Best Cocktail Bars in Paris: Speakeasies, Rooftops & Hidden Gems

The French 75, the Sidecar, the daiquiri Hemingway drank at the Ritz: Paris wrote a fair chunk of the cocktail canon, and after a quiet stretch it has come roaring back. London and New York still outrank it, but the craft movement that took hold here after 2010 now keeps more than fifty bars at a level the bartender press rates world-class. This guide to the best bars in paris for cocktails ranks twenty of them across four categories, speakeasies, hotel bars, neighbourhood craft rooms, and rooftops, with the things you actually need to know before you go: address, whether to book, the drink to order, the price tier, and how dressed-up you have to be. Read it alongside our Moulin Rouge guide and cabaret comparison if you want to build a full Paris-by-night plan.

Best of: the seven Paris bars that always make the list

Start here if your trip leaves room for only one or two cocktail bars. These seven turn up year after year on World’s 50 Best Bars, at Tales of the Cocktail, and across the French awards (the Mixology Awards, La Liste). Critics rarely agree on much. They agree on these.

• Little Red Door (60 rue Charlot, 3rd) — a fixture in the top five of World’s 50 Best. The current menu, « The Order », builds experimental drinks around a fresh cultural concept each year. Book if you can; walk-ins get the bar after 8 pm.
• Combat (63 rue de Belleville, 19th) — Margot Lecarpentier’s small Belleville room. Cocktails 14 to 16 euros, a short list that turns over monthly, and an easy walk-in before 9 pm.
• Le Syndicat (51 rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, 10th) — militantly all-French: no scotch, no bourbon, no Italian amari. The wall-papered front looks like a storefront someone abandoned years ago. That is the door. Cocktails 13 to 15 euros.
• Lipstick (Hoxton, 30-32 rue du Sentier, 2nd) — the Hoxton’s pop-art rooftop, run by Joao Rodrigues, who came from Sketch in London.
• Bar Hemingway at the Ritz (15 place Vendome, 1st) — arguably the most famous hotel bar anywhere, tucked into the Ritz corner where Hemingway claimed to have personally liberated the bar in 1944. Colin Field has run it since 1994 and is widely called the best bartender of his generation. Cocktails 35 to 50 euros. Men need a jacket.
• Le Bar at Plaza Athenee (25 avenue Montaigne, 8th) — Patrick Jouin’s glowing glass bar, drinks by Thierry Hernandez. Order the « Marie-Antoinette »: rose-petal gin, champagne, rose water.
• Danico (6 rue Vivienne, 2nd) — Nico de Soto’s bar inside the Galerie Vivienne, where the award-winning trick is what he does with smoked seaweed, kombu, and fermented honey.

Speakeasies: the unmarked door category

The Paris speakeasy hides behind a door with no sign, usually inside a real working business: a hotel lobby, a pizzeria, a laundromat. The trick to getting in changes. Once you do, it stays small and quiet, thirty to sixty seats, music kept below the level of conversation, drinks around 14 to 18 euros.

• Lavomatic (30 rue Rene Boulanger, 10th) — behind a laundromat that genuinely washes clothes. Pull the handle on the green machine. Cocktails 13 euros, walk-in.
• Moonshiner (5 rue Sedaine, 11th) — behind the Da Vito pizzeria. Walk past the pizza counter, through the back door, into a velvet jazz lounge.
• Hemingway Bar at the Ritz — the one that started the whole idea, covered above.
• Prescription Cocktail Club (23 rue Mazarine, 6th) — Marc-Olivier Frapin’s bar dressed as a 1920s pharmacy. Come for the rye and bourbon classics.
• Andy Walhoo (69 rue des Gravilliers, 3rd) — slip behind the curtain inside the Andy Walhoo bar and you reach the Andy Bar speakeasy, fourteen seats and no more.
• L’Entree des Artistes (8 rue de Crussol, 11th) — a long bar that faces the cocktail station, so you can watch every drink come together.
• Bonhomie (22 rue d’Enghien, 10th) — not a true speakeasy, but the discreet doorway has the same feel, and the kitchen is good enough that you should eat here, not just drink.

Hotel bars: the most glamorous list

Paris hotel bars rank among the best in Europe, and they are your reliable fallback when the small craft places are fully booked. Expect to dress up (no shorts, no sneakers in the palaces) and to pay more, 25 to 50 euros a cocktail. What you get for it is the drink plus one of the great Parisian lobbies wrapped around you.

