Right place, right time

The cinematic stop-out
Le Grand Colbert, Paris

Don’t let its old façade fool you – Le Grand Colbert’s best days are ahead of it. This spot, just north of Palais Royal, is one of the most fêted brasseries in a city that’s brimming with great places to break bread. When Monocle pays a visit, there’s an appreciative hum during evening service and a fleet of smart waiters clip across the floor and between busy tables.

The building dates to 1828 and has had many lives, including becoming a restaurant – a bouillon – in 1900. The current owner, businessman Joel Fleury, took over in 1992. The architecture is a draw: soaring ceilings, mirrors, a mosaic floor and sculpted pilasters all in the pleasing curves of art nouveau. If it all looks a little familiar, it’s perhaps because the dining room has lent that grandeur to several films and TV series, including the 2003 Hollywood hit Something’s Gotta Give with Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Keanu Reeves (shot at table 29).

But film credits and finery only count for so much when tummies start to rumble. People still come to this hallowed dining hall for one reason: to eat. Service here runs from midday to midnight and in a relative rarity for such a traditional joint, it is – as the neon sign outside reads in pleasing Anglo-French – “non-stop” (as in not broken up into sittings).

Chef Fabrice Cornée uses seasonal produce to prepare classic French cuisine with a modern twist. But the result is anything but anodyne: just-so sole meunière, tender coquilles St Jacques (scallops) or blanquette de veau (veal stew) are all the tastier – and yes, perhaps a little cinematic – when consumed under the establishment’s golden lights and fluttering palm fronds. 
legrandcolbert.com

The whimsical wonder
Bemelmans, New York

In the late 1940s, Ludwig Bemelmans, the US writer and illustrator of the beloved Madeline children’s book series, made a deal with a friend. In exchange for a protracted stay at the swanky Carlyle Hotel on the Upper East Side (of which his friend was fortuitously the manager), Bemelmans agreed to paint the walls of the hotel’s new bar. He opted for a fantastical depiction of nearby Central Park –giraffes with parasols, besuited bunnies and even an appearance by the famous Madeline character and her school chums. The murals remain vibrant to this day and add a touch of whimsy to the sumptuous, leather-and-wood snug that still bears Bemelmans’ name.

If you can snag a table (walk-ins are welcome, though there is sometimes a queue) then come hungry. The bar fare is no-nonsense and decadent: caviar, oysters, charcuterie and cheese, plus finger foods such as beef sliders, mini tuna tacos and andouille sausage pigs-in-a-blanket.

Bemelmans has accomplished a rare feat: staying perpetually popular while preserving the charm and atmosphere that made it so irresistible to late-night patrons when it first opened in 1947. The glamour is understated, the red-jacketed bartenders discreet and the martinis stiff. There is live music every day until closing – Emmy Award-winning pianist Earl Rose’s weekly performances are a treat – and on raucous nights guests have been known to crowd around the Steinway and join in.
35 E 76th Street, New York, NY 10021

The trusty trattoria
Rosy e Gabriele 1, Milan

As bars and restaurants come and go in Milan’s Porta Venezia, Rosy e Gabriele 1 remains, well, number one for late-night dining. Established in 1967 (at one point there was a second, hence the name), the trattoria has been run by a Serbian-Montenegrin family for four decades. The restaurant, which opens for lunch and dinner, is marshalled by brothers Cedo and Cuca Mikic, with the all-male waitstaff entirely made up of family members.

The restaurant has a timeless and slightly kitschy air. There are paintings of Rome and Pisa on the walls, a world map above the fish fridge and a hanging wooden Montenegrin insignia, with a wolf in its centre, which was gifted to Cedo. There are brightish lights – the true mark of an old-school joint in these parts – and 1980s and 1990s Italian ballads on the stereo. The large dining room is busy on the Thursday night when monocle visits, as patrons drink wine and plump for something from a menu of some 300 dishes, featuring everything from fish crudo to pizza. The piano at the far end of the bar is regularly tinkered on in the wee hours by a maestro from La Scala.

One thing that’s kept Rosy e Gabriele lively is the diverse crowd. When monocle visits, a politician is here, as well as a group of footballers. An architect takes a pew at the same table that he’s been eating at for the past 40 years and by 22.30 several young fashionistas sit down. There’s an air of bravado about the crowd that’s echoed in the owners’ pride in the place. “All the most famous people have come here – actors, politicians, sports stars,” says Cedo. “Maradona was here.” Yet he seems a little saddened that people aren’t dining as late as they once did. “Before the pandemic, people would eat here at 02.30 like it was 20.30,” he says. Still, he adds, there’s no problem showing up at the restaurant at midnight. “Just give us a call.” 
26 Via Giuseppe Sirtori; 139 02 2952 5930

Good for a yarn
Snob Bar, Lisbon

It’s a new era for Snob Bar but thankfully one marked by little obvious change to this legendary Lisbon restaurant. “My goal is to keep things as they’ve always been,” says Miguel Garcia, who took over the Lisbon address last year from its previous owners’ 50-year custody with a promise of safekeeping and continuity. “There are places that simply cannot disappear. They are part of a city’s history.”

Opened in 1964, Snob belongs to a special strain of establishments known for a discreet, closed-door policy, behind which lie dimly lit wood-panelled interiors and the possibility of late-night dining. Founded by an illustrator at the O Século newspaper (whose newsroom was nearby but shut in 1977), Snob continues to draw in a clientele of journalists, writers and politicians. “We want Snob to remain primarily a Portuguese house, with regulars who recommend it to the new generations through word of mouth,” says Garcia.

