Le Zimmer, a brasserie on place du Châtelet since 1896

Le Zimmer, a brasserie on place du Châtelet, opened in 1896 beside the theatre. It belonged to the Zimmer taverns company, founded by Alsatians who came to Paris after the war of 1870, and its room with a floral ceiling stood out for its restrained decor.

Doors once led straight into the Théâtre du Châtelet, and by 1914 the house had grown to four floors. Jules Verne, Zola, Sarah Bernhardt, Mahler, Debussy, Proust, Diaghilev and Nijinsky came here. On 20 November 1902, Géo Lefèvre suggested the idea of the Tour de France to Henri Desgrange over lunch.

During the Occupation, the Honneur de la Police resistance network met in its vast cellars, where a hiding place is said to have saved several families from antisemitic persecution. In 2000 the decorator Jacques Garcia reworked the house while keeping the spirit of its rooms.

On the corner of the square and avenue Victoria, Le Zimmer serves seasonal French cooking seven days a week, before and after performances at the Châtelet. Private rooms welcome groups.