of the 11th and rue de Charonne near Avenue Ledru Rollin attract a more urban crowd and are perhaps closer to something traditionally Parisien, while capturing a bit of the grungy feel of drinking spots in up-and-coming inner city neighborhoods everywhere.

Get in

By Métro

Map of the 11th Arrondissement

See

• Cirque d'Hiver

Do

Buy

• Distribution, 108 avenue Ledru-Rollin, Métro: Ledru-Rollin. +33 1 48 04 30 38. It may be a strange name for a store which sells toys and baby-clothes, but it's a good place to go if you happen to be in town with someone very small and find yourself needing a new pair of jammies, without paying the cost of a night at the hotel. There are a range of new, used and consignment clothes, and if you like they will manufacture tee-shirts, onesies, very small lab-coats, or other such items with a message or design of your choice.

Eat

Oberkampf

• Clown Bar, 114 rue Amelot, Métro: Filles du Calvaire or Oberkampf. +33 1 43 55 87 35. Open from noon to 3:00pm and 7:00pm to 2:00am. The food served in this absolutely beautiful room is classic French. The decor is classic Circus, which makes sense since it's just two doors north of the building which has traditionally housed circuses passing through during the winter. The formule for lunch costs 13.50 Euro, while the dinner menu is 18.50. Ordering à la carte will cost you around 22 Euro.
• L'Estaminet, 116 rue Oberkampf, Métro: Parmentier or Ménilmontant. +33 1 43 57 34 29. French food with a high degree of originality and creativity. The service is warm and friendly, and so is the decor. Expect to pay around 12 to 20 Euro not counting wine.
• Norbulinga, 118 rue Amelot, Métro: Filles du Calvaire or Oberkampf. +33 1 47 00 90 18. mobile: +33 6 97 87 54. Open from noon to 2:30pm and 7:00pm to 11:00pm daily except Sundays. Tibetan restaurants aren't widely known to be vegetarian friendly, but this beautifully appointed one certainly is with a list of around 12 vegetarian dishes. Of course there's plenty for meat lovers as well. Some dishes might remind you of spicier western Chinese cooking, others seem a bit more south-Asian. Most dishes are around 7Euro, but some are as little as 5.
• Le Trou Normand, 9 rue Jean Pierre Timbaud, Métro: Oberkampf. +33 1 48 05 80 23. Open until 1:00am.
• Aux Comptoirs des Indes, 50 rue de la Fontaine Au Roi, Métro: Parmentier. +33 1 48 05 45 76. Indian. Menus 15 Euro.
• Le Troisième Bureau, 74 rue de la folie Mericourt, Métro: Parmentier. +33 1 43 55 87 65. French. 12 to 20 Euro.
• Le Kitch, 10 rue Oberkampf, Métro: Oberkampf. +33 1 40 21 94 14. Daily until 2:00am. A tiny french restaurant with a kitch atmosphere, at least visually. The music on the other hand is fresh, mostly trip-hop and zen as of this writing. The food is good too. 12 to 20 Euro.
• Café Cannibale, 93 rue jean-pierre timbaud, Métro: Parmentier. +33 1 49 29 95 59. The word "Fashionable" doesn't even start to explain the place.
• Avé Maria, 1 rue Jacquard, Métro: Oberkampf. +33 1 47 00 61 73. Brasilian favela chic. The friendly folks who run this place have been hosting Brasilian dance nights at various venues around town. But don't just come in to check out the posters; stay a while for the fantastic vegetarian friendly South-American and international cuisine at reasonable prices. 12 to 20 Euro.

Bastille

• Coffee India, 33-35, rue de Lappe, Métro: Bastille. + 33 1 48 06 18 57. [1] The lovely, trendy, interior, good prices, and excellent service make this a good stop, although if you like your Indian food spicy you should look elsewhere. There are DJs most evenings. The Vegetarian Thali is 12 Euro, and there's a 10 Euro brunch special.
• Indiana Tex-Mex. The Place de Bastille location of this popular chain of Tex-Mex is worth mentioning at least because of its ability to draw a crowd. Of note also is the truth in advertising: this is Tex-Mex food prepared exactly as you would expect to find in say Bloomington, Indiana.
• Blue Elephant, 43 rue de la Roquette, Métro: Bastille. +33 1 47 00 42 00. A much beloved Thai restaurant just off of Place de Bastille, this place is tiny, so book ahead. You'll pay at least 30 Euro, but it's worth it.
• Suds, 2 bis rue des Taillandiers, Métro: Bastille ou Ledru Rollin. +33 1 48 06 12 13. French.
• Le Café des Anges, 66 rue de la Roquette, Métro: Bastille. +33 1 47 00 63. A good place for salads.
• Le bar à Soupes, 33 rue de Charonne, Métro: Bastille. +33 1 43 57 53 79. A large selection of different soups (including some vegetarian options), a few new ones each day, served with your choice of an equally wide selection of breads and cheeses.
• Le Cyrano, 55 rue de la Roquette, Métro: Bastille. Offers a Menu for 15€ composed of starter + main dish + dessert.
• In rue de la Roquette just near the Place de Bastille (Métro: Bastille) there are some small asian shops, selling food per weight. This shops give you cheap and authentic asian food. Take a small amount if you are not sure about the taste. White rice is available allthough they do not display it, just ask for "Riz blanc".

