Topa! is the kind of place you'd walk past without a second glance — a tiny bar-restaurant on a quiet street near Gobelins — and that would be your loss. A Taiwanese chef trained at Paul Bocuse is back here turning out Basque tapas with subtle Asian touches, and everything, from the sangria to the desserts, is made in-house. Reviewers consistently call it Michelin-level food at bistro prices, and the chef's habit of coming out to chat about the menu makes it feel like dinner at a friend's place — a very talented friend.
A Bocuse-trained Taiwanese chef fuses Basque tapas with Asian finesse in a tiny 13th-arrondissement bar where the sangria is homemade and the cooking rivals starred restaurants.
Call ahead or message the chef directly — the space is tiny and fills up fast, especially on weekends, and the chef is known to customize the menu for groups if you ask.
Basque tapas with a Taiwanese twist — Michelin-level cooking at bistro prices
If you're tired of the same old tapas places in Paris, Topa! is a genuine surprise. Tucked away on Rue Michel Peter near the Gobelins metro, this small bar-restaurant is run by a young Taiwanese chef who graduated from the Paul Bocuse school and decided to fuse Basque cuisine with elegant Asian touches. The result is anything but gimmicky — think classic Basque flavors with a subtle, confident twist that makes you sit up and pay attention.
The menu leans heavily on tapas, all made in-house, and reviewers rave about the aubergines in particular — don't skip them. The homemade sangria also gets repeated shoutouts, and it's the kind of thing you order a second pitcher of before you've finished the first. Portions are generous for tapas, and the pricing is what really wins people over: multiple reviewers describe the experience as Michelin-level cooking at bistro-menu prices.
What seals the deal is the atmosphere. It's a small space, warm and convivial, and the chef has a habit of coming out to discuss the menu with guests personally. One reviewer even planned their birthday dinner here and said every guest was blown away. It's the sort of place where you arrive expecting a quick bite and end up staying all evening.