L'Avant Comptoir de la terre et mer — Wine bar in Parijs

In 2010 chef Yves Camdeborde opened a small standing-room wine bar next to his celebrated bistro Le Comptoir du Relais on the Carrefour de l'Odéon, a place where guests could have a glass and a bite while waiting for a table. That was the start of one of the most fun wine bar concepts in Paris. Anthony Bourdain once called Le Comptoir the hardest restaurant in Paris to get a table at. There are now three Avant Comptoirs side by side: Terre (land: charcuterie and meat), Mer (sea: oysters, shellfish, fish) and Marché (market: vegetables and seasonal produce). No tables, no reservations, no menu: you stand at a long zinc counter and choose from 60 to 70 small dishes, shown as photos with names and prices hanging from the ceiling. The atmosphere is jovial: bartenders shout to each other, Latin pop blares through the room, and tourists and Parisian artists stand shoulder to shoulder. Close to the Odéon theatre and the Saint-Germain market. At Terre: duck liver skewers with piquillo peppers, oxtail croquettes with red wine and horseradish, crispy Béarnaise boudin rolls. At Mer: oysters from friendly farmers (Joël Dupuch, Cadoret), whelks with wasabi mayo, razor clams marinière with red onion and thyme, and a shellfish platter. The wine list is exclusively natural: a fine list with established names and room for a new generation of winemakers. Sommelier Sylvain Orel has been behind the bar at Terre for more than seven years and is known for his personal wine advice.