• Bar Hemingway at the Ritz — the benchmark, covered above.
• Bar 228 at Le Meurice (228 rue de Rivoli, 1st) — the Meurice’s panelled, Jules Verne-ish bar, drinks by William Oliveri.
• Bar Vendome at the Ritz — the Ritz’s easier-going room, big on afternoon tea, opening onto the garden.
• Le Bar at the Plaza Athenee — Patrick Jouin’s lit-glass design, covered above.
• Le Bar at the Bristol (112 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 8th) — wood panelling, a live-piano programme, the kind of room that rewards a slow second drink.
• Bar Long at the Shangri-La (10 avenue d’Iena, 16th) — sixty-four metres of black marble bar, cocktails by Sven Almenning.
• Le Bar du Lobby at the Royal Monceau (37 avenue Hoche, 8th) — Philippe Starck’s lobby bar inside the Raffles Royal Monceau.
• Bar 8 at the Mandarin Oriental (251 rue Saint-Honoré, 1st) — a marble bar by Sieger Design that opens onto the courtyard.
• L’Avenue at the George V — the Four Seasons’ bar, drinks by Frederic Le Bordays.

Rooftop bars: where to drink with a view

Set your expectations: this is not New York or Singapore. Building heights are capped, most central blocks top out at six floors, and the rooftop scene is thin by comparison. But the few that exist hand you the Eiffel Tower or Sacre Coeur in panorama, which is hard to beat anywhere. Book ahead for a sunset slot on a weekend; they fill fast.

• Lipstick at the Hoxton (Sentier, 2nd) — skyline view, cocktails 14 to 16 euros.
• Le Perchoir Marais (top floor of the BHV, 33 rue de la Verrerie, 4th) — the central Perchoir, looking across the Marais rooftops to Notre Dame.
• Le Perchoir Menilmontant (14 rue Cretagne, 11th) — the original, with a wider view east across the city.
• Too Hotel rooftop (4 rue des Bons-Enfants, 1st) — a newer arrival, this one looking onto the Louvre.
• Mun (54 rue de Ponthieu, 8th) — on top of the Maison Albar Hotel, with the Champs-Elysees below.
• Bar Botaniste at the Shangri-La (10 avenue d’Iena, 16th) — not a rooftop, but a grand salon with the Eiffel Tower in the window.
• Skyland at Pullman Eiffel (18 avenue de Suffren, 15th) — the highest cocktail bar in the city, floor-to-ceiling glass, the Eiffel Tower close enough to feel it.

Neighbourhood craft bars: the under-the-radar list

Past the famous names sits another layer entirely: the smaller rooms locals slip into on a Tuesday. The bartender remembers you by the second visit. The menu fits on one page. And the prices are the kindest of the lot, 12 to 15 euros.

• Mary Celeste (1 rue Commines, 3rd) — Cary Gott’s Marais bar, a San Francisco import heavy on tropical and tiki ideas. After 9 pm it’s standing room, walk-in only.
• Candelaria (52 rue de Saintonge, 3rd) — a Marais speakeasy behind a working taqueria. Push the hidden door behind the bar.
• Septime La Cave (3 rue Basfroi, 11th) — the little natural-wine bar attached to Septime. Not strictly cocktails, but the wine-and-snack pairing is about as refined as Paris gets.
• Le Mary Celeste 2 / Sherry Butt (20 rue Beautreillis, 4th) — whisky and Sherry, with one of the deepest whisky lists in central Paris.
• Tiger (13 rue Princesse, 6th) — Saint-Germain’s gin bar, one hundred and thirty gins on the list and a gin-and-tonic made the right way.
• Glass (7 rue Frochot, 9th) — part dive, part craft bar, pure Pigalle. Cocktails 12 to 14 euros.
• Dirty Dick (10 rue Frochot, 9th) — tiki directly across from Glass, with the rums to back it up.
• Le Cantada II (15 rue Moret, 11th) — an absinthe specialist running one of the last proper absinthe-service rituals in the city.

Signature drinks: what to order at each tier

Every bar has a house drink, the one that tells you what the place is about. If you walked in without doing your homework, these are the safe bets.

