Au Train de Vie: A Paris Brasserie Goes Off the Track

Story by Caitlin Rodgers

Above planes and automobiles, trains are the way to travel through Europe. Paris knows this to be true with its multitude of gares stationed throughout the city. But even if you come to Paris with plans to stay put (and who can blame you?), there’s a place in the 10^th arrondisement that offers the thrill of travel without moving you a mile. Above the humming engines and frenzied energy of the Gare de l’Est sits Au Train de Vie, a brasserie where, beyond classic menu conventions (an array of salads, steaks, frites, wine, and coffee), tradition is left at the curb.

Sandwiched between Gar de l’Est and Gare du Nord, Au Train de Vie is endearingly and completely outfitted with items from old train cars. Choosing a table, you’ll literally sink into the whimsical charm of railway travel as you rest in spring-cushioned orange chairs retired from lives on the tracks. Those feeling particularly elite can forgo orange chairs for red ones in the “first class” section at the back of the restaurant. After ordering, you’ll want to lean back and take a good look around. Above you in overhead compartments sit vintage suitcases holding the stories of decades of voyages in their stitching. Conductor caps, along with old railway signs and photographs, hang below, adding to the anthology of countless railway adventures. In between café crèmes, you won’t lose track of time thanks to the clocks whose tick tocks are still as reliable as when they kept time inside the Gare de l’Est. Even the bathrooms follow on track with the train theme, as getting to them means passing through the same sliding doors that usually separate one train car from the next.

The charm that seeps from every cranny of Au Train de Vie is only further heightened by the friendliness of its staff.  Even as they begin pulling chairs inside to lock up for the evening, they are in no rush to see your party leave. If being seated amongst locals is an experience you’re hoping for, you’ll find it Au Train de Vie, for it’s the kind of place where you’re welcome to hang your hat, plan your next adventure, or simply watch life roll by.

Au Train de Vie
1, Rue des Deux Gares, 75010
Metro: Gare de l’Est or Magenta

Caitlin Rodgers’ roots are deep in the heart of Texas, but she happily traded them for the chance to know Paris. Currently a graduate student studying global communications, she loves getting lost in the city’s many sides and side streets which she often regales in her blog, Porch Swings and Sunsets.