If you want to feel like a true Parisian (and really, is there any better sensation) then we strongly advise you head to La Cave à Michel for a glass or two of the good stuff. 

Hugging the corner of the Rue Sainte-Marthe square, ajar. is a neighbourhood bustle borrowing its name from author, Romain Gary's pseudonym, Émile Ajar, who made Belleville the backdrop to his novel La Vie Devant Soi. From the outside, baby blue-licked walls contrast the charcoal front and from the inside, terracotta tiles form the floor, bricks are left exposed on the walls and the bar is topped with a ceramic countertop. Folk start trickling in as soon as the doors open for evening service at 17:00, though it's a little later when ajar becomes a bustling hive of activity. Chefs, Camille Bacou and Cassandre Beguin-Billecocq  dance around the kitchen, serving the likes of white tuna crudo topped with corn and raspberry chunks or a smoked eel crust pie dished up with a scoop of pickled mustard seeds. 

Like many of the dinky restaurants along Rue Sainte-Marthe, Mulino Mulé is similarly equipped with brick-lined walls, brushed wooden tables and cord-hanging ruffle lamp shades that exude a remarkably cozy, golden glow. What sets it apart is its very own wheat mill, where grains are processed to create a fresh pasta dough that becomes the epicentre for its Sicilian-focused menu. A sausage ragu simmers away for hours, cacio et Pepe is doused in a peppery sauce and hearty bowls of pasta alla norma are whisked from the kitchen to the crowds of hungry locals. 

Just off from the bustling boulevard of Belleville is the Place Sainte-Marthe, a quiet square shaded by trees and a scattering of bars, foodie hangouts and chic wine bars. La Sardine is one of such. This bar-restaurant, dolls out tapas inspired by Spanish and Italian roots, from fish croquettes with a chimichurri dip to tins of very good sardines. Though really, head to La Sardine, to join the flock of Parisians on its outdoor terrace. Order an IPA and hunt for a table under its bright yellow canopy.