La Recyclerie

A restaurant, bar, café, farm and vegetable garden featuring daily DIY workshops, ethical values and a relaxed, welcoming vibe... all this and more makes up La Recyclerie, located in a former railway station on the Petite Ceinture. The project is organised by a handful of local hospitality associations who cut their teeth on, variously, the Comptoir Général, the Glazart, the Divan du Monde and the Machine du Moulin Rouge. They're specialists in all things second hand, passionate about investing clapped-out spaces with new life. And the result certainly works: the high ceiling soars above a wrought iron framework, with an enormous glass window offering a sweeping view over the old railway tracks, now surrounded by a long terrace, a mobile exterior bar and the local allotments. Inside, the space is done out in vintage furniture and fresh greenery, with colourful chairs, an enormous bar, an open kitchen, big vats of natural wine (sourced from En Vrac), climbing plants – and in a corner behind a glass screen, l'Atelier de René, the in-house handyman, who will repair absolutely anything and, what's more, teach you do your own.

The food offering changes week on week; on our visit, it was African and Lebanese-themed. €20 or so covered a meal for two consisting of an excellent mezze platter and a chicken kebab with potatoes and crunchy vegetables, which we ate while watching staff working on the urban farm – soon, drinks will take place between a tethered goat and a plot of tomatoes. Upstairs on Thursday evenings, you can even do your weekly shop thanks to La Ruche Qui Dit Oui, which brings together local producers for a carefully curated farmer's market. Really, what's not to like?