The intimate decor of red carpet, leather seats and books on shelves has remained the same but the place has been given a facelift. The tin on the table lamps and the wooden ceiling and walls have been polished and the sofas reupholstered in their original bottle green. The food is the same as always, with croquettes and “Snob steak” with fries as the calling cards. This said, the drink selection has been jazzed up with classic cocktails, a careful selection of spirits and a good line-up of whisky. What feels different is the absence of the previous owner, Albino Oliveira (who almost single-handedly served while managing Snob’s door policy). However, the hope is that a new staff of eight can offer on-point service while keeping some of the place’s time-tested allure. The aim? To become part of the furniture.
snobbar.pt

Get the ball rolling
Kaniya Honten, Nagasaki

A quick stop for an after-dinner onigiri (rice ball) is common practice in Nagasaki these days but the origins of this ritual started with one restaurant. “My father opened Kaniya in 1965 when there were no conbini (convenience stores) and fewer restaurants,” says current proprietor Hideki Fujikawa. “This was the first onigiri speciality shop in Nagasaki and once it opened, it became part of the local culture to have an onigiri after a night of drinking. People started saying, ‘Nondara Kaniya’, which means ‘After you drink, it’s Kaniya.’”

On any night, Kaniya is rammed. The onigiri are made to order with A-grade Koshihikari rice from Niigata, seaweed from Ariake and Hakata salt from Ehime. “We’ve always prepared each onigiri at the counter in front of the customers,” says Fujikawa. “Regulars often say that the taste hasn’t changed but it has. Customers have a more sophisticated palate today so we always try to make subtle improvements and use the best ingredients.” A Kaniya onigiri is small enough to wolf down quickly, allowing diners to try more of the 33 variations on the menu.

Popular orders are iwanori (seasoned seaweed), takana (pickled mustard leaves) and the signature shio-saba (salt-grilled mackerel). “Unlike convenience-store versions, we carefully remove the bones by hand and grill each piece without any additives,” says Fujikawa. A bottle of Asahi Super Dry and the popular akadashi red miso soup complete the picture. The convivial hum is the sound of a room full of satisfied customers of all ages. “We are seeing a lot more younger people lately, alongside our loyal regulars,” says Fujikawa. The Kaniya tradition looks set to continue.

The spot for a singalong
El Primo Sanchez, Sydney

In a 1940s pub on Oxford Street, Paddington, on Sydney’s eastern fringe, is a colourful Mexican haunt that’s a go-to for a late bite. Serving drinks until 02.00 with a resident DJ in the corner, the technicolour decor, old-school Mexican music and a private karaoke booth make it an ideal spot for a late-night margarita, mezcal or a plate of tacos and a singalong.

Bartender Eduardo Conde oversees the shaking and stirring, showcasing his talent with a menu of creative and curious cocktails. With a focus on tequila and mezcal, the extensive drinks list includes adapted classics, such as the negroni made with raicilla (a Mexican spirit distilled from the agave plant) and the viva la vida, a piquant take on the humble margarita that arrives with lashings of mango, mint, a kick of Ancho Reyes chilli liquor and native lemon myrtle.

Head chef Diego Sotelo’s menu includes tostadas with diced raw tuna served with edamame, while the pick of the tacos are the al Pastor (pork belly with pineapple) and the campechano (with smoky brisket, chorizo and salsa). Desserts run to piping-hot churros with dulce de leche for dipping and brown-butter madeleines dotted with white chocolate and Australian wattle seed.

For a more intimate experience, venture into La Prima, the private speakeasy within the bar. This cosy space, its walls adorned with colourful Mexican prints and lit by candlelight, also has a dedicated bartender service. Barkeep, another viva la vida, por favor!
elprimosanchez.com

For the grown-ups
The Dover, London

After 15 years as COO at Soho House Group, Martin Kuczmarski amassed an enviable amount of experience and inspiration from the bar and restaurant world. The Dover, his instant classic in London’s Mayfair, is the distillation of all that he’s learned – a meticulous amalgam of Kuczmarski’s favourite late-night establishments and his design-led philosophy.

Once through the heavy velvet curtains, the softly lit, slender bar is a blur of bartenders kitted out in white double- breasted Savile Row jackets made from the same cloth as butchers’ aprons. The drinks list is long and classic but majors in martinis. The signature Dover martini sums up Kuczmarski’s pedigree: an American drink made with Italian vermouth and Konik’s Tail vodka from Poland and is accented with an orange twist and bitters. Trays of the things float out to the candlelit tables, while a barback selects records to suit the sultry, grown-up mood.

Beyond the bar, a stretch of conspiratorial booths leads to the oblong dining room, which is all sinuous swoops of walnut panelling rising to a glazed barrel ceiling. This club-like space, designed by Quincoces-Dragó, a Milanese architecture practice, takes cues from an age of steam-powered travel and art deco dining cars. Here you’ll find an international set tucking into Italian-American fare of courgette fritti, spaghetti meatballs, hamburgers and beef arrosto, all served on bone china plates and pleasingly bereft of the usually hefty Mayfair price tag for the pleasure. Kuczmarski’s next venture? A hotel in Parma.
thedoverrestaurant.com

Hungry for more?

Monocle’s editors are always on the road and seeking out snug corners for deal-sealing meals and high watermarks of hospitality. To make the most of our journalists’ little black books, subscribe today so you never miss a find and for exclusive access to our online travel guides.
monocle.com