Very short list
Mokochaya, Quatrehomme, Oobatz, best Pilates, 5th arr listings, Les Jardins de Coppelia, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
Moko all day
The Skinny: A laid back, all-day café from the husband-and-wife duo behind beloved spots Mokonuts and Mokoloco, Mokochaya opened last fall.
The Vibe: Contemporary neighborhood café dressed with the usual 11th arrondissement design codes (neutral walls, rustic wood columns, minimalist furnishings). The ceilings are high and the space feels light and relaxed, without the usual up-tempo lunch rush energy or gaggles of weekend brunch queues. In the classic spirit of the all-day café, you could pop by for breakfast and hang around for multiple coffees until the lunch service, but friendly warning: no laptops.
The Food: Co-owners Omar Koreitem and Moko Hirayama have always brought a mix of influences to the table — Koreitem hails from Lebanon, Hirayama from Japan, and their resumes includes stints at Daniel in New York and Gordon Ramsay in London. At Mokochaya, there’s more of a Japanese feel to the menu — recent specials have included a chirashi bowl and a cuttlefish congee — and a brighter spotlight on Hirayama’s pastries. At lunch and brunch, one of the rotating selections of bentos is the dish to order, followed by Hirayama’s well-known signature cookies, but if you see labneh cheesecake scrawled on the desserts du jour chalkboard, order that too (you can always take the cookies to go). This is also where to go for breakfast now that Mokonuts has gone lunch-only. If you’re here with kids, as ever, they’re made to feel special with their own bento of omurice, meatballs, veg, and a slice of the daily dessert (with a side of coloring pages and pencils).
The Drink: Coffee, of course, but also sobacha tea, kombucha, homemade pear syrup, orange blossom lemonade, and more. It’s not a boozy brunch spot, but wine and beer are also available.
The Verdict: A next-generation neighborhood cafe from a hit team expanding on their trademark warmth and fun mix of influences makes for a perfect breakfast or brunch spot. –Nicola Leigh Stewart
→ Mokochaya (11th arr) • 11 Rue Saint-Bernard • Tue-Sat 08h30-18h, Sat brunch 11h-15h30.
PARIS WORK & PLAY LINKS: Some Paris bars reported serving cheap wine in place of premium • Paris art exhibitions to see in May • Dropping by Fika café in the Marais • Fashion trendwatch: floral workwear… the return of knee-length skirts… and hoodies for grownups.
WORK • Friday Routine
On the list
REBEKAH PEPPLER • cookbook author, food & travel writer
Neighborhood you live in: Montmartre
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I’m just back to Paris after spending a few weeks working from Italy so I’m settling back into my work routine here. In Paris this means I wake up early, light a few candles and some incense, make a coffee, and open my laptop at my dining room table/desk.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I do my best writing early, and since I’m on a few deadlines, I'm spending the first part of the morning focused on that. Then I have a bit of admin, plus some work on my next newsletter Shortlisted. This afternoon, I have a coffee date with a friend, and I’ll run a few errands on the way back up to the apartment to pick up a few things for dinner, and a bottle for a recipe I'm working on. I’m currently developing a drink for my next New York Times piece, and I always try to schedule any cocktail testing closer to the end of my work day… just in time for apéro.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Tonight we’re eating at home — which always feels like such a pleasure after traveling. We brought back a few treats from Italy and I’ll be supplementing them by popping into my neighborhood cheese shop, Quatrehomme, and the épicerie for fresh produce, plus a fresh baguette from Mamiche. We have friends in town this weekend so I made a few reservations including Bistrot des Tournelles and Oobatz. I’m also looking forward to taking them to a favorite wine bar, Folderol, and for a dressed up drink at the Crillon.
Any weekend getaways?
A month or so ago I spent a long weekend in Lisbon which was equal parts fun and research for Lisbon, Shortlisted. I have a few future weekends planned for 2025 including London, Copenhagen, and the Basque Country, as well as some bigger trips on the horizon. My most recent book, Le Sud, focuses on Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, and so the past few years have involved a lot of train trips to the south of France for research, shooting, and writing — and I’m still always looking for an excuse to take the train down for a quick weekend.
What was your last great vacation?
Right before I went on book tour this past spring, my partner Laila and I took a trip to Korea and Japan. It was my last chance for a proper holiday before the whirlwind of launching a book and it was each of our first times visiting both countries which served to make it feel like a truly special trip. We flew direct from Paris to Seoul and then home from Tokyo and I'm already plotting a way to go back.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I picked up a pair of Venetian slippers at Piedàterre when we were in Venice recently that I’ve wanted for years. You can, of course, wear them outside but as we’re a shoes-off house, I love the idea of using them as elevated house shoes.
