Fifteen years ago, Bastille was the emerging cool neighborhood of Paris.

Then, as the masses discovered the south side of the 11th Arrondissement, the inevitable backlash occurred. The city's self-appointed tastemakers declared the area fini and decamped for points north and west. Bastille descended into a haven of grungy student bars, low-end creperies and charmless fast-food outlets.

Over the last year, however, some of France's most famous restaurateurs, chefs and designers have planted their flags in the neighborhood where the famous prison once stood.

Style-savvy upstarts have done likewise, further elevating the area's profile for epicures and night owls. Little by little, a new crowd is storming Bastille.

Cafe Francais: Gilbert and Thierry Costes, the brothers behind chic Paris institutions like the Hotel Costes and Cafe Marly, hired the designer India Mahdavi (whose credits include the Hotel on Rivington in Manhattan) to overhaul this former tourist-trap cafe. Within the kaleidoscopic melange of art deco sleekness and 1970s glam, tuxedoed waiters stride across the marble floor to deliver steak tartare, French toast dessert and other jazzy riffs on Continental classics.

3 Place de la Bastille. 33-14029-0402. Cafe-francais.fr.

L'Epicerie Saint-Sabin: Laurent Pataille and his wife, Florence, bring the delicacies of his native southwestern France to gastronomes in East Paris, stocking their deli and wine shop with caviar from the Pyrenees, foie gras larded with black truffles, jars of cassoulet from Toulouse and more.

13, rue St. Sabin. 33-96729-8933. Lepicerie-saint-sabin.com.

Badaboum: The London-trained bartender Nicolas Dieudonne shakes, rattles and rolls out both classic cocktails and contemporary creations, like Napoleon Is Back, an original mix of Mandarine Napoleon Cognac, Plymouth gin and Noilly Prat vermouth, rounded out with a sprig of rosemary. An eclectic mishmash of retro and vintage chairs provides the seating in the airy, white gallery-like space. A connected nightclub area hosts shows by pop-rock bands and electro DJs.

2 bis, rue des Taillandiers. 33-14806-5070. Badaboum-paris.com.

Manger: A sometime Ducasse collaborator, the designer Marie Deroudilhe, devised the sky-lit contempo-chic interiors of this loft-like restaurant. Yet another past Ducasse collaborator, the chef Julien Cadiou, oversees the kitchen. Having cooked at the star chef's namesake restaurant at the Plaza Athenee hotel, Cadiou is now turning out impressive Asian-accented dishes across town.

24, rue Keller. 33-1-43-38-69-15. Manger-leresto.com.

Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse: The renowned chef and restaurateur taps his inner Willy Wonka at this temple of chocolate, whose confines used to hold an auto garage. Using vintage machinery, the manufacturing facility buys beans from around the globe and transforms them into myriad lush bars, truffles, pralines, ganaches and more. They're all for sale in the adjacent boutique.

40, rue de la Roquette. 33-14805-8286. www.lechocolat-alainducasse.com.

(China Daily 07/13/2014 page10)