YPSELI: A Greek Gastrotaverna in Paris Hums with a Sense of Communal Warmth

Words by Yatzer

22 April 2025

YPSELI: A Greek Gastrotaverna in Paris Hums with a Sense of Communal Warmth

Words by Yatzer

22 April 2025

Culinary Chronicles

88 Rue Réaumur, Paris, France

With Paris’ reputation for embracing culinary diversity, it was only a matter of time before the city’s first Greek gastrotaverna opened its doors. Housed on the ground floor of the historic À Réaumur department store—an architectural hybrid of Beaux-Arts formality and proto-modern steel-and-glass transparency—YPSELI introduces a new Greek gastronomic philosophy to France, one that’s both reverent and refreshingly unruly. Evidently, it’s an ethos that extends seamlessly to the venue’s design. There are no folkloric tropes here—no tavern chairs, painted amphorae or bouzouki kitsch. Instead, the space channels urban minimalism, laced with a sun-soaked Mediterranean palette of terracotta, olive, and honey. Comprising a grocer’s shop, deli, and wine cellar, this is a restaurant that looks both forward and back, much like the culinary movement it represents.

Facade of "Gobert-Martin" featuring a bakery and café, with large windows displaying a variety of pastries, sandwiches, and goods.

Photography © the social food.

A waiter in a blue shirt and apron sets a table in a cozy restaurant with warm lighting and rustic decor.

Photography © the social food.

The term gastrotaverna might be new to French diners, but in Athens, it has become shorthand for a culinary reawakening—much like bistronomy in France or neo-trattorias in Italy. Spearheaded by a new generation of chefs, the movement treats traditional recipes as creative springboards, reimagined with seasonal, often foraged ingredients and slow, soulful techniques—think, village cooking with a culinary degree.

Bound by shared roots and complementary paths, YPSELI’s three founders are fluent in this approach. Syméon Kamsizoglou, a northern Greek native, trained in Thessaloniki before honing his craft in Paris under Michelin-starred chefs. His partner, Delphine Pique, a Parisian with Greek ancestry, brings with her years of experience in hospitality along with an ever deepening connection to her heritage. Their pandemic-era journey through Greece which saw them seeking producers, stories, and flavours, ultimately laid the foundation for YPSELI. Fragiskos Dandoulakis, the third partner and Syméon’s childhood friend from Crete, whose passion for foraging and wood-fired cooking defines the kitchen’s soulful style.

The restaurant stuff raise glasses while sitting at a table, one person in elegant attire, one in a waiter uniform and the other in casual wear. — YPSELI co-founders **Syméon Kamsizoglou** (left) , **Fragiskos Dandoulakis** (centre) and **Delphine** **Pique**. Photography © the social food.

A vibrant kitchen scene featuring a variety of colorful dishes and cookware, reflecting a warm dining atmosphere.

Photography © the social food.

A hand lifts a pot filled with colorful vegetables and meatballs, resting on a wooden chair against a warm, orange background.

Photography © the social food.

Modern restaurant interior featuring a marble bar, elegant table settings, and stylish lighting overhead, creating a welcoming atmosphere. — Photography © the social food.

The space the trio claimed is remarkable in its own right. The À Réaumur department store, a fin-de-siècle Parisian landmark now repurposed as a mixed-use complex, exudes old-world grandeur with its slate-domed turret and Art Nouveau clockwork. And yet, YPSELI resists ornamental nostalgia in favour of a dialogue between industrial rawness and Mediterranean warmth.

Exposed concrete blocks, untreated masonry, and visible air ducts and cable trays lend the interior a rough, urban edge, custom banquettes, slender-legged bistro chairs, and marble-topped tables speak the elegant vernacular of Parisian café culture, while a palette of ochre, olive, and terracotta wraps the space in warmth, offsetting its otherwise ascetic starkness. It’s a bold balancing act that mirrors the restaurant’s tradition-meets-modernity culinary mission.

Undoubtedly, the dining area’s gravitational centre is the six-meter-long bar counter. Made from reclaimed marble fragments in earthy red, sage green, and creamy white, it forms a mosaic-like centrepiece, its richness echoed in a mirrored ceiling panel above. In combination with the spherical light pendants softly illuminating the counter below, the mirrored reflections introduce depth, movement, and a touch of theatre.

A stylish restaurant interior featuring wooden chairs, marble tables, and a well-stocked bar, bathed in warm sunlight. — Photography © the social food.

A vibrant shop interior with wooden tables displaying various products, bottles, bags, and boxes, set against a warm red background.

Photography © the social food.

A red shelf display holds an array of wine bottles, glasses, and decanters, alongside a decorative sculpture and a framed piece of art.

If the design is a conversation between the humble and the high-end, so is the food. Lunchtime sees generous, comforting stews served at accessible prices, while dinner offers a deeper dive into gastrotaverna fare: slow-cooked chickpeas that melt like a memory, Cretan lamb with golden fries glossed in olive oil, and octopus with eggplant that whispers of seaside summers. For those in a hurry, the adjacent deli offers grab-and-go options that don’t sacrifice flavour.

True to its name—Ypseli, Greek for “beehive”—the restaurant hums with a sense of communal warmth. It’s a place where heritage is less about preservation and more about participation, where the past is stirred gently into the pot and seasoned with something new.