VIBE

At first glance through the unmarked door, this shabby chic house seems like a poorly maintained student flat, but take a closer look at the pouty models flouncing around and the ever-so-arty configuration of the flea market curios that fill the space (like sconces hung exactly crookedly) and you’ll know you’re at the heart of all things trendy in Paris. The two-level space is divided into tiny rooms, complete with bedroom (we perched on the edge of the bed) and secret cigarette speakeasy (hidden through an armoire, making it very The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). The tongue-in-cheek menu may feature racy artwork and ironic dictionary definitions of each dish, but the food itself is surprisingly classic.

CROWD

Hordes of painfully hip models and their attendant fashionista cliques.

WHAT WE WOULD WEAR

A euro-boho look; this is where we’d go bananas with an experimental designer-meets-vintage flea market outfit.

GO HERE WITH

Trendy friends; a date

WHY WE LIKE IT

This is the place to connect with the Parisian in-crowd. (It’s so exclusive, the phone number remained unpublished until very recently.) Although the interior is cool (definitely don’t miss the secret fumoir), we’re also pretty keen on having a stylish drink in the bamboo-framed courtyard outside.

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

Service is miserable (unless you’re Paris’s starlet du jour).

GOOD TO KNOW

Derrière is attached to restaurant 404 and lounge Andy Wahloo (another of our Paris favorites), and it’s brought to you by the same cool kids (Mourad Mazouz and Hakim Mazouz) who run Sketch and Mo Café and Kemia Bar in London.

CLOSEST COMPS

Sketch (London); Bobo (New York)

Click here for our full-form mobile travel guide, The Purple Passport to Paris