Paris restaurants with a New York attitude

The Red Sauce restaurant, Paris. FELIX DOL MAILLOT

It did not matter that rain had drenched the terrace only minutes earlier: On this autumn evening, around 7 pm, customers braved the damp without hesitation. Some sipped espresso martinis as they waited to be seated inside, while others enjoyed a final puff of nicotine. The brief moment of calm was a welcome respite from the tumult inside.

Since Red Sauce (Paris 10th arrondissement) opened in May, enthusiasm for the restaurant has not waned. That evening, nearly 200 people, spread over two seatings, would push through the glass doors of this restaurant inspired by the red sauce joints – those Italian-American trattorias born from the massive wave of immigration from Italy to the United States between 1880 and 1920.

Though they first discovered this type of eatery in San Francisco, where they were business students a decade ago, Guillaume Nivet and Lucas Fauroux, co-founders of Red Sauce, said they drew most of their inspiration from New York establishments when creating their restaurant. “New York and New Jersey were the main hubs for the Italian diaspora. That’s why most of the classic red sauce joints are concentrated there,” explained Nivet.

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