What store or service do you always recommend?
I love a facial and whenever friends start planning a trip to town I recommend booking one with Elaine Huntszinger. And I always send friends to Beillevaire for butter to take home. If you ask, they'll vacuum seal it for you, and it's truly the best butter I've ever had.
CULTURE & LEISURE • The Nines
Pilates
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of the best in Paris and surrounds. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or email found@foundparis.com.
DNA Pilates (16th arr, above), focused classes, minimalist w/ luxury touch, group instruction offering many options daily
Keana (7th & 8th arr), attentive private classes led by experienced, certified instructors
Le 33 Foch (16th arr), high energy, party vibe, part of a gym but open for pilates only
Reformation (1st & 3rd arr), quiet and bright, 2 reformer rooms at Palais Royal location and 1 at Marais spot
The New Me (13 Paris locations), elegant, well-run franchise offering efficient group classes
Studio Rituel (6th arr), high-end traditional classes in light-filled space, group and private classes available, plus other options like gyrotonic and gyrokinesis
YUJ Yoga (1st arr), 5 reformers used for group classes offering many options daily; yoga available at other locations
Riise Pilates (3rd arr & add’l locations), reformer and mat classes in luminous, fashionable environment
Episod (1st & 9th & 10th arr), geared toward younger clientele, with club vibe in a gym and many other offerings
REAL ESTATE • On the Market
Three properties priced around 2M € on offer in the 5th arr.
→ Second floor apartment (5th arr) • 5BR/2BA, 144 m2 • Ask: 1.75M € • floor-through apartment with great looking kitchen and separate annex • Annual charges: 2400 € • Agent: Sabrina Zoghmar, De Ferla.
→ Artist’s studio (5th arr) • 3BR/1.1BA, 114 m2 • Ask: 2.630M € • duplex apartment with fireplace and Seine and Notre-Dame views • Annual charges: 3400 € • Agent: Nicolas Watrin, Barnes.
→ Top-floor apartment (5th arr, above) • 3BR/2BA, 139 m2 • Ask: 2.635M € • in 1750 building with rooftop terraces, steps from Place Maubert, needs some love • Annual charges: NA € • Agent: Ingrid George, Engel & Völkers.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Final Four
Paris Saint-Germain v Arsenal • Champions League Semifinals • Parc des Princes (16th arr) • Wed @ 21h • access 118, 835 € per
Il Trittico • Opéra Bastille (12th arr) • Fri @ 19h • optima, 198 € per
Foire de Paris • Paris Expo Porte de Versailles (15th arr) • thru 11/05 • 13 € per
GETAWAYS • Normandy
Elsewhere is here
A slight drizzle fell on a chilly winter day as we made a right onto a dirt path to find Les Jardins de Coppelia, a 19th-century manor turned boutique hotel. We were greeted with a hot beverage by the fire in the lobby. As soon as we warmed up, we were shown to our modern, elegant room, with a view of the orchard on one side and the ocean on the other.
Mid-afternoon, the drizzle ceased for a bit. We changed into bathrobes and slippers and headed outdoors to the spa, where we made use of the jacuzzi, sauna, and hammam, relaxed, and witnessed a sensational sunset. The weather changes quickly in Normandy, so we spent the rest of the evening by the large moose-embellished chimney with a gentle fire and a backgammon game.
It was midweek and low season when we visited, so the restaurant from chef Lilian Douchet, Le Capucine, was closed for dinner. However, the hotel provides room service with a smaller menu in line with their contemporary bistronomic approach. The dishes incorporate local products and influences from around the world — marinated beef tataki, herb-stuffed Camembert, and a simple terrine de campagne. It’s a modern cuisine, where freshness is key, and possible thanks to their permaculture vegetable garden.
The cherry on top was breakfast in bed: tea, coffee, fruit, eggs, bacon, bread, pastries, juices. A subtle combination of peace, grace, charm and remarkable service, only two hours away from Paris. –Marie Sadron
→ Les Jardins de Coppelia (Normandy) • 478 Route du Bois du Breuil • weekend king from 257 €.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Checking into London’s The Dorchester following recent redo… and its new Little Blue Noodle Bar • Inside Lisbon’s MACAN, palace-museum that’s redefining art travel • How technology is transforming the high-end hotel suite.
ASK FOUND
First, a quick primer on how this works: You send us the pressing questions of the day (on dining, services, living in Paris and surrounds). We all put our heads together (us, FOUND, + you, FOUND subscribers, who are also FOUND) in search of truth and beauty.
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If you haven’t already, tell us your favorite Paris restaurant.
What Paris hotel do you always recommend for out-of-town guests?
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