Unlike in San Francisco, where shiny new bars and restaurants have sprouted in the once-desolate districts taken over by startups, the Parisian Internet explosion is happening in neighborhoods already full of places to sit, talk, eat, and drink. For this reason, the hangouts of the Parisian digerati tend to have longer histories than their American counterparts. Here's a small selection:
Café Beaubourg 100 rue St-Martin, 4e.
+33 (1) 48 87 63 96
Beaubourg's interior was designed in the 1980s by architect Christian de Portzamparc, who recently achieved wider fame with New York's LVMH Tower. A creative, intellectual crowd has made this café across from the Centre Pompidou a place to see and be seen, and now the digerati have joined them. Open: 8 am-1 am Sun-Thurs, 8 am-2 am Fri-Sat. Coffee: $2.50 day; $2.75 evening.
Le Croissant 146 rue Montmartre, 2e.
+33 (1) 42 33 35 04
In 1914, the socialist and pacifist politician Jean Jaurès was assassinated in this Parisian institution, long a rallying point for the French left. The restaurant is just around the corner from the Rue des Jeûneurs, considered by many to be the epicenter of Silicon Sentier. Open: 6:30 am-8 pm Mon-Fri. Lunch: $12.
Le Temple d'Or 17 rue du Faubourg du Temple, 10e.
+33 (1) 44 84 98 27
Directly across from Republic Alley, the family-run Temple d'Or caters to the startup crowd during the day and after-hours clubbers at night, as well as to its working-class regulars. Open: 24/7. Coffee: $1.30 day, $1.90 night.
Le Vaudeville 29 rue Vivienne, 2e.
+33 (1) 40 20 04 62
Thanks to its location in the financial district, this traditional Parisian brasserie has long been a popular meeting spot for bankers and stockbrokers. These days, VCs and entreprenautes also frequent its art deco surroundings. Open: 7 am-1 am every day. Lunch: prix fixe $20.
Web Bar 32 rue de Picardie, 3e.
+33 (1) 42 72 66 55, www.webbar.fr
Hidden in the narrow streets of the Marais, among some of Paris's oldest buildings, Web Bar has a cafe on the ground floor, computers on the mezzanine, and an art gallery upstairs. It also hosts (and webcasts) regular readings, concerts, and other events. Open: 11:30 am-2 am every day. Coffee: $1.30.
