Sugarplum Cake Shop » Coffee Shop. La belle Hortense Paris. Pizzeria Il Brigante Paris 18 17. Www.cafepinson.fr. Le Plastic. L'Orange Mécanique. Le Kitch. Living up to its name, this little bar on rue Oberkampf bubbles with an eclectic hodgepodge of diverse people and random things.
A garden gnome, flying cow and a giant stone Easter egg constitute some of tacky novelties dragged in by customers for a second life. The pièce de la resistance, made by the owner, is the thickly varnished bar covered in a pastiche of cheesy ads from the ’70s. The place is usually crowded with a mix of graphic designers, local artists and backpackers yapping over good music and inexpensive drinks. Zero Zero. This little—emphasis on the little—bar is a schizophrenic mélange of peeling ‘70s wallpaper, painted flowers, graffiti, stickers and toys.
Though that can annoy the heck out of those with an OCD complex, it’s a lively starting point for those interested in the music and arts scene in Paris, drawing an eclectic cult following of young and old artists, musicians, filmmakers, models, drunks and bums—even George Clinton and James Franco, who purportedly ventured over from the four-star hotel across the street. Nicolas and Francis, the charming young owners and bartenders behind the establishment, host local DJs and the likes of Justice and Roots Manuva to spin a hodgepodge of hip-hop to electro, as well as organize monthly concerts and parties inside the snug space.