I discovered l’Anecdote at the end of 2015, a few months after its opening. Not very attracted by its location, in a quite boring area between the busy hubs of Gare de Lyon train station, Bastille and the Arsenal Port, I went there first because it was a new venue for the Marcello Song System (still organised here every second Thursday, from 20:30 to 00:00), to which I am addicted.
And I was lucky to discover this new place: cheap beers (happy hour until 22:00), friendly staff, mixed clients, it is a very nice place to chill when you have time to, either along the counter and its daily newspapers, or at a table, along the shelves where you can find and borrow the numerous books (and a few games – cards, dices…) of the bar.
At lunchtime, L’Anecdote becomes a restaurant with a daily changing menu offering about 3 options per course (of which at least a vegetarian dish in each course!). It also serves a selection of simpler dishes at dinner, like platters of cheese or cold meat, beetroot hummus or baked camembert…
L’Anecdote is also very art-oriented, with regular concerts (mostly French ”chanson”), open mic sessions (called ”scènes ouvertes”), art exhibitions, and now even poetry slam sessions.
If you go there, an extra tip is to have a look to the very cute rue Crémieux, one of the most charming unexpected streets of Paris (1 min walk towards Gare de Lyon).
