Here’s Where Top Parisian Bartenders Actually Go To Drink
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23 minutes ago
Get off the beaten tipple
The city of lights is perhaps more famous for its wine, but you shouldn’t overlook Paris’s cocktail scene, which is among the best in the world. For the uninitiated, though, you risk a bad serve or a tourist trap if you stumble into any old bar – here are the cocktail bars beloved by the subject experts, the city’s best bartenders.
The Best Cocktail Bars In Paris, According To Top Bartenders
‘The Paris bar scene has long had to compete with a strong French wine and beer culture,’ says Hyacinthe Lescoët, co-founder of The Cambridge Public House in Paris. This, Lescoët says, has led to a ‘particularly resilient’ bar community – ‘and many exciting new venues have emerged, as a result.’
With thousands of bars in Paris – reportedly 105 bars per square kilometre – there’s myriad choice… Possibly too much choice. But the bartending community is a tightknit gaggle who have the pick of the most technically competent cocktail spaces as well as the most atmospheric. There’s bartender ‘HQ’, Le Petit Martin, according to CopperBay Lancaster’s Aurélie Panhelleux, as well as buzzy newcomers like Superfine, a chic dive bar this group head to for a post-shift nightcap. Here’s where else top Parisian bartenders like to drink.
Superfine
When Superfine opened in late 2025, it did so with the specific aim of being a dive bar – ‘and it’s cool, cohesive, with a top quality “dive bar” mood,’ says Panhelleux. Lescoët backs up the recommendation: ‘it is very relaxed, has casual service, but its food menu is great, and its cocktail menu fun and creative,’ he says. On a Friday and Saturday night, you can expect DJ sets, while the kitchen closes late, at 10:30pm.
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Try this: its Butter Not Texture (gin, barley shochu, buckwheat, and butternut), before it leaves the menu soon.
Address: 8 passage Josset, 75011
The Cambridge Public House
‘My perfect evening would start at The Cambridge Public House,’ says Corentin Gaudin, bar manager at Danico. ‘You have to try one of their “tiny bevs”.’ Located in the Marais district of Paris – though the name may misdirect – this drinking venue styles itself as a ‘cocktail pub’ rather than a bar. Nonetheless, head bartender Margarida Barcelos presents a very erudite weekly creation menu, meaning no two visits are quite the same.
Try this: the Disco Devil (carrot, brown butter, Merlet Brothers blend, Woodford Reserve)
Address: 8 Rue de Poitou, 75003
instagram.com/thecambridge_paris
Bar Nouveau
An intimate bar inspired by the Art Nouveau movement that seats only about ten covers – it’s 16m2 – Bar Nouveau is a mainstay in the world’s top 50 list (right now it’s 17th). Bartender Remy Savage make ‘my favourite cocktail in Paris, their Fine à L’Eau,’ says Gaudin. Despite the accolades, it’s walk-in only, meaning a shot at a coveted seat.
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Try this: Fine à L’Eau (Martell VS, verjus, simple syrup, sparkling water)
Address: 5 Rue Des Haudriettes, 75003
Harmony Bar de Nuit
For late night drinking and dining, look no further than ‘a gem right in Pigalle, Harmony Bar de Nuit,’ says Panhelleux. ‘It serves as a cocktail bar, nightclub, and closes at 6am – with high quality drinks.’ She suggests going for ‘the ultimate combo, its peanut butter espresso martini with the chicken burger.’
Try this: Peanut Butter Espresso Martini
Address: 61 Rue Claude Rodier, 75009
instagram.com/harmony.bardenuit_/
Mesures
Japanese kissa-style bars – jazz and vinyl listening lounges – are catching in popularity the world over. ‘Mesures is one such cocktail bar with a focus on saké and some of the best cocktails in Paris,’ says Lescoët. ‘It feels very homely, and the music is always on point.’ Its seasonal menus present the most exciting ways to consume saké, which you can also order by the glass, but you’ll find plenty of other creative concoctions that spotlight other ingredients.
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Try this: Scenery VII (Saké Masumi Shiro White, artichoke, Berto Bianco, bitters, nikka coffee grains, artichoke heart shochu, bee pollen butter)
Address: 58 Rue de Saintonge, 75003
Le Petit Martin
‘We call this our “HQ”’, says Panhelleux. ‘A small charming place with a covered terrace and tables squeezed together where you instantly feel at home. Its owners are brothers and the soul of the venue.’ Panhellenic explains there’s ‘great wine and easy cocktails, and you’ll most likely end up chatting with the people at the next table.’
Try this: Le Petit Raisin
Address: 39 Bd Saint-Martin, 75003
Fréquence
If you want to hear someone on the decks while you enjoy your drinks, Fréquence will tickle your tipple. ‘It’s all about music here, with records playing constantly and international DJ residencies on weekends,’ says Lescoët. ‘The design of the space is also stunning.’ Think all wooden bar with vinyls packed just behind on wall-to-wall shelves.
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Try this: Superfly (Peach hay, saké, Manzanilla sherry, aperitivo)
Address: 20 Rue Keller, Bastille, 75011
Danico
Corentin’s own bar has boasted a specialist ‘Xplorer menu’ series which has taken drinkers through a liquid crawl of Indonesia, Mexico, Japan, India, and Peru. Its current iteration focuses on home: the best of French epicurean delight. Yes, that does mean Tarte Tatin cocktails…
Try this: Tarte Tatin (