Paris is infused with a certain kind of romance that has long attracted people from around the world. It isn’t just the authenticity of the French capital, but a fantasy lifestyle fuelled by books and movies for millennia.
Home to many familiar and celebrated landmarks, having a drink at one of the bars in Paris is a recommended and immersive experience that will have you rubbing shoulders with locals and tourists alike. You’ll find that Parisian bars offer delicious drinks in an atmosphere of music and laughter that lives up to a distinct Parisian Joie de vivre. Talented mixologists blend bold flavours in concept bars, while hidden speakeasies and long-standing institutions in glamorous Belle Epoque-style buildings serve Champagne, Pastis, Cognac and Cointreau not too different from what Ernest Hemingway and Victor Hugo would have ordered. Whether you prefer relaxed evenings sipping beer with friends or starting your evenings with a Santé before dancing the night away, this roundup of the best bars in Paris will guide you to the best of them.
The BusinessClass.com guide to the 10 Best Bars in Paris:
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Experimental Cocktail Club
Since opening in 2007 as an underground bar in Sentier in the centre of Paris, the Experimental Cocktail Club – or ECC as it's better known, has become the benchmark for Parisian cocktail bars. A centre for the rebirth of the Parisian cocktail culture, it offers affordable prices and spirited flavour combinations, and today its reputation precedes it and the place remains packed night after night with an interesting mix of locals and out-of-towners.
The whole purpose of the place is to create cocktails you've never had before. Crafted and imagined with quality ingredients and typical Parisian flare. The bartenders and servers are happy to help you navigate the options and will gladly make suggestions based on your preferences. Although when in Paris and especially at ECC – do be brave and experimental.
Address: 37 Rue Saint Sauveur 75002
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Les Ambassadeurs
Located on Place de la Concorde, Les Ambassadeurs is within the remodelled Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel that’s homed within a palace that dates back to the late 18th century. Created with the intention of drawing in fashionable Parisians, ambassadors and other dignitaries, the hotel overlooks one of the most beautiful squares in the city. The terrace under the arcades epitomises the spirit of Paris and here Les Ambassadeurs enchants patrons with creative cocktails and live music.
The regularly changing cocktail menu has fourteen signature creations that take inspiration from the personalities who frequent the bar. Most of the room’s original fixtures remain with ascending marble walls and fresco-painted ceilings gilded by mouldings, pane-glass windows draped with heavy curtains. Yet the overall ambience is light and contemporary thanks to designer Chahan Minassian who chose to place crushed velvet armchairs around tables and retained the four original chandeliers and horseshoe-shaped centrepiece bar.
Address: Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel, 10 Place de la Concorde, 75008
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Little Red Door
Situated in Marais in the third arrondissement of Paris, the Little Red Door's unassuming exterior leads to a relaxed and inviting bar that’s entered through its distinctive door. An almost constant feature of The World’s 50 Best Bars for a decade, the accolades are credited to the place’s constant reinvention as they never stop pushing boundaries around cocktails and the way they are presented to guests.
Under the leadership of Alex Francis and Barney O’Kane, this trend continues with their latest menu, Flourish. Looking towards seasonal ingredients and a farm-to-glass model, the Little Red Door has pioneered a consciously sourced menu, working directly with French Producers to source what goes into their minimally named Citrus, Carrot, and Chamomile drinks. The menu itself is a work of art with each of the cocktails getting a two-page illustration by a local artist. Only the drink’s names are listed, as this encourages cocktail aficionados to be brave and guess the ingredients upon first taste.
Address: 12 Rue Frochot, 75009
Bisous
Bisou is located between Place de la République and the famous Marais district in Paris. A unique cocktail bar – that doesn’t have a menu. It’s all about imagination here, so allow yourself to be surprised and treated by the bartenders as they create the cocktail you didn’t know you craved! Or simply tell the mixologist what you’d like to drink and he’ll pour it for you. The team of servers knows the bottles that are lined up on the laden shelves by heart and respects the flavours and characters they contain.
Opened in 2017 by Nicolas Munoz, Bisou was an ambitious project as a cocktail bar without a menu – something unheard of in Paris. Now six years later there is still no menu at Bisou, no recipe list to be memorised, simply a passion for creating, shaking and serving the best based on the inspiration of the moment.
Address: 15 Boulevard du Temple, 75003
Laperouse
Since 1766, Lapérouse in the 6th arrondissement has established itself as a celebrated institution in the city, one that forms an evocative part of the city’s history. The first restaurant to be awarded three Michelin stars back in 1933, this special place has retained centre stage on the French gastronomy scene and social calendar of the Parisian elite. Opened by a ‘beverage maker and wine merchant’ to the king, Lapérouse would become one of Paris’ most spectacular dinnertime spots for the who’s who of Paris.
