Once a music-hall where Édith Piaf is said to have performed, Aux Folies is now the social hub of Belleville — a permanently crowded café-bar on the corner of Rue Dénoyez, the alley whose walls are repainted with street art almost weekly. Cheap demis, mint tea, and a glassed-in terrace make it the place to watch the neighbourhood go by.
The crowd is as mixed as Belleville itself: old locals, art students, and people spilling out from the bars up the hill. Order at the counter, find a stool, and stay a while.