The Paris nightlife scene has changed in the last few years. In the City of Light, a good night out used to be about a Michelin-starred temple of high cuisine or a local brasserie serving up homey dishes like beef entrecote and duck a la orange, followed by a few smoky bars. Now, young Hospitality experts are giving the city a fresh new vibe. This is most evident on a quiet stretch along the Rue des Petites Ecuries that runs three blocks west of Paris’s Tenth Arrondissement. The stylish, creative class of the city is unlikely to visit this area. They flock almost every evening to the graffitied corner of the street, where four of the main ingredients of an unforgettable hang are all crammed into adjacent storefronts. A 22-seater restaurant, a natural wine bar, a Neapolitan Pizzeria, and even a tiny discotheque.
Your table at Deviant should be adorned with a beautiful collection of glassware. So.
Guillaume Le Donche and Arnaud Lacombe.
Arnaud Pyvka
There are similar joints in Paris. But what makes Savoir Vivre different is that Arnaud Lacombe, 30, who owns all four venues – Vivant, Deviant Da Graziella, and Hotel Bourbon – did the opposite of what most restaurateurs would do. He was able to do this by a combination of intuition and luck. He concentrated his empire into one area rather than spreading it across the city.
Arnaud wanted to create a place that embodied something he felt was hard to find in Paris, pure pleasure. In 2015, he began to explore new ideas for his restaurant Bronco’s unused basement. Guillaume Le Donche is a Parisian club impresario and creative director of Hotel Bourbon. Guillaume says that Arnaud “understood” how the once defining coolness of Paris’s neighborhoods was being rapidly redesigned by gentrification and the new cultures.
Before the Vivant kitchen was renovated this summer, Pierre Touitou cooked with “two stovetops, a broken oven, and three blowtorches.”
Fresh ingredients for Hotel Bourbon cocktails are delivered every morning.
Arnaud decided to transform one of the restaurants, a Belle Epoque Bird Shop, into a Neapolitan Pizza Joint. Arnaud named it da Graziella after his Italian girlfriend, Graziella (now wife), who runs the restaurant and sources the simplest authentic ingredients in Naples. Da Graziella is a rare find in a city that has a hard time finding good pizza.
Arnaud then met Pierre Touitou. He installed him in the small kitchen of his other restaurant, which he had opened in 2016 as vivant. Pierre’s father, A.P.C. Pierre’s cuisine should combine his Tunisian heritage and his obsession with all things Japanese. He likes to serve small plates using a style called sur mesure: Tell him what you want, and he will tailor a meal for you quickly. Clement Jeannin is the sommelier at Tending Bar. He sources wine from small producers of natural wines across Europe. Savoir Vivre is known for its love of wine.
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A good all-night party is also a must at The Hotel Bourbon Arnaud’s third property in the basement of what was the Bronco. The club is at the heart of Savoir Vivre. The original building was a synagogue and then a hotel in the first half of the 20th century. Arnaud & Guillaume added custom-made furniture and midcentury pieces, as well as thrift art and mosaics. Hotel Bourbon, which hosted its first party in October 2017, has since become a hotspot for French fashionistas and celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski and Kid Cudi. But Guillaume and Arnaud ensure that the 200 guests that make it through the velvet rope are representative of Paris’ socio-cultural flavor.
Clément Jeannin (right) is a master stuntman, Thai boxer, and party protagonist.
Arnaud Pyvka
“The Tenth is a cultural melting pot, mixing trendy and trashy with traditional locations,” says Arnaud Lacombe, “which brings a strong natural energy to the area.”
The last member of Savoir Vivre’s family is Deviant. It uncorked its very first bottle in early this year. Clement’s wine selections and small tapas bites are available at this late-night bar with standing-room only. Here’s the ultimate Paris party plan. A road map to living life in style. Do Parisians spend a day eating pizza Margherita in Da Graziella?
