Shades on

Best Paris restaurants for solo dining, Tarantula, real estate in the 9th, La Serviette Paris, Cibus, Drôle de Monsieur, D’une Île, MORE

Feb 13, 2026

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RESTAURANTS • FOUND Table

Spider bites

The room at Tarántula feels familiar for the 11th. Dim lights. A low hum of conversation. Music at exactly the right volume. That relaxed, slightly groovy atmosphere Paris does so well. And then the food arrives — which is when it becomes clear this isn’t just another good neighborhood spot.

The flavors are layered, deliberate, with the clarity of thought put into composing them you can taste. A taco that starts rich, turns slightly sweet, then finishes with heat — like the tacos cantineros — makes it clear, very quickly, that you’re in good hands.

The grilled onion comes recommended for good reason. It’s a single onion split in half and deeply caramelized, resting in an intense, beautifully complex pepper sauce. It’s surprising and incredible.

Then the chicharrón: crisp, generous, deeply satisfying, served with soft flour tortillas, warm and freshly made. The demi coquelet follows, slow-cooked with Japanese chili butter, rich and balanced, paired with fragrant corn tortillas. And somehow, that’s the moment. The tortillas. That’s when it clicks.

Finding good Mexican food in Paris still feels like a small miracle. Tarántula delivers, and not in a way that’s adapted or softened for context. It is confident and assured, thanks to chef Emmanuel Peña, formerly of El Nopal and a native of Monterrey, Mexico, who clearly knows what he’s doing.

What lingers most, though, is the room itself. Over the course of the evening, languages drift through the space. French. English. German. Italian. Hebrew. How did everyone find this place? The answer feels obvious: When something’s this good, word travels. Across neighborhoods. Across cities. Across borders. –Sam Brenzel

→ Tarantula Paris (11th arr) • 13b rue Keller • Tue-Wed 18h-00h, Thu 18h-0h30, Fri-Sat 17h-01h30 • Book.

PARIS WORK & PLAY LINKS: A Haussmannian apartment in the 10th that epitomizes Paris style • How should I review a dinner that cost 1300€? • The perfect solo afternoon in Paris.

WORK • Friday Routine

Linen sanctuary

SIMON THISSE • CEO & AD • La Serviette Paris
Neighborhood you work in: Bourse/6th arr.
Neighborhood you live in: Neuilly-sur-Seine

It’s Friday afternoon. How are you rolling into the weekend?
Friday afternoon means Friday night! So a dinner at home with friends is a must. I love getting into the kitchen, even if I’m not a top chef. I just really enjoy the space — it’s super convivial and always ends up bringing everyone together.

The next day, like every Saturday, I stop by our shop in the 6th arrondissement, at 26 rue Saint-Placide, right across from Le Bon Marché. Alexane, our store manager, and Matei, our sales advisor, are always on point, welcoming and full of good vibes. But I like checking that everything’s running smoothly. I might be a bit of a perfectionist!

With our architect Adeline Hémonnot, we designed the shop to feel like the lobby of a grand early-20th-century hotel, with carpet on the floors and walls, walnut wood, brushed stainless steel, and lots of artistic nods. I love it.

What’s on the agenda for today?
Today I’m starting by reviewing all the photos from our latest beach towel shoot, which we did in an incredible setting: at a house right at the foot of Europe’s largest sand dune in Pyla. Then I’ll be working with our product teams to develop a custom bed linen line for a five-star hotel in Marrakech, and a new bath linen collection for the spa of a palace in the south of France. And in the middle of it all, one of my favorite moments: lunch with my business partner Benjamin. On the menu today: a bite from rue Saint-Anne, just next to the office.

Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
If I had to choose just one: Cibus, a tiny Italian trattoria in one of Paris’s most beautiful neighborhoods, Palais-Royal. Cibus is 10 tables, max. No fixed menu, no fixed prices either. But the food is incredible, and the decor is as outdated as it is authentic.

How about a little leisure or culture?
For me, museums and galleries are sanctuaries where I feel safe and totally at peace. Almost every Saturday, I make the rounds in the Marais, visiting places like Thaddaeus Ropac, Karsten Greve, and Galleria Continua. The way artists work with materials, shapes, and colors is a constant source of inspiration for my collections.

Any weekend getaways?
My family home in Burgundy, in a tiny village in the Yonne region with 500 residents. My brother and cousins have their own places there too. All the doors are open, we move from one house to the next, from one wine cellar to another. And otherwise: Arles, from July to October, for the Rencontres de la Photographie. Beyond the creativity, Arles is History with a capital H, and it’s got some amazing restaurants too!

