Les Lumières

Let there be Lumières! In what used to be Les Buvards, this bistro run by three friends, Nidhal Touati (who used to work in the pharmaceutical industry), Humberto de Lucia (a former barista at Deep) and Antoine Astic (who did a stint at the Pépite pastry shop) is rekindling the flame in the lower Panier neighborhood. Here, every moment of the day has its own mood: in the morning, there’s specialty coffee roasted by their friends over at La Tisserie, which goes swimmingly with a bowl of homemade granola or a runny omelet; at lunch, there’s an affordable prix-fixe brasserie menu (€21, coffee included); and at night, dishes are served à la carte, made even better by some beautiful bottles of carefully curated wine. We opted for a vibrant sea bream carpaccio enlivened by lime and pickled carrots; tender duck breast à l’orange with textural carrots, beets and a reduction; lentil croquettes lounging over an umami-rich tomato sauce; followed by a less impressive dessert, a somewhat sloppy coconut and pineapple panna cotta. // Maud Zarella

FEELING THIRSTY? : A collection of over 300 natural labels, inherited from Les Buvards and supplemented by Marielisa Peñuela, the lovely sommelier who also happens to be Humberto’s mom: a Savoie jacquère white or orange wine produced by France Gonzalvez (€6-7 a glass), a genre-defying pinot noir from Jean-Marc Espinasse (€5), Jura wines from Valentin Morel (€44 a bottle, -€10 if you take them to go, like all of the wines)… Along with artisan kombuchas made in Marseille by Zéma Potions (€5 for 330 ml) or Tisse (€4.50 for 330 ml) and craft beers from the Zoumaï brewery (lager, €5 for 330 ml).
PRICE: : Prix-fixe menus €18-21 (lunch, coffee included), à la carte €34-44 (dinner), cheese and charcuterie boards €16-18 (all day long), brunch €24 (Saturday and Sunday).