The Marais holds lots of gems, in a relaxed, smart Parisienne way – nothing brash or edgy, just comfortable and refined. Good restaurants, hotels, galleries, shops, patisseries and little cafés like this one. It has a real french feel, with locals popping in – on their own perhaps – to have lunch and read the paper. Outside a handful of small tables, inside a horseshoe shaped bar where you can sit, alongside a few tables out of the rush of the street outside. And somewhere close at hand for the bike.

Along this classic Marais street – Rue Vieille du Temple – and in the surrounding area are a number of cafés with a common theme. Toilets. Not just the happy chance of finding a toilet you can use in Paris, but one that belies the remainder of the interior, that’s somewhere between fin de siècle and the inter-war period. Shiny, clean, functional and stark[e]. Stainless steel and proud of it. Have a look at the link below for details of Au Petit Fer à Cheval and its facilities [i.e. click on “toilettes”…]

Café/Restaurant Au Petit Fer à Cheval

30 rue Vieille du Temple, Paris IV
Téléphone 01 42 72 47 47
Ouvert tous les jours de 9h à 12h.
Cuisine en service continu de midi à 1h15 du matin
Brunch 7/7 dès 9h
Métro :
Hôtel de Ville ; Saint-Paul ; Pont Marie