Paris Rive Droite: at the foot of the Butte Montmartre, rebirth of the Au Rêve bistro

Like a story, a new chapter told over coffee, a glass of red wine, or a beer at the bar, Paris and its love for bistros is a never-ending tale.
At the bistro "Au Rêve," at the foot of Montmartre hill, their symbiotic relationship is recounted, again and again.

Paris, its charm, its vibrant neighborhoods, its alleyways, its tree-lined avenues, crammed with as many anecdotes as people, intimate memories, secret gardens, Paris and its bistros and cafés brimming with short stories, endless stories; the city of light, the capital of lovers that fiercely preserves its mysteries; the city of pleasures, festive, fun and never tired.
Paris is lived passionately every day, in line with the dreams it inspires and the desires it harbors, as in this neighborhood bistro.

Au Rêve has long been an institution, a must-visit venue in the 18th arrondissement, near Montmartre, where famous and lesser-known artists and writers such as Patrick Modiano, Marcel Aymé, and Céline would come and go, stopping for a drink or a few verses, like Jacques Brel, who composed the lyrics to "Ne me quitte pas" while watching for his sweetheart Suzanne Gabriello to pass by, rubbing shoulders with Pathé cinema editors, Libération journalists, comic book artists, and local residents, all mingling happily in the hubbub of this legendary café.

Since October, revived by Clémentine Larroumet and Antoine Ricardou, the Saint Lazare team with Mathieu Renucci, the bar corner, the dining room, and the terrace have become the daily setting for new stories, encounters, and other neighborhood anecdotes.
Outside, three generations of a family have lunch together, while next to them, two friends share a homemade apple pie, which smells like the sweet treats of childhood.
Inside, it seems as if time has stood still: the walls, the bench, the bar, the shelves overflowing with aperitifs and bottles of alcohol, the decor and the daily menu—the atmosphere is the same, slightly dusted off and revamped.
The carved wooden bar at the Au Rêve bistro is still there. The original benches have been restored and the floors remain unchanged.
The blue "Au Rêve" neon sign still proudly sits outside. By scraping away brown paint left over from the 2000s, the architects revealed a tile fresco that had been hidden until then. A surprise.

While some pay the bill, others arrive for a late lunch. "Are you still serving?" "Yes, take a seat," in a constant coming and going.
Right next door, in the middle of the bar, two regulars, friends at the counter, talk, argue, and remake the world. And then they remember the Paris of yesteryear, "when things were so much better," says the man wearing a beret, with a touch of nostalgia, pointing to a time when life was carefree.
Then we hear the other reply, "No, look! How nice it is today too!"
Witnesses to transitions, living memories of different eras, theaters of everyday life, institutions like Au Rêve are cherished, and its rebirth is making waves. 

At the Au Rêve bistro, breakfast is "very French", as two curious new customers point out, charmed by their croques monsieur and oeufs mimosa. House classics.
The autumn sun beams down on the nooks and crannies of the dining room, brushing against the chiselled wooden bar. The light is beautiful and adds a touch of sepia, a little retro to the decor.
In the background, in the small room lined with red velvet, lunch is still being served. Outside, on the terrace, it's time for coffee.
Rue Caulaincourt, Au Rêve is the renaissance of pure Parisian poetry.

Photos 1 to 5 ©THOMAS TISSANDIER
Photos 6 to 8 © ALIXIA MEINZEL for PLUME TRAVELS