Beyond hype: How Holybelly became a Paris institution

You’re in Paris. You want a good coffee. You want some great pancakes. You want to be treated well.

So where do you go?

Holybelly comes in at the top of the list for many people (including basketball megastar LeBron James). And for good reason.

The place is the hippest cafe in town and it’s no secret. But what, I wonder, is the secret to the success?

I sat down for a chat with the cafe owner Nico Alary, who says the days of “hype” are over and that after six years, Holybelly is on the way to becoming an institution.

We also talk about what to order if you find yourself in a terrible Paris restaurant, a few tips for the 10th district, and how exactly to order a steak in French. 

Find Holybelly at: 5 AND 19 Rue Lucien Sampaix, 75010 Paris, and check out Nico’s new podcast: That Restaurant Thing

After our chat, it’s tour guide Bertrand from My Private Paris talking about the fascinating history of the mega gateways to Paris that stand in the 10th arrondissement. Below is a picture I took of the Porte Saint Denis.

My Private Paris is the boutique tour agency sponsoring this podcast season. Find out more about their tours here (and tell them I sent you!)

If you want to find more about The Earful Tower, here’s my Patreon link, and here’s my Instagram. Get a copy of my new book here.