Drink

Oberkampf

• Grenier, 152 rue Oberkampf, Métro: Menilmontant. An excellent but tiny dive bar with live bands upstairs in the hall some nights, but usually downstairs in the front window. This is a great place to hear Django Reinhartd-style jazz guitar playing (Jazz Manouche). A basic beer will set you back all of €2.
• Vins au Zinc. Parisien bar-tops are almost consistently made of Zinc, as is the one found at this lovely wine-bar, so you can spill your wine on it and it won't hurt anything.
• Chez Justine, 96, rue Oberkampf, Métro: Parmentier. +33 1 43 57 44 03. Close to the center of the Oberkampf nightlife zone, "Justine's place" functions as a restaurant with trendy versions french offerings (which get mixed reviews) during the early evening, but it's 10pm to 2am which really makes the place. Most of the room is filled with big wooden plank tables which are just the thing for for a lively conversation with friends, while the bar is comfy too, and attracts quite a crowd by the late evening. The decor is classic, understated, and classy. Draft beer at the bar is €3.
• Nouveau Casino and Café Charbon [2], 109 rue Oberkampf, Métro: Parmentier. +33 1 43 57 57 40. Right across the street from Justine's the New Casino keeps rocking until dawn both in the bar downstairs and the medium-size dancehall upstairs, making the favorite among young parisiens, especially after the other places in the neighborhood have closed. The dance/concert hall features cutting-edge indi rock groups and cutting-edge electronica. The prices do reflect the hipness however: 5€ for a glass of beer.
• Ba-ta-clan, Boulevard Voltaire, Métro: Oberkampf. +33 1 49 23 96 33. Not long ago this place occupied the pinnacle of hipness which at which the Nouveau Casino now finds itself. It's been through a management change though, and doesn't have quite the booking power it once did. Still, you should stop by, especially in the afternoon as the café downstairs is outstanding, perhaps even better than in the old days.
• Café Mercerie, 98 rue Oberkampf, Métro: Parmentier.
• Mecano Bar, 99 rue Oberkampf, Métro: Parmentier.
• Le Cithéa, 114 rue Oberkampf, Métro: Parmentier.
• Le Scherkhan, 144 rue Oberkampf, Métro: Ménilmontant.

Bastille

• Entre Potes

Sleep

Budget

• Hôtel Voltaire République, 10, boulevard Voltaire, Métro: République. +33 1 47 00 21 47. [3]
• Hôtel Mondia, 22 rue du Grand-Prieuré, Métro: Oberkampf or Répubique. +33 1 47 00 93 44. [4]
• Les Chansonniers, 113, boulevard de Ménilmontant, Métro: Ménilmontant. +33 1 42 57 00 58.
• Hôtel Le Quartier République, Le Marais 39, rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud Métro: Parmentier ou République +33 1 48 06 64 97 [5]. Pennywise Paris accommodations near Eurostar, Marais, Bastille - convivial ambiance, special hotel rates for online bookings, Fitness Centre, free WiFi. It's a funky and affordable place to stay in Paris!

Mid-Range

• Classics Hôtel, 131, rue de Charonne, Métro: Charonne. +33 1 44 64 34 34.
• Grand Hôtel Nouvel Opera, 152, avenue Ledru-Rollin, Métro: Voltaire. +33 1 43 79 98 76. [6]
• Hôtel Beaumarchais, 3, rue Oberkampf, Métro: Filles-du-Calvaire. +33 1 43 38 32 86. [7]
• Hôtel de Nemours, 8, rue de Nemours, Métro: Parmentier. +33 1 47 00 21 08.
• Modern Hôtel, 121, rue du Chemin-Vert, Métro: Rue-Saint-Maur. +33 1 47 00 08 31.
• Hôtel du Nord et de l'Est, 49, rue de Malte, Métro: République or Oberkampf. +33 1 47 00 71 70. [8] Found among a cluster of two-star hotels off of Place de la République, the North and East has been in the process lately of doing some renovation, bringing some but not all of the rooms up to high three-star standards. Regardless of which type of room you book the place is quiet and cheerful and has WI-FI. It's a good value, and to top it off they often have vacancies when all of the hotels in more popular quarters are booked. 70/90€ singles/doubles.

Contact

• Malta 38, 38 rue Malta. Internet café with good rates.