Among the patrons – Proust, Winston Churchill, Victor Hugo, the novelist Colette and later Woody Allen – who included Lapérouse in his ‘Midnight in Paris’. Comfortable and intimate, the bar transports you to a different moment in time. Embroidered tapestries and velvet benches set the scene for the evening, where two centuries come together in the music and dance, dinner by candlelight and the French art of living.
Address: 51 Quai des Grands Augustins, 75006
Dersou
Located near the Bastille, Dersou is a concept restaurant serving Asian-influenced five and seven-course tasting menus that come paired with craft cocktails. The original restaurant space was centuries old and had layers of history, which the designers adapted to create a space that feels undesigned, authentic and has no unnecessary frills. All are enhanced by the creaking floorboards and unfinished walls which contradict Chef Taku Sekine’s technical and artistic brilliance.
A Japanese political science and economics graduate who always wanted to cook, Sekine worked his way up to a position in Beige, Alain Ducasse’s Tokyo outpost, before opening Dersou in 2014. Designed by Tokyo firm Daikei Mills, the Parisian restaurant Dersou is named after the title character in the 1975 Akira Kurosawa film. The restaurant brings eclectic influences and is centred on a nightly tasting menu paired with handcrafted cocktails.
Address: 21 Rue Saint-Nicolas, 75012
Blind Bar
The Blind Bar is in the chic Hôtel La Maison Champs Élysées in the Parisian Golden Triangle. The space is ultra-stylish with matte black walls, an inviting open fireplace and a terrace for the warmer Summer evenings. Though it’s open all day, the Blind Bar really comes into itself at night, with its romantic feel. The cocktail list includes a range of classics, wines and spirits served alongside in-house mixes such as Les Creations du 8 and Mademoiselle Cognac.
There’s an excellent range of champagnes to choose from. All drinks are impeccably presented, and given the exclusivity, are rather pricey. This keeps the bar relatively quiet and exclusive. The separate cigar bar is one of the few remaining cigar bars in Paris. The interior is chic and minimalist with dark woods and intense blacks, but your eye will be immediately drawn to the bar by French designer Philippe Di Méo. It is the perfect place to have a drink with friends and the drinks can be enjoyed with a light snack.
Address: Hôtel La Maison Champs Elysées, 8 Rue Jean Goujon, 75008
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The Bar Long, Le Bar Long
Le Bar Long was specially created for Le Royal Monceau – Raffles Paris and is a refined but casual space to enjoy a signature cocktail, relaxing tea or time in the terrace garden, which is shared with the hotel's three restaurants in the heart of Paris’ Golden Triangle. Le Bar Long owes its name to its unique counter, designed by Philippe Starck, who wanted to break the conventions of a classic bar where clients and bartenders face each other across a counter.
In this unique setting, you are served a selection of some of the greatest Palace classics that have been carefully reinvented by the Chef. The order and rigour of the bar’s architecture are softened by large white linen curtains, intimate ornaments, and a collection of fine art and lamps. The Bar Long is a place where people linger to talk, read and enjoy the great classics of luxury hotel bars.
Address: : Hotel Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris, 37 Av. Hoche, 75008
Le Bar – Four Seasons Hotel George V
Le Bar At Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris is undeniably one of the most opulent in the city to sip on a cocktail and watch the world go by. The elegant bar is just off the Champs-Elysées and is the epitome of French luxury. It’s all Louis XVI furniture, chandeliers and heavy embroidered curtains. The cocktail menu features all the after-dinner classics you’d expect, as well as Le Bar’s own inventions. Le Bar is very popular among both Parisians and guests of the world-renowned Four Seasons Hotel George V – one of the best in Paris.
There is a lovely view of avenue George V, one of Paris' chicest streets too. The bar serves coffees and teas, cocktails and a light menu as well as heartier dishes of duck, scallops and beef tartare. It is a perfect place to relax with a glass of your favourite beverage and the cosy bar draws in guests – celebrities and dignitaries among them, throughout the day for bold coffee, sundowners and digestifs.
Address: Four Seasons Hotel George V, 31 Avenue George V, 75008
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Bar Josephine
Inside the recently renovated Hotel Lutetia on the Left Bank, you’ll find the charming Bar Joséphine. Identifying with one of the most liberal, original, fantastic and emancipated icons of the roaring twenties – Josephine Baker and her musical soul. Floor-to-ceiling art frescos adorn this sophisticated bar, beloved by Parisians for decades who have become swept up by the detail. Discovered under six layers of paint during renovations, the artwork took 17,000 hours to restore.
A library filled with 16,000 books spills into the restaurant further enhancing the ambience. In Summer, opt to dine outside on Saint-Germain’s beautiful Parisian patio. The space is a perfect blend of Hotel Lutetia’s modern renovations and Belle Époque roots with light parquet wood floors, an impressive display of bottles behind the bar, and mirrored elements on the ceiling. In keeping with the spirit, there are live jazz performances every weekend.
Address: Hôtel Lutetia, 45 Boulevard Raspail, 75006
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