EXBERLINER Issue 164, October 2017

CHARLOTTENBURG
FIRST-PERSON
WE’LL ALWAYS
HAVE PARIS
If you were an artist, actor, director
or musician in 1980s West Berlin, you
came to the Paris Bar. And even today,
you still do. Satya, a French waiter at
the notorious Kantstraße Paris bistro
for 16 years, explains its unique magic.
As told to Ruth Schneider. Photos by German Palomeque
I’ve been working here since 2001, when I was 19.
Working for the Paris Bar involves some pride; you
get to identify with the place. A literally exceptional
place. Michel [Würthle] is a rather authoritative boss
[smiles], but he’s a charismatic figure and he knows
how to get things to tick – to tune up. He’s like a conductor.
And he created a vibe that’s unique. There’s
the history, the legend: this is the place where Martin
Kippenberger, Helmut Newton, Iggy Pop and David
Bowie hung out. Over the years I’ve seen a grumpy
Mick Jagger (I guess there were too many paparazzi
outside), Dustin Hoffman coming in regularly when
his daughter studied here, and Jack Nicholson buying
dinner for the family at the next table – he had
befriended the little daughter, who’s not so little any
longer; she came back this
year with her mum and we
reminisced together.
I also remember Bruno
Ganz making a sensation as he entered the dining
room dressed as Hitler – he was shooting Downfall
and had kept his props and uniform on. Otto Sander
had a table here until his death...
We get more tourists now, but the Paris Bar is still
primarily patronised by regulars. Some come everyday,
others every week, but you get to know them and
their habits well. This and the fact that the tables are
so close to each other creates a very convivial atmosphere:
people get to talk to their neighbours, whom
they often know. And we know them – on a firstperson,
du basis. Once in a while you’re reminded
that this kind of familiarity is not welcomed by non-
Berliners – one older German man got so offended
that he immediately asked to be waited by someone
else. But that’s the exception. In Germany you have
Kunden, customers, and Gäste, guests. The customer
can be king, alright. But here, they are “guests” and
we host them, which means hospitality, respect and a
certain degree of familiarity. We want to make them
feel at home, bien chez nous.
They have their tables and their quirks. One likes
his whiskey served in a particular glass, another her
About the Paris Bar
Opened by a former
French Army man in the
1960s, the restaurant
at Kantstraße 152 came
into its own in 1979,
when Austrian art scene
veterans Michel Würthle
and Reinald Nohal took
over and replaced the
kitschy decorations with
Würthle’s own art collection.
It’s attracted artists
from Kippenberger to
Baselitz, Daniel Richter
to Markus Lupertz, who
came and still come for
French fare like bouillabaisse,
foie gras, steak
frites and what’s widely
reputed to be the best
sole meunière in Berlin.
I don’t go so much anymore, but back in the day I was
there four times a week. Michel was a very charming
guy. If you forgot your money, he’d say ‘Pay me tomorrow’. So
it was very, very easygoing. There were a lot of artists, painters
and film stars there, especially during the Berlinale – it was
packed. I’d go there with ‘my’ artists or my musicians, although
David Bowie and I never did go to the Paris Bar together – we’d
go to Diener or something like that. But I was there with Charlotte
Rampling, Michael Sarrazin, Udo Lindenberg... Everybody
knew everybody, so you were sure to always meet people you
knew.” — Romy Haag, former club owner and diva
Order: Back then, there was only one thing you ordered there:
steak with French fries. The rest was really – oy oy oy.
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EXBERLINER 164