La Citadelle des Grands Boulevards’ cool flower-bedecked neon sign called to me early one misty Friday morning on my way to the meeting place for couture embroiderer and writer Rebecca Devany’s Textile Tour of Paris.
I made it there with my husband later that night, after a busy day that also included the Museum of Hunting and Nature and lunch at the nearby Au Coeur du Marais. The rain had cleared. The outside tables were full. A DJ was keeping the energy up. What more could I ask for?
Turned out the decor was as great as the promise of that neon sign. We sat inside under one of the whimsical chandeliers made from lampshades.
Our server brought us une carafe d’eau in a gorgeous vintage blue enameled pitcher with a floral design that they uncovered at the flea market. It was too bad my tiny suitcase and short stay kept me from hunting for a few for myself!
Thin Crust Neapolitan-Style Pizza
We ordered the Parma pizza and the house white, Chardonnay Millebuis. We are pizza nerds and appreciated the thin crust blistered to a perfect brownness and the poofy cornicione (pizza nerd word alert: it’s the outer rim of the crust!). The pizza chef obviously knew what they were doing. 
They also knew their ingredients. The savory Parma ham over tangy San Marzano tomato sauce topped with creamy fior di latte, salty Grana Padano, and fresh basil made for a salty-tangy-creamy winning combination.
It was a tasty atmospheric end to a once-in-a-lifetime Parisian day. The service at La Citadelle was friendly, the music was fun, and the place great energy. I was on a high from-quality sightseeing and a good night’s sleep at our nearby hotel, the Opera Ambassador. My only regret is that I wasn’t in Paris long enough to return!
Recreate your own Friday Night at La Citadelle with my Spotify playlist of the DJ set:
Details:
La Citadelle des Grands Boulevards is a busy, brasserie-style restaurant serving primarily Italian dishes. Full bar.
Open 8AM-2AM every day
Location: 24 Bd des Italiens, 75009 Paris
Phone: +33 1 55 33 10 00