What was your last great vacation?
Pantelleria, a small island between Sicily and Tunisia, which I discovered during a shoot for La Serviette Paris’s beach collection. It’s simple, wild, and because of its remote location, not easy to reach. I took some great photos there and later made some great connections too. One place that brings it all together: Parco dei Sesi, the gorgeous guest house run by Margot and Massimiliano.

What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
A lithograph by Alex Foxton, an artist I discovered at OFR. bookstore — the most inspiring art bookstore in Paris, run by siblings Alexandre and Marie.

What store or service do you always recommend?
Drôle de Monsieur, rue de Poitou in the 3rd. A French menswear brand whose boutique, like their collections, has that certain je ne sais quoi of French chic and retro flair. It’s a kind of French elegance that mixes materials (wood paneling, tapestries, marble) and styles (from Gatsby to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). One of a kind.

REAL ESTATE • On the Market

Three apartments currently on offer around Saint-Georges in the 9th arr.

→ Saint Georges/South Pigalle (metro Saint-Georges) • 3BR/1BA, 104 m2 apartment • Ask: 1.35M € • recently renovated in 1850 apartment building with herringbone parquet, moldings, and fireplace • Annual maintenance/condo fees: 3480 € • Agent: Alexandre Gouin.

→ Martyrs/Abbesses (metro Saint Georges) • 2BR/1BA, 90 m2 apartment • Ask: 1.85M € • 5th-floor flat with views to Sacré Cœur • Annual maintenance/condo fees: 1920 € • Agent: Julien Gade Berry, Sotheby’s.

→ Rue Chaptal (metro Saint Georges) • 3BR/3BA, 156 m2 duplex • Ask: 2.1M € • overlooking courtyard on 1st and 2nd floors with 9m-high ceiling in living room • Annual maintenance/condo fees: 2500 € • Agent: Guillaume Boyer, Daniel Feau.

CULTURE & LEISURE • Au Fil des Voix

David Walters / KOG / Tribeqa • Le Trianon (18th arr) • Fri @ 19h30 • balcony, 40 € per
Chaton • L’Olympia (9th arr) • Sat @ 20h • cat 1, 35 € per
Eros Ramazzotti • Accor Arena (12th arr) • Sat @ 20h • cat2, 91 € per

GETAWAYS • Southern Normandy

Septime overnight

In the heart of the Perche Natural Park, D’une Île is a 17th-century hamlet reimagined by Bertrand Grébaut and Théophile Pourriat, the duo behind Septime, Clamato, and La Cave in Paris. In 2018, they took over from a Dutch couple who first put Rémalard on the map with this charming bed and breakfast, transforming D’une Île into a countryside escape.

The estate comprises several stone buildings scattered across eight hectares of meadows and woods. Each of the 10 rooms features white linens, tomettes, exposed beams, and bouquets of wildflowers sourced from nearby brocantes. There’s no wifi and barely any cell signal.

The kitchen, led mostly by alumni of the Septime family, focuses on seasonal produce. The menu is rooted in the surrounding terroir, with ingredients sourced from local markets and the estate’s own garden. Dinner is a three-course set menu priced at 42 €, served in a communal dining room where guests gather around a large table. Breakfast is equally thoughtful: freshly baked brioche, homemade granola, local yogurts, and eggs prepared to order. Beyond the table, D’une Île offers simple pleasures, like a sauna overlooking the forest, pétanque under the trees, and long walks through the surrounding countryside. –Victoire Loup

→ D’une Île (Rémalard-en-Perche) • Domaine de Launay • Book.

GETAWAYS LINKS: ORY relocating passenger drop-off zones further from terminals • New boutique hotel The Newman opened last weekend in London • In search of Chartreuse, I went to Chartreuse • Rotterdam’s harbour revival continues with new photography museum.

ASK FOUND

First, a quick reminder on how this works: You send us the pressing questions of the day (on hotels, dining, travel). We all put our heads together (us, FOUND, + you, FOUND subscribers, who are also FOUND) in search of truth and beauty.

Today, three fresh PROMPTS for which we seek your immediate attention

Who is your favorite Parisian florist?
What’s your go-to spot for jewelry repair?
What’s your warm weather getaway hotel of choice this winter?

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RESTAURANTS • The Nines

Restaurants, solo dining

The Nines are FOUND’s distilled lists of the best in Paris and surrounds. Paid subscribers have access to the complete Nines archive.

Chez Carrie (2 arr), joyful, veggie-forward small plates and carrot cake, wraparound counter space from expat food photographer-turned-chef Carrie Solomon, intel

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