Le Bloc

Against the haughty restaurants and overpriced bars of the 17th arrondissement, the former industrial district of Batignolles maintains some of its rough-edged charm. Le Bloc is in a former warehouse, the concrete façade dominated by a huge glass window, which gives onto a minimalist, contemporary black and white interior. A multi-levelled café, bar and restaurant that opens at 8.30am, there is cheap coffee and pastries and a comforting food menu of things like fish and chips, chicken with ginger, rockfish with basil cream sauce and roast aubergines, and a daily special for less than €10. Evenings, there’s a mixed rock, hip hop and electro soundtrack and a wave of trendy local youth getting stuck into rainbow shooters and cocktails adorned with glow sticks.