• At Bar Hemingway: the Serendipity (Calvados, mint, champagne, apple juice), Colin Field’s best-known invention.
• At the Ritz Bar Vendome: the Ritz Side Car (Cognac, Cointreau, lemon), the hotel’s own take on the Sidecar it invented here in 1923.
• At Le Bar Plaza Athenee: the Marie-Antoinette (rose-petal gin, champagne, rose water).
• At Little Red Door: the number-three drink on the current menu. The sequence is built on purpose, so trust it.
• At Le Syndicat: anything cognac or eaux-de-vie. The all-French ethos is at its best on brown spirits.
• At Combat: the seasonal manhattan. Margot Lecarpentier builds the most rigorous one in town.
• At Candelaria: the Guepe Verte (tequila, agave, jalapeno, coriander).
• At Septime La Cave: a glass of natural wine and an anchovy toast.
• At Lipstick or Perchoir: the seasonal spritz. Rooftop drinks taste better long and light.

Reservations, dress code, payment

• Reservations — Little Red Door, Danico, Le Syndicat, and the palace hotel bars all prefer a booking; reserve seven to ten days out. Bar Hemingway famously takes none and instead runs a civilised line for the 6:30 pm opening.
• Dress code — the palaces (Ritz, Plaza Athenee, Bristol, George V) want smart casual at a minimum: jacket and closed shoes for men, no shorts, no sportswear. Craft bars are relaxed but tasteful, so leave the graphic tee and the athleisure at the hotel.
• Tipping — service is in the price. A euro or two per cocktail is appreciated; five on the bar at the end of the night reads as generous.
• Payment — cards everywhere, cash optional. Hotel guests can charge a round to the room.
• Hours — most open at 6 pm and run to 2 am Wednesday through Saturday, midnight on Sunday and Tuesday. Mondays are dead, and plenty stay shut.
• Age — the legal drinking age in France is 18.

Sample two-bar evening itinerary

8:00 pm — aperitif at Le Perchoir Marais, on the roof, timed to sunset. One drink, then head down.

9:30 pm — dinner somewhere with a neighbourhood feel: Septime, Frenchie, Verjus, Yam’Tcha.

11:00 pm — a nightcap at Little Red Door, Danico, or Combat. Let whichever has a seat decide for you.

12:30 am — if the night still has legs, Sherry Butt for an Islay malt or the back room at Andy Walhoo.

By neighbourhood: quick reference

• Marais (3rd, 4th): Little Red Door, Mary Celeste, Candelaria, Sherry Butt, Le Perchoir Marais.
• Saint-Germain (6th): Tiger, Prescription Cocktail Club, Bar Hemingway (technically 1st).
• Champs / 8th: Bar 228 Meurice, Le Bar Plaza Athenee, Le Bar Bristol, L’Avenue Four Seasons.
• 10th & 11th (Republique & Bastille): Le Syndicat, Lavomatic, Moonshiner, L’Entree des Artistes, Combat.
• 9th & Pigalle: Glass, Dirty Dick.
• 2nd (Sentier): Lipstick at Hoxton, Danico.
• 16th: Bar Botaniste Shangri-La.
• 19th: Combat (also 19th).

Frequently asked questions

Which is the single best bar?

The critics say Little Red Door. The romantics say Bar Hemingway. If you have two nights, settle it yourself and go to both.

Average cocktail price?

Reckon on 12 to 16 euros at craft bars, 25 to 50 at hotel bars, and 30 to 50 at the palaces.

Can I walk in or do I need to book?

Most craft bars take walk-ins on weeknights and before 9 pm Thursday to Saturday. Book ahead for Little Red Door, Danico, the palace hotel bars, and any rooftop on a sunset weekend.

Are the speakeasies safe?

Yes. Every speakeasy listed here is reputable and run by an established Paris bar group, and the neighbourhoods they sit in (3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th) are fine in the evening.

Can I get a non-alcoholic cocktail?

Yes. Every serious Paris cocktail bar now lists two to four no-and-low options, usually 10 to 14 euros.

Is the Bar Hemingway dress code strict?

For men, yes: jacket required, no jeans, closed shoes. Women need smart casual at a minimum. Turn up underdressed and the bar will turn you away, politely.

Final word

Paris cocktail bars reward the patient. Pick one tier, one neighbourhood, one signature drink, and resist the urge to keep moving. The best night out here is almost always one bar deep and one drink long, with the bartender free to talk between rounds. Save the bar crawl for London or Brooklyn. In Paris, take a single stool, stay an hour, and let the room come to you.

Related Paris guides

Use these to round out your trip:

• our Paris nightlife guide
• the Moulin Rouge
• Paris Cabaret Shows Compared
• Best Jazz Clubs in Paris
• Best Restaurants in Paris for Tourists
• 50 Best Free Things to Do in Paris That Are Actually Amazing