French Connection
Paris by Way of Union Street

Bastille Day: fine, not really on your radar.

Partying like it’s Paris 1928: you’re listening...

Introducing Café des Amis, the luxe all-day—and late-night—wine, cocktail and raw bar-laden brasserie, opening next Wednesday for year-round Bastille Day celebrations on Union Street.

Taking over the prime corner spot that was formerly Prego, des Amis seems to have been lifted off of Paris’s cobblestone streets and impeccably placed on this sunny side of Union—complete with its gas lamps inside and out and a wall completely stocked with more than 500 bottles of French wines.

By day, you’ll want to take one of the marble-topped sidewalk tables peeking out past the French doors. And by that we mean, take it over for the entire day and keep the oysters, mussels and lobster from the raw bar coming, along with chilled bottles of rosé (that’s how they do it in Paris).

After dark, the scene turns slightly more Moulin Rouge, so move to the long, solid zinc cocktail bar—one of a select few custom-made in Paris—and order a round of Knickerbocker à la Monsieurs. As the night progresses, you might move to one of the cabaret-red banquettes by the staircase, or even follow those steps up to a fireside table in the back room under the massive crystal-drop chandelier.

Never underestimate the power of good lighting.