The Best Places To Drink In Paris
FOR COCKTAILS…
The Herbarium
In the hip Haut-Marais neighbourhood, the bar team at the Hôtel National des Arts et Métiers have options for you. The boutique hotel occupies an original building on one of Baron Hausmann’s iconic boulevards. At its heart is the low-lit Herbarium, a little gem serving fabulous cocktails based on plant infusions and other interesting concoctions – try the Sud Sud Sud, made with cognac, pear and bergamot marmalade, lime cordial and mandarin velvet. When the weather’s good, head up to the National on the Top. This small, green rooftop spot looks out across the city’s domes and monuments.
Visit HotelNational.paris
Mondaine de Pariso
Mondaine de Pariso is a new and magnificent time warp in the upscale 8th arrondissement. Picture a lavish private party thrown in the 1970s: there are multiple rooms at this sprawling ‘apartment’, including the Smokeroom and the Library, with live music right through to the 2am close. For the full experience, indulgent dining menus featuring lobster, caviar and more – or swing into the bar for cocktails like the signature Mondaine (Laurent-Perrier rosé, Belvedere vodka, passionfruit and apricot).
Visit Mondaine-DePariso.com
Little Red Door
This cosy spot in the Marais is a perennial on the World’s 50 Best Bars list, appearing at least nine times since it opened a little more than a decade ago. Its latest grand innovation is ‘farm to glass’ cocktails. The names on the drinks list won’t give much away (‘Citrus’, ‘Carrot’, ‘Chamomile’) but you can count on every one to showcase genius-level ingredients home-made from impeccably sourced raw materials – and all served by relaxed staff in a laid-back atmosphere that makes light of the team’s wild inventiveness.
Visit LRDParis.com
Le Mary Celeste
Close to the Little Red Door, and the cool shops of Rue Commines, Le Mary Celeste is a corner bar that matches outstanding cocktails to oysters and excellent small plates. It’s a year-round delight but, come summer, its big windows are opened and the sounds of the street mingle with the bar’s own buzzy atmosphere.
Visit LeMaryCeleste.com
Candelaria
Another hotspot in the Marais, Candelaria is a great Mexican taqueria – with a small, world-class cocktail bar hidden out the back. Menus change every couple of months and there’s usually a focus on agave-based spirits – if it’s on, try a Cosmic Queen of tequila, fig leaf and fermented blackberry – but the levels of invention are high across the board. A Green Bay (sencha tea gin, basil and mint) might be more to your taste. Grab a tostada to keep you upright on your way out.
Visit Candelaria-Paris.com
Lavomatic
The secret’s out about this speakeasy-style bar hidden at the back of a working launderette near the Place de la République. But it’s still fun to find the front door – and the entertainment doesn’t stop there. Climb the narrow staircase, choose a bench to sit on or maybe a swing, and start exploring a novel cocktail list featuring exotic house specialities alongside the classics.
Visit Lavomatic.Paris
Dirty Lemon
Dirty Lemon is named for a bad experience its owner Ruba Khoury once had at a lesbian bar. Enough was enough and, after working in the kitchens at Parisian institutions like Frenchie and Septime, she opened her own place. At this inclusive, open-late spot, you’ll find up-to-the-minute cocktails like the Jessica Rabbit (tonka bean-infused rye, oloroso, carrot and cinnamon almond mousse) and Ruba’s own concise Palestinian-Mediterranean menu.
Visit DirtyLemonBar.com
Le Collectionneur
Europe’s largest five-star hotel has a bar to match. Pass through the monumental lobby of the art-deco Collectionneur to find its mixologists ready to serve amid crystal chandeliers and gold-leaf accents that create a glamorous old Hollywood feel. There’s also a big outdoor terrace for sunnier days.
Visit LeCollectionneur.fr
Bisou
You won’t miss Bisou, with its pink awning jutting out onto Boulevard du Temple. The colour scheme extends inside, where talented makers can turn out exceptional cocktails off the cuff – just tell them what you like. Ingredients are all local and organic, and there are excellent snacks to go with.
