Tzantza in Paris: a Latin-American-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar with a festive spirit

If tzantzas refers to the famous ritual shrunken heads once made by the Jivaros, the name now refers to a new Parisian address that's trendy, gourmet and festive. Conceived by the fine team behind Sauvages (Lucas Letrouit, entrepreneur Alexandre Mulliez, and the trio of producers behind Phantasm and Vixens, Clément Lepoutre, Gary Farkas and Olivier Muller), Tzantza is the new HQ for those brimming with ideas, who like to meet new people and broaden their experiences, but also - and of course - for all inveterate gourmands. For, behind its festive spirit and its ultra-careful, elegant and contemporary decor designed by Studio Louis Morgan, Tzantza offers a marvellous express round trip to Latin America.

To make the trip memorable, Tzantza relies on Nikkei-inspired cuisine developed by Italian-Peruvian-born chef Roberto Sanchez (Grand Véfour, Bristol...). For the less experienced, this type of cuisine is a delicious blend of Japanese and Peruvian gastronomic specialties. At Tzantza, everything is homemade and served as tapas. The menu includes oysters tempura and red tomato chalaca, artichoke fondant, miso-lacquered eggplant, tiger leche tiradito with maracuja and beef flank steak brushed with aji panca and chimichurri sauce.

For our part, we really fell for the foie gras gyozas with ponzu, sesame and cebette, and the delicious and soft baos with squid ink and crab, served with a lemon mayonnaise and chili pepper of course.

Another highlight was the perfectly cooked calamari in Josper, with aji amarillo pepper to enhance the dish, which went wonderfully well with manioc fries. A real success for this plate that undeniably invites you to travel.

For those with a sweet tooth, there are two succulent desserts on the à la carte menu that are a must-try: on the one hand, a delicious mango tiradito with a few cocoa shavings, and on the other, a refreshing spice ice cream, as light and delicious as we like it!

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To accompany these delicious, colorful and gourmet dishes, what could be better than some clever beverages? The virtuosos of the shaker offer us classics of the genre, but revisited with a Tzantza twist, like this Bloody Mary with mezcal. Mezcal is also used in the"Teteo" (mezcal and sangrete) and the "Euphoria" (mezcal, yuzu, Saint-Germain liqueur and coconut sugar).

For our part, we really liked the"Solaris", which revisits the legendary pisco sour in a tagete-infused version. For mojito lovers, let yourself be tempted bythe "Amazonia" made with amber rum, picon, cinnamon, ginger beer and lime.

After all that, you won't be able to leave Tzantza. That's just as well, as the venue invites you to continue the evening at the Sauvages bar club, accessible via a secret staircase. On the decks, you'll find the crème de la crème of the electro scene, including Louise Chen, Aurèle, Mawimbi, Piu Piu, Villanova and David Reyner.

So, are you ready to make Tzantza your new Parisian GQ?

This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please mention it in the comments.