Born English but now Parisian, Vanessa is the creator of Messy Nessy Chic, a blog that takes us on a nostalgic road trip to curious places, past and present, meeting people along the way with stories to tell that you’ve never heard before. She has given us the inside scoop on the places where she likes to hang out in Paris !

http://www.messynessychic.com/

For a night where anything goes … Le Fanfaron

I’ll call this my always, anytime, anyday bar. Buried in the back alleys of Ledru Rollin, candles drip all over Mexican religious folk art and the walls are like a museum of vintage concert posters. The owner & bar tender is always playing his own Jimmy Hendrix vinyls and having steamy arguments with his girlfriends. This guy has stories to tell. Order “le Destroyeur” or try his melon beer.

Le Fanfaron / 6 Rue de la Main d’Or, 75011 Paris

For a cheap date…Dong Huong

A legendary Vietnamese cantine in Belleville, run by the same family for 20 years who all have a thing for dressing like American gangsters from the 1940s. The menu has pictures, the plates are plastic but this is the best Pho in Paris and for some reason, it just feels like home.

Dong Huong / 14 Rue Louis Bonnet, 75011 Paris

For a not-so-cheap date … L’Etage (de Pastavino) A secret Italian weapon hidden up a staircase at the back of a deli.

L’Etage (de Pastavino) 8 Rue de Buci, 75006 Paris

For Sundays down the rabbit hole … La Petite Ceinture (via the Mama Shelter)

Look for the animals peeping over the wall on Rue Florian (the tiny street opposite Philippe Starck’s Mama Shelter Hotel) and you’ll find a big grey gate that’s usually (hopefully) unlocked. Proceed to tiptoe/ skip/ dance down the train tracks of La Petite Ceinture, a surviving relic of a bygone era, closed since 1934. Afterwards, have cocktails on the Mama Shelter terrace overlooking the railroad where you were just trespassing.

For digging through Paris’ past … Marché Dauphine

Rummaging through archives in the Marché Dauphine is kind of addictive. You can lose hours here, flicking through anything from 1930s pornography for framing in your toilet to vintage luggage labels to revive your leathers.

Marché Dauphine / 134 Rue des Rosiers, 93400 Saint-Ouen

For hanging with Hemingway .. L’Ecurie

Near Hemingway’s old apartment in the Latin Quarter, you’ll find a restaurant that looks like it’s been there since the Belle Epoque. You get a three course déjeuner for €11 and the bartender (who kinda looks a bit like old Hem) has no qualms about you having a long boozy lunch.

L’Ecurie / 2 Rue Laplace, 75005 Paris