Follow @Bar_Bisou
Le Mary Celeste; Le Syndicat
Le Syndicat
This daring cocktail bar is proudly, unapologetically French in everything it does – from the ingredients in its imaginative drinks to the hip-hop on its soundtrack. It turns out obscure local liqueurs and the latest beats from the banlieues are an intoxicating mix, and we’re pretty sure this is the only place you’ll find them side by side.
Visit DomaineSyndicat.com
Harry’s
The American Bar at the Savoy is the only place in Europe that’s been serving cocktails longer than Harry’s. Many say it’s the birthplace of the bloody mary, and it also claims the sidecar and the blue lagoon as its own. Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald and others have all passed through its swinging saloon doors, and it remains an atmospheric place for a no-frills dry martini.
Visit HarrysBar.com
Serpent à Plume
How to describe Serpent à Plume? It’s a book shop, an art gallery, it even sells pyjamas – and, crucially for this list, it’s a heady cocktail bar by night. Head to Paris’s oldest square, Places des Vosges, and descend the green glass stairs to an enchanting and hyper-stylised underground world where you’ll find one-of-a-kind drinks like the Serpent à Plume itself: Vida mezcal, Drambuie, Quaglia pine liqueur, Mancino chinato vermouth and rosemary smoke.
Visit SerpentAPlume.com
FOR A CARAFE…
Freddy’s
This tiny no-reservations bar à vin in St-Germain-des-Prés pairs a long list of wines by the glass to a perfectly formed tapas menu. We’d go back for the razor clams and duck hearts, but there’s also great charcuterie. Get there early to give yourselves a fighting chance of finding a stool.
Follow @Freddys.Paris
Liquiderie
There are some small, intimate places on our list, but Liquiderie might be the most petite of them all. This artisan bottle shop has just a single table, with a few stools at its bar. Alongside its carefully chosen French and imported beers, there’s an array of natural and biodynamic small-producer wines to peruse.
Visit Liquiderie.com
Frenchie Bar à Vins
Across the road from Greg Marchand’s original Michelin-starred Frenchie restaurant, this isn’t just a fall-back for when you can’t get in there. Whether you’re standing at its counter or sitting at a high table, it’s an easy-going place offering elegantly simple small plates, spanning croquettes to ceviche. A wide selection of wines can also be explored by the glass.
Visit Frenchie-BAV.com
Bonvivant
A classic corner bistro on the Left Bank, with options to sit inside or out, Bonvivant has a long list of organic and biodynamic wines – and a menu to match. Alongside vintage bar à vin offerings of pâtés, rillettes, charcuterie and cheese boards, there are more substantial sharing options, like a Normandy tomahawk with house frites and salad.
Visit Bonvivant.Paris
Vivant
This cool but never aloof spot on the edge of the 10th arrondissement has put natural wines front and centre of its list. Options by the glass are all fairly priced – ask the sommelier for a steer. The food is worth trying too: chef Léo Dauvergne puts his spin on the usual small plates with seasonal treats like beef tongue, sea urchin and black truffle.
Visit VivantParis.com
Septime La Cave
Around the corner from the original Septime, this is a hip wine-first spinoff. Ten bottles by the glass change daily, though the emphasis on smaller producers and biodynamic wine is always there. On the food menu, look out for southern Ardèche sausages served with pickles and Bordier butter or, for something lighter, there are leeks with a mimosa vinaigrette.
Visit Septime-Charonne.fr
La Compagnie Des Vins Surnaturels
The Experimental Group made its name with cocktails, but has long since revealed a mastery of wines too. Next to the Left Bank’s Saint-Germain market, its La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels offers low-lit atmosphere and tapas-style dishes to accompany your journey through its 600-strong collection of wines.
Visit ExperimentalGroup.com
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