Bar Principal

There’s a family resemblance in eastern Paris! Bar Principal shares all the same distinctive features as its older brother Brutos, the grilled meats restaurant where Lucas Baur de Campos sets the kitchens ablaze: a perfect terrace overlooking Square Gardette, and a clean interior with painted bricks and white zellige tiles. Meanwhile, the small plates coming from the kitchen (€8-10) show off this place’s unique personality: crispy rectangles of sgagliozze (fried polenta) with a tartare sauce for dipping, subtle chicken drumsticks glazed in a coconut cream, tender cod fritters with aioli… And to go with all these tasty snacks, the bartenders gets straight to the point: six classic cocktails (gin & tonics, fresh caipirinhas, smooth pisco sours…) and a short selection of natural wines, including the explosive Tohu Bohu pet’ nat’ from the Loire (€25) or the dashing Corbières rosé from Karine and Nicolas Mirouze (€20). Paul Hackett