Home BarThe Normandy Hotel Construction Site in Paris

The Normandy Hotel Construction Site in Paris

by Melle Bon Plan
Published: Updated:

The Normandy Hotel is a legendary Parisian hotel in the Rue Saint-Honoré district, dating back to the late 19th century. Since 2019, this venerable establishment has embarked on a profound and necessary transformation to be completely reborn in 2021…

During this long evolution, the hotel has transformed into a new and trendy spot, the Normandy Le Chantier. It gives everyone the chance to experience this mutation from the inside! Hotel guests happily mingle with construction workers and curious visitors who have come to discover this ephemeral and experimental project created by the Machefert Group.

Le Comptoir du Chantier bar with employee, cinder block counter, and neon sign.

Le Comptoir du Chantier menu displaying the 'eating permit' and lunch menus.Façade of the Normandy Hotel in Paris with HOTEL and NORMANDY signs.

White construction hard hats with handwritten messages "Find what you love" and "Enjoy".

In this multi-faceted space, we find a hotel, of course, with both old rooms and an increasing number of rooms being renovated as time passes, but also a plant-based restaurant and even a hidden bar!

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Le Comptoir du Chantier Restaurant

A canteen and a plant-based bakery have set up shop in the heart of the hotel, allowing guests to eat or grab a drink every day at any time from 7 AM to 11 PM. The canteen is set up as a “scaffolding” self-service area and offers healthy, seasonal dishes including appetizers (soup or salad) and daily specials with at least one 100% vegetarian option.

I also recommend trying the homemade juices (€7.50) made on-site, which are truly delicious.

Meal tray at Le Comptoir du Chantier: tacos, rice, salad, carpaccio, and dessert.

Tacos, rice, and green juice served at Le Comptoir du Chantier, Normandy Hotel Paris.Striped cushions and lamps on OSB shelves at Le Comptoir du Chantier.

Meals and green juices served on a wooden table at Le Comptoir du Chantier, Normandy Hotel.

And then, the icing on the cake, so to speak: for dessert, we discovered, much to our delight, the plant-based pastries (€7 outside of the lunch menu) from Oh Faon!, a brand from Marseille. I even went back for tea time with friends just to taste a few more!

White cream tartlet with pine nuts and rosemary from Le Comptoir du Chantier.Creamy tartlet with red decoration and green zest, Comptoir du Chantier.

To enjoy all of this, you can sit in two rooms with very different atmospheres: a dining room with large wooden tables and benches reminiscent of 70s workers’ break rooms, and another that is clearly an homage to the construction site world.

Amenities of the hidden bar Le Rehab at the Normandy Hotel with seats and podium in OSB.

Interior of Restaurant Le Comptoir du Chantier with wooden table and old tools on the wall.Large light wood table and benches at restaurant Le Comptoir du Chantier, Normandy Hotel Paris.

Interior of Le Comptoir du Chantier, restaurant of the Normandy Hotel, with construction hard hats.

Le Comptoir du Chantier Restaurant
open every day from 7 AM to 11 PM

Site Manager Menu with appetizer + main course or main course + dessert for €17 / Workers' Menu 
with appetizer + main course + dessert for €23

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Le Rehab, the hotel’s hidden bar

In addition to this bustling activity, a new type of hidden bar has emerged beneath the establishment. Indeed, the Rehab is tucked away in the basement of the Normandy Le Chantier hotel, on the famous Rue Saint-Honoré. Down a spiral staircase, you discover a dimly lit room that immerses you in the atmosphere of a late 19th-century opium den…

Lively scene at the hidden bar Le Rehab at the Normandy Hotel with a bartender preparing cocktails.

Yellow cocktail with ice cube and red garnish at the hidden bar Le Rehab, Normandy Hotel.Woman sitting in a dark corner, looking at her phone, hidden bar ambiance.

Illuminated spherical crystal light fixtures at the hidden bar of the Normandy Hotel Paris.

Wooden crucifix hanging on the wall of the hidden bar Le Rehab at the Normandy Hotel.Brass wall sconce with frame and dark etching at the hidden bar Le Rehab, Normandy Hotel.

The originality of the menu lies in the fact that a significant portion is dedicated to non-alcoholic cocktails as well as euphoric drinks containing CBD (also known as cannabidiol), a relaxing hemp-seed elixir. Perfect for relaxing without the alcohol.

Of course, for enthusiasts, there are also options for cocktails based on more classic spirits. As a guarantee of quality, behind this new bar are former members of La Mezcaleria Paris (a place I really like), including Ben Tyler, and running the place as Head Bartender, Omar.

Orange cocktail with crispy garnish and lit candle at the hidden bar Le Rehab.

Cocktail served in a flowered vase with mint and fortune cookies, hidden bar.Bartender preparing an exotic cocktail at the hidden bar Le Rehab of the Normandy Hotel.

Woman using her phone in a red wooden nook, hidden bar ambiance.

Lit candle on a tray in front of a printed cushion, hidden bar ambiance.Yellow cocktail in a decorated stemmed glass at the Rehab, hidden bar, Normandy Hotel Paris.

Dark cocktail in a coupe glass at the hidden bar Le Rehab of the Normandy Hotel.Reflection in a gold mirror at the hidden bar Le Rehab, staff and DJ.

Le Rehab

open from Tuesday to Saturday from 6 PM to 2 AM
Cocktail prices: from €14 to €16

Thanks to the Hotel Normandy Le Chantier for these great moments at the heart of their construction site.

Le Comptoir du Chantier terrace with a customer sitting in front of the window.

Façade of Le Comptoir du Chantier with a man looking at his phone in Paris.

Normandy Hôtel

7 rue de l'échelle / 254 rue Saint-Honoré 75001 Paris

Girl jumping on a bed in a hotel room in Orleans.Find all my hotel reviews below:
⇒ All my hotel reviews
⇒ My hotel reviews in Paris
⇒ My hotel reviews in France
My hotel reviews around the World

MY HOTELS IN PARIS
⇒ The Normandy Hotel
⇒ The Royal Madeleine Hotel
⇒ The Banke Hotel
⇒ Okko Hotel Porte de Versailles
⇒ Hotel de Malte
⇒ The Sofitel Paris Arc de Triomphe
⇒ The Hôtel de Sers

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MAP OF MY GOOD FOOD SPOTS IN PARIS AND THE ILE-DE-FRANCE REGION

Orange location icon for restaurant and cocktail barRestaurant Location icon for restaurant and cocktail barBar Location pin for restaurant and cocktail barPastry Shop / Bakery Green location marker for restaurant and cocktail bar.Tea Room / Coffee Shop
Location icon pointing to the address. Brunch Restaurant location map icon. Ice Cream Shop


Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez 
Photos are not royalty-free, photographer authorization required before any use

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