Rosa Bonheur des Buttes Chaumont

The pretty 19th-century pavilion, made of wood, brick and faux columns, tucked at the heart of the Buttes-Chaumont, was transformed, thanks to its owners Mimi and Zouzou, into a fabulous bucolic guinguette (open air dance hall and tavern). Settle comfortably at one of the solid wooden tables on the terrace in the shade of the great chestnut tree and watch the life of the park stream by: joggers, children playing on the grass, pensioners doing Tai-Chi… And, if you’re in a less contemplative mood, a foosball table awaits you, all set for some heated matches!

A taste of the south

The idle mood can be accompanied, throughout the day, by plates of southern-style tapas (tapenade, Cévennes goat cheese, hams…) plus rosé wine from the Var (to be drunk in moderation, of course). These have to be collected from the vast bar inside, which is decorated with a giant sculpted stem.

As night falls, tables are pushed back and inside transforms into a dance floor. A crowd-pleasing mix gets both forty-somethings and students packing the dance floor. It’s hard to get hipper than Rosa Bonheur. The space also offers a perfect place to while away your Sundays, with (free) classes of Krav-Maga and singing workshops followed by a very gay-friendly aperitif hour. A victim of its own success, the guinguette now has to close its doors at midnight. So arrive early if you want to make the most of it.

The guinguette recently launched an offshoot: Rosa Bonheur sur Seine, a barge docked below the Invalides.