Ground Control Paris

Last Saturday night Vincent and I met friends for dinner at Ground Control, a summer pop up venue of food and retail stalls housed in a former railroad car hangar. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as my friends didn’t tell us much information before we met them.

After a ten-minute walk from Gare de Lyon, we arrived at an industrial building and climbed up a flight of stairs to a huge outdoor space filled to the rafters with locals enjoying the remains of a most sunny and pleasant day. Most were drinking beer and wine and it was difficult to find our friends in the sea of hundreds of animated Parisians.

On the outside were a number of food stalls in transformed railroad cars but we headed inside the hangar because the outside was too noisy and crowded. About 10 stalls lined with appetizing ethnic food made it hard to choose just one, so we mixed and matched Italian, Syrian and Asian cuisine. Our mélange included Gyoza, mutabal (eggplant and yogurt spread) with parsley salad and pita bread, gnocchi with olive, basil, and anchovy pesto, and thin crust pizza topped with mozzarella, tomato, and anchovies. All were fresh and delicious but the mutabal was the standout and deserved another tasting. Other food stalls included Danish food with smoked seafood specialties, organic crepes and galettes, African fusion, Mexican food, and artisanal coffee. There’s a wine bar and a number of stalls with beer, mixed drinks, and wine.

After dinner, we perused the stores and galleries. One had retro 1960s and 1970s furniture, vinyl 33RPM records (Vincent spotted a Christopher Cross album from the early 1980s) and T-shirts. A gallery specializing in black and white photos also had a photo studio and a photographer was preparing for a family portrait. A ping-pong table had kids and adults fiercely whacking the little white ball to and fro.

When we departed at 9:30 PM the inside was now as crowded as the outside.

Ground Control offers a monthly calendar of different activities including DJ’s, yoga classes, exhibitions and Swing Dancing.

Ground Control
81 Rue du Charolais, 75012
Metro: Gare de Lyon, Montgallet
https://www.groundcontrolparis.com/

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