In the neighbourhood: Saint-Ouen, Paris

Just past the city’s ring road, Saint-Ouen is an independent town with its own rhythm. The Olympics brought these northern suburbs fresh attention, but Les Puces (or fleas) have been attracting visitors for more than a century. Built around rue des Rosiers, the world’s largest antiques market spreads across dozens of covered alleys where dealers specialise in everything from baroque furniture to midcentury design. Now, resident chefs and local booksellers are taking over the surrounding streets, opening bistros and bookshops to serve their community.

Set in the rue des Rosiers, Mob House ignores the cramped Parisian hotel standard entirely. The bedrooms are impossibly spacious, with solid oak wood interiors and rice straw headboards. On sunny afternoons, the garden courtyard fills with neighbourhood creatives finishing briefs over plates of oeufs mayonnaise at brasserie Feuille de Chou, while those spending the night take over the pool. mobhouse.com

Banlieusard.e (the English translation of the word is “suburb dweller”) sits in a concrete-lined space directly across from Mob House. Saint-Ouen locals Julien and Ava opened this coffee shop as the perfect escape from the crowded antique stalls. The menu skips the usual brunch classics, pairing Vietnamese drip coffee with Korean-style gilgeori sandwiches. instagram.com/banlieusard.e/

Surrounded by concrete apartment blocks, Fleur Godart treats this cave à manger like her own dining room. The former natural wine distributor serves curated bottles behind a tiled counter, hosts film screenings with the cinema down the road and roasts chicken from her father’s farm in the Dordogne on Saturdays. instagram.com/finefleursaintouen/

Bess and her partner, Julien, co-founded this bookshop-café after settling in Saint-Ouen. She’s usually the one behind the counter, switching between book recommendations – heavy on graphic novels and indie publishers – and specialty coffees roasted in Paris. Regulars time their morning coffee runs to catch the salted chocolate-chip cookies straight from the oven. storyboard.shop

It takes a special menu to drag Parisians across the ring road, but JeanJean is reliably packed. Chef Jean His ignores the usual bistro playbook and surprises with soft-boiled eggs melting into Comté cream and pickled chanterelles, or with tempura pollock and confit aubergine in parsley oil. jeanjeanrestaurant.fr

Beneath a Klein-blue awning, Bonne Aventure is a lively dining room, surrounded by bottles of natural wine. Chef Alcidia Vulbeau rewrites the menu every month with dishes such as pulled oyster mushrooms with buttered truffle mash or a citrus crémeux balanced by a delicate hibiscus crunch. bonneaventure.fr/