A renovated hotel restaurant harkens back to a beloved era in Paris, and a century later, it’s both a local gem and a social media star.
It all ties back to a love of Parisian history. As does so much in Paris.
“The history of Paris has many facets: revolutionary and romantic,” say Anouk and Louis Solanetm, co-founders of Orso, which renovated and reopened Hôtel Rochechouart, a 1920s gem now hosting stylish guests in Pigalle. “The architecture of the buildings traces all these centuries of history and it can be seen from all corners of the city.”
And of course, the long treasured tastes of Parisian cuisine are found within Hôtel Rochechouart, from the basement to the seasonal rooftop bar overlooking Sacré-Cœur, encapsulating visitors with a taste of Parisian history at every sense.
On the ground floor, Restaurant Rochechouart’s swirly mosaic floor of Art Deco style tiles leads guests into breakfast, and back for lunch and dinner with locals.
“This menu was designed to truly be both authentic and timeless. With playful nods to the neighborhood, some dishes refer to nearby train stations [Gare du Nord, Gare de l’Est] and to specialties popular in the restaurant’s heyday, such as Venetian-style veal liver,” say the Solanetms. “The menu is intended to be comforting and familiar for local Parisian residents, while also striving to be symbolic of French bourgeois cuisine for all food lovers both in France and abroad.”
Most essentially, Restaurant Rochechouart hails back to the former and now re-envisioned glory days of Hôtel Rochechouart, prominently on a bustling Parisian boulevard. In the Art Deco dining room, tables are set with white linens and silver napkin rings, blending bistro and bourgeois for the TikTok era.
“As for the menu, the French “grand restaurant” spirit is omnipresent, but with an edgy twist that fits exceptionally well in the Pigalle neighborhood,” say the Solanetms. “The menu is truly an ode to beautiful products and local flavors, all while staying true to authentic French flavors: vol au vent, roast turbot or chicken crapaudine.”
Full of beef stew or tender fish, diners can also head down to Mikado, a semi-hidden basement nightclub also revived from the Roaring Twenties, when it was a popular cabaret, full of dancers in evening dresses and tuxedos.
Last year, the space was retrofitted with carpets, soft sofas and poufs, wide velvet curtains and disco balls hanging above a dance floor. DJs, local artists and performers grace the stage on weekends.
“Le Mikado continues its legacy of welcoming artist friends and giving them free reign,” say the Solanetms. “We feel as though our [guests] like the idea of making a historic place their own. It makes them feel like they participated in the history of the place in some way.”
Living in or visiting Paris is inextricable from the city’s history, and Hôtel Rochechouart is no exception.
“Paris is about discovering all of these places that have managed to reinvent themselves all while maintaining the old soul and charm of history,” say the Solanetms. “Parisians love to live their lives to the fullest – they like to drink wine on terraces, stroll on the banks of the Seine, eat out at restaurants. As Hemingway said, ‘Paris is always a party!’”
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