Almost a year ago to the day, I shared an article with a selection of my favorite cocktail bars in Paris, and I think you really enjoyed the concept.
Since then, I’ve obviously tested many other spots, so I’m coming back today with a 2nd, slightly more eclectic selection of my favorite bars in Paris.
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Table of Contents
La Grille (closed)
This Parisian bistro, recently renovated, still holds the memory of the premises, which were once an establishment of debauchery for the occupants of the former “La Nouvelle France” Barracks, built in 1772 and located just a stone’s throw away.
At the time, the iron gate, adorned with vines and faces of Bacchus, which still encircles the establishment (and gives it its name), signaled to passersby that a place of pleasure had been set up… The restaurant’s facade is actually listed as a Historical Monument of Paris.
Today, at the bar, you can enjoy craft beers, or a great selection of cocktails (of very high quality) and tapas for pre-dinner drinks.
The little extra: La Grille uses the Castalie system, whether it is for serving water at the table or for preparing cocktails, for example.
Castalie is a water microfiltration system for cafes and restaurants, which allows restaurateurs to produce their own pure, fresh, still, or sparkling water from the mains. This means the establishment saves money, and if you want mineral water, it is much cheaper than bottled water.
The pro tip: It was also an opportunity for me to get behind the bar to try my hand at being a bartender and the art of mixology. Apparently, I wasn’t too bad…
La Grille Gastropub 80 rue du Faubourg Poissonnière 75010 Paris Cocktail prices: between €10 and €12 The pro tip: Happy Hours from Tuesday to Friday, 6 PM to 8 PM Update 04/27/2020: this address is unfortunately now closed
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Le Mojito Lab
As the name suggests, this Parisian bar located in the 11th arrondissement specializes in variations of the famous Mojito, the rum-based cocktail that originated in Cuba in the 1910s and is extremely popular in all the bars across France. Unfortunately, we have to admit, it is often made very, very poorly, and I have had bad mojitos far more often than the opposite.
Here, there are no false notes; you can drink all kinds of mojitos, from the most classic to the most original, but the essential point is that it will be done right!
To taste:
- Ze Mojito Lab Original Classic with rum, lime, fresh mint, and sugar.
- The Escoffier Mojito with rum, sugar, fresh mint, lime, accompanied by Champagne and whipped cream with raspberries (a real treat!).
- The Mojito Lab Special #2 with rum, fresh mint, sparkling water, raspberry puree, and diced kaffir lime.
This bar, open since October 2010, was created by Laurent Greco, in association with Rafael Arce, 2006 French Flair Bartending champion.
Mojito Lab
28 rue Keller 75011 Paris
Open from Tuesday to Thursday from 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM / Friday and Saturday from 6:00 PM to 3:00 AM / Sunday
from 6:00 PM to 1:00 AM
Cocktail prices: between €13 and €15_
Le Mérou, an anti-concept bar centered around music (closed)
Le Mérou is a small, intimate bar with a friendly vibe located right across from one of my favorite places in the capital: Le Manoir de Paris.
The venue is casual and trendy, and gives off a cool, no-frills atmosphere; for proof, just look at the bar’s menu, written by hand and customized by joyful customers (perhaps after a few drinks…).
This neighborhood bar was opened by Julien and Timothée, two buddies who are passionate about music, and the name of this address comes from the stuffed grouper head that reigns on one of the establishment’s walls.
On the program: nice little cocktails at very reasonable prices (€8), beers made in France (€5.50 a pint on tap), wine by the glass (€3), and a musical cellar with eclectic but sharp programming (to be seen on the website or the Mérou Facebook page).
Creations to test:
- the Basile Boli with basil, gin, Perrier, and yellow lemon.
Le Mérou 11 rue de Paradis 75010 Paris Open every day from 6 PM to 2 AM except Sunday The pro tip: Wednesdays Happy Mix 6 PM-10 PM with resident DJs and happy hour as a bonus Cocktail prices: €8 Update 04/27/2020: this address is unfortunately now closed
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Le Cocktail Bar du Badaboum
The Badaboum, a lively place with a rather sharp musical program, combines cocktails, concerts, and club at all hours of the day.
It is, however, the cocktail bar side of the address that I want to tell you about here, a space that allows enthusiasts to come and taste the inventive cocktails created by the establishment’s mixologist Nicolas Dieudonné and to enjoy, in addition, a revisited ‘snack’ in a good, friendly, and cozy atmosphere, day and night.
To test: the “Rosemary Power” cocktail, served in a very original way in a mug…
Badaboum Cocktail Bar
2 bis rue des Taillandiers 75011 Paris
Open from Wednesday to Saturday from 7 PM to 2 AM
Cocktail prices: approximately €12_
Le Braque
This hybrid address in the heart of the Marais (restaurant, cocktail bar, club) opened last year.
The result is an intimate and elegant venue, with furniture mixing retro and modern styles, which also offers a great bistronomic dining menu with recipes prepared on-site using fresh, seasonal products.
For the record, the building that houses Le Braque is also very interesting, since it is nestled in the heart of a 17th-century mansion, formerly the estate of the Templars.
To taste:
- The market-fresh oyster mushroom sauté, scamorza, lime, and chives (€8 as a standard starter).
- Croquetas (one of my favorite dishes) with potato and curry corn with a chorizo cream (€11 as a standard starter).
- A Wagyu beef steak, marinated, with chimichurri sauce and parsnip puree (€30 as a standard main course).
- Teriyaki salmon, sesame, and crunchy vegetables (€19 as a standard main course).
- A risotto with farm-raised poultry and preserved lemons (€17 as a standard main course).
- Pluma de Bellota glazed with soy, corn cream, and herbs (€21 as a standard main course).
