Anahi restaurant - Paris, France

From a 1920’s butchers to a deli and then one of Paris’ most mondaine restaurant-dives in the 80s, the Anahi has led an interesting life. Sold in 2014 by then owners, Carmina and Pilar Lebero, it enjoyed an brief but unsuccessful stint as the opening salvo in the street’s putative transformation into a gastronomic Disneyland before being sold again last year to Riccardo Giraudi.

Scion of the Monagesque meat merchants, Giraudi’s love of flesh first found expression in 2005, when taking trade in a new direction, he opened the suggestively-named Beefbar. 
A temple to all things Angus, Beefbars popped up all over and now, bearing the Michelin Star the Hong Kong outpost scooped in 2016, Giraudi’s at the helm of Anahi.

The light makeover by Emil Humbert and Christophe Poyet, long-time Giraudi collaborators, is minimal as interventions go and not only leaves the historic interior intact - the Art Deco glass painted ceiling and globe lights are original - but preserves the kintsugi-style copper crack work added by Maud Bury during the previous makeover. 

Giraudi, who has sensibly brought Carmina back to host, clearly has an eye on recapturing the bohemian crowd for which this Marais fixture was once known.