Au Vieux Paris d’Arcole | The Wisteria Covered Restaurant in Paris

Everywhere you turn in Paris, you’ll find pieces of history, from squares that once housed palaces to streets where sinister things happened. The City of Light has some dark areas that are best left undisturbed, but it also has some of the most beautiful buildings and architecture you’re ever likely to see. Île de la Cité, barely 100 meters from Notre Dame Cathedral in one of Paris’ historic quarters, is home to one such place, Au Vieux Paris d’Arcole.

Possibly one of the most Instagrammed restaurants in Paris, it’s also one of the city’s best-kept secrets. Surprisingly, I’ve always been able to get a table, and it’s never been too full on the terrace. Long may it stay that way.

But what about this place makes it so irresistible, apart from the wisteria, of course? Well, rue Chanoinesse wasn’t always the lovely little Parisian street it is today. There is a story behind it, one I’m happy to share with you.

The History of Au Vieux Paris d’Arcole

Au Vieux Paris d’Arcole at no 24 rue Chanoisnesse is the oldest recorded restaurant in Paris, beating Le Procope to the coveted title. Okay, that’s not strictly true. The building is older, but not the restaurant itself. It was built in 1512, at a similar time to Notre Dame, and is now registered on the French Inventory of Historic Monuments. It was originally built as a home for the cathedral’s canon.

The canon had a few responsibilities, such as helping the less fortunate and being in charge of the choir and prayers. However, in 1723, the bishopric sold the house, and it became a wine bar and eventually a restaurant. The house next door is still used as a residence for the canon of the cathedral.

On a more creepy note, which seems strange next to such a gorgeous building is the courtyard next door. It was built using the gravestone slabs from a nearby churchyard that was being destroyed to make way for the larger streets built in the 19th century as part of the Hausmann overhaul of Paris. Nothing like a bit of recycling is there. 

Today, George and Odette de la Rochebrochard run the restaurant, whose family has been the caretakers for many generations. The building’s owners live on the 5th floor, and the staff can rent rooms on the 3rd and 4th floors. The restaurant itself is spread over two floors: the ground and 1st floors.

The wisteria that covers the building stands at a whopping seven meters tall and was planted in 1946, just after WW2. The Paris City Hall gave the owners special permission to allow it to grow this tall. I recently found out that wisteria can get underneath the foundations of a house and cause significant damage—it doesn’t seem possible that something that beautiful could cause damage like that.

The inside is gorgeous, with red velvet as far as the eye can see. As I mentioned, it’s spread over two floors, and the ground floor has a lovely old vintage bar reminiscent of an old tavern or pub you might find in England.

Upstairs is more of a dining room feel, although it’s split into a couple of rooms. The main room at the top of the stairs has plenty of seating and fantastic views of Notre Dame, but there is also a cozy snug, complete with a fireplace and one or two tables, and to the left, another area for dining.

To book a table, visit the restaurant website >>>

Affaire de la rue des Marmousets (The Case of Marmousets Street)

At the start of this article, I promised to tell you the story of the street Au Vieux Paris d’Arcole sits on. It’s a gruesome tale, so you might want to stop reading if you don’t have a strong stomach. The story focuses on a butcher and bloodthirsty barber and pastry chef.

Before the street became rue Chanoinesse, it was called rue des Marmousets, and it was here that our story begins.

The canons of Notre Dame were responsible for housing several students, nothing strange in that, until some of them started to disappear without a trace. At first, nothing was thought of it, as it wasn’t unheard of for crooks to work the streets around the cathedral. However, as more students disappeared, the police got suspicious.

Then, after reports of a dog sitting outside the home of the local barber on rue des Marmousets barking non-stop for two days, they investigated further.

It turns out, after interrogating the barber, that he’d been slitting their throats when they visited his shop. He then handed them over to his mate, the pastry chef, who turned the poor students into pâtés en croûte. These delicacies were popular, not to mention tasty, and were even served to King Charles VI.

After confessing, they were both sentenced to death and burned in public at Place de Grève. In the 16th century, their houses were destroyed, and the street was renamed rue Chanoisnesse. If this tale sounds familiar, that’s probably because it sounds very similar to the story of Sweeney Todd, the infamous English barber who did something very similar. Our Parisian tale is said to be the inspiration behind Sweeney Todd.

So, as you can see, looks can certainly be deceiving. Who would have thought such sinister goings-on had happened on this lovely, quiet little street in Paris?