- The house cheesecake with salted butter caramel, for dessert (€8 as a standard dessert).
The portions of these dishes may seem small above, but in reality, it’s simply because the photos of this dinner come from an 8-small-course tasting menu (price €49) for the ‘Tous à Table’ association, which took place last November. In normal times, the plates are therefore more substantial.
Price: ‘home made’ cocktails starting from €7
Le Braque 11, rue Braque 75003 Paris Open from Monday to Thursday from 11 AM to 1 AM and from Friday to Sunday from 11 AM to 2 AM the kitchen stays open from Monday to Saturday from 8 PM to midnight
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Le Berliner Wunderbar
As the name suggests, this address in the heart of Paris is a bar dedicated to everything we love about Berlin and would like to find a little more in our capital: music (electro vibe), art, decoration, and drinks.
For my part, I’ve never been to Berlin, but after my short visit to the Berliner, I want to go more than ever, I think…
This Berlin identity is reflected in the products offered on-site: a selection of 100% German beers, ‘made in Berlin’ sodas, currywurst with sausages and ‘pappschale’ sauce (€5), popular cocktails in Germany (the Moscow Mule at €9),…
In short, a place with a nice, casual atmosphere that I would gladly make my evening hangout…
Price: draft beer 25cl €3.90 / 50cl €6.80 / between €5.20 and €7 per beer bottle (Berliner Pilsner, Warsteiner, Kostritger, Berliner Weisse, Franziskaner Hefe, Schneider Aventinus) / cocktails between €6 and €9
Le Berliner 49 rue de Lappe 75011 Paris Open from Tuesday to Saturday from 6 PM to 2 AM
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Le Wall Street Bar
It was after a quick game of escape game that my team of pirates and I ended up at the Wall Street Bar located right next to the X-Dimension escape rooms.
The bar’s concept is totally unique in Paris: a stock exchange bar in the form of a stock market that offers a wide portfolio consisting of glasses of wine, pints of beer, and numerous cocktails.
A screen in the center of the bar allows you to follow the price of drinks, the trends of which will change every 100 seconds randomly! A drink can thus go from €8 to €4 in a few seconds and even undergo an unprecedented drop during one of the many stock market crashes that make the whole thing extremely fun.
Another asset of the place: a very nice menu of tapas with simple recipes based on quality products at really very affordable prices.
To taste:
- The whole roasted camembert stuffed with onion confit and walnuts (€8.50).
- Piquillos stuffed with blueberry confit and cashews (€5.50)
- Pastrami pintxos with onion confit and cheddar (€4.50 for 3).
- Pintxos mayonnaise, crab, and shrimp (€4.50 for 3).
- Patatas bravas with its sauce (€5), a little tip: if you get the camembert at the same time, the two go very well together…
- The Basque bruschetta with its piperade and chorizo toast (€5.50), a real success!
A really beautiful, very friendly spot with prices that are a pleasure in Paris, which I recommend to you eyes closed.
Wall Street Bar
17 Avenue Parmentier, 75011 Paris
Open every day from 5:30 PM to 2 AM except Sunday
Update 11/11/2016: the Wall Street Bar has moved to the Pigalle neighborhood (49, Boulevard de Clichy 75009 Paris)_
The Cocktails at Spicy Home
I had already mentioned this address, stemming from an original concept centered on the spice route, in an article in 2014, when I tested the establishment’s brunch.
Today, I’m including it in this Parisian selection of my favorite spots to recommend its cocktail bar.
At the bar’s helm, Pietro, the venue’s mixologist with a charming Italian accent, makes high-quality revisited cocktails (and you know I’m demanding in this matter).
To taste:
- The Bombay Chai, with Bombay Sapphire gin, Amarula liqueur, hazelnut liqueur, cardamom, fresh ginger, cinnamon, lemon juice, and sugar.
- The Yamakazi Experience, with Japanese whiskey, red martini, and Grand Marnier (quite strong, rather for whiskey lovers).
- The Green Family, with gin, fresh cucumber, lemon juice, mint, sugar, and soda (a sort of slightly revisited mojito).
Spicy Home Paris
65 bd de Sébastopol 75001 Paris
Tel. 01 42 33 87 07
Cocktail prices: between €9 and €14_
La Cave à Cocktail, made-to-measure cocktails to go
This unique place offers a range of high-quality mixology drinks, alcoholic or not, made to order using fresh products and bottled on the spot. Among the exceptional products selected by the cellar are, for example, the liqueurs and fruit creams from the distiller Liquoriste in Nuits-Saint-Georges since 1882, Joseph Cartron.
A prestige selection aged in oak barrels also exists, composed of blends based on high-quality spirits.
An original way to discover the art of mixology and to bring a quality cocktail for an evening or a special occasion.
Price: €20 for non-alcoholic cocktails / €35 for the majority of alcoholic references / €55 for premiums aged in barrels
La Cave à Cocktail 62 rue Greneta 75002 Paris Open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 11:30 AM to 8:30 PM
Find all my Parisian bar reviews below:
⇒ My bar reviews in Paris
⇒ My favorite cocktail spots in Paris
⇒ My hotel bars in Paris
MY FAVORITE COCKTAIL BARS IN PARIS
⇒ Le Jefrey’s (75002)
⇒ Le Shake N’Smash (75003)
⇒ La Mezcaleria (75003)
⇒ L’Arbane (75006)
⇒ Secret 8, the secret bar at Buddha-Bar Paris (75008)
⇒ The gin bar at Hotel Banke (75009)
⇒ Le 38 Bar Lounge at Hotel l’Échiquier (75010)
⇒ Le Bar Botaniste at Shangri-La (75016)
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez and Mademoiselle Bon Plan Photos are not royalty-free, photographer's authorization is mandatory before any use
