Review: Le Comptoir Géneral

What's the story behind this place?Ask owner Étienne Tron what this Canal Saint-Martin dive is all about, and he is likely to call Le Comptoir Général a "museum." Indeed, t's built in a barn directly on the Canal, and it's filled with all sorts of antique armchairs, vintage posters and lamps, and every sort of bric-a-brac you can imagine. The magpie approach seems to work for this place, which is part bar, part restaurant, part greenhouse, part coffee bar, part thrift shop. Insiders and locals alike know it as a reliably hip spot for, well, a little bit of everything.

Cool. What's the crowd like?Le Comptoir is tucked behind an anonymous wall so you really have to be looking for it. The crowd is truly, painfully hip—in the best possible way.

And what's everyone drinking? Any bar specialties?There's a North African bent to the cocktail menu, which includes bright, often tropical, drinks such as La Secousse, an enticing blend of hibiscus, passionfruit, vodka, and cucumber slices. And if you're a beer enthusiast, there's a great selection of obscure IPAs and organic brews you won't easily find anywhere else.

What if we're a bit peckish, too—anything good to eat with our drinks?There's a small, tasty menu of internationally influenced pub grub, mostly in the realm of mezze platters, lentil soups, and samosas.

How are the bar staff?After dark this place can get extremely busy, and that's when it can be difficult to flag down a server. Additionally, the competition for seating can get stiff. But engaging in a standoff with a Parisian about who gets to sit in the most photogenic vintage armchair in such a painfully cool bar on the Canal Saint-Martin is all part of the experience.

Wrap it up: what are we coming here for?This bar presents a different side of Paris, one that's a little grittier, more unexpected, and more globally inspired.