Shwi in Paris: A Visitor's Guide

How this guide was made: Editor-reviewed, AI-assisted, using current web sources. Hours and details change — confirm before you go. See our editorial policy.

Why go

Shwi is the latest project from the team behind Kubri, one of Paris’s better-known Lebanese kitchens, and it arrives with a narrower, sharper focus: Lebanese-style grilled chicken, built for eating on the move or sharing at a canal-side bench. Since opening in spring 2026, it’s become one of the 10th arrondissement’s talked-about newcomers, riding the same wave of Levantine street-food energy that’s reshaped this stretch of Paris over the past few years. If you already know Kubri’s cooking, Shwi reads as a spin-off built around a single, well-executed idea rather than a full restaurant menu — the kind of place locals fold into a canal walk rather than plan a whole evening around.

Getting there

Shwi sits along the Canal Saint-Martin, the tree-lined waterway that cuts through the 10th arrondissement and has long been a magnet for weekend strollers, picnickers, and an increasingly serious food scene. The canal is easily reached by metro: Jacques Bonsergent (Line 5), République (Lines 3, 5, 8, 9, 11), or Goncourt (Line 11) all sit within a short walk of the water, and from any of them it’s a pleasant, flat walk along the quays to find the exact address. Because this part of the canal is dense with small shopfronts and constantly shifting storefronts, it’s worth pulling up the precise location on a map before you set out rather than relying on memory of the neighborhood.

What to set expectations for

The headline dish is Lebanese grilled chicken — shawarma-adjacent, spit- or grill-cooked chicken that draws on the same Levantine street-food tradition Kubri built its name on, typically dressed with garlic sauce, pickles, and flatbread in the region’s classic style. Beyond that, specifics on the rest of the menu, pricing, and portion formats haven’t been locked down here, and menus at fast-moving new openings shift in the first months, so treat any secondhand price or dish list you see online as provisional. What’s more reliable: this is a street-food-format spot, meaning quick service, likely a mix of counter seating and takeaway, and a focus on doing one thing — the grilled chicken — very well rather than offering an extensive menu.

When to go

Canal Saint-Martin is at its best on a clear afternoon, when the quays fill with people eating lunch on the stone edges of the water — Shwi’s format suits exactly that kind of visit. Weekday lunchtimes tend to be calmer than weekend afternoons, when the canal draws heavy foot traffic and nearby spots can queue up fast, especially for anything newly popular. Because Shwi only opened in spring 2026, expect early buzz to translate into lines at peak hours (lunch around midday, and again in the early evening) for at least the first year. If flexibility allows, an early lunch just after opening or a mid-afternoon visit tends to dodge the worst of it.

Nearby & tips

The Canal Saint-Martin corridor is one of the easiest places in Paris to build a food-and-wander afternoon: the canal’s iron footbridges, the Hôtel du Nord (of Marcel Carné film fame), and a run of independent bookshops, natural wine bars, and vintage stores all sit within a few minutes’ walk. Pair a visit to Shwi with a walk toward Square des Récollets or up toward the Bassin de la Villette for a longer canal-side stretch. Since this is a young, fast-evolving opening, confirm current opening hours, whether reservations are accepted, and any menu details directly before visiting — details for brand-new spots change quickly in the first year, and what’s accurate at launch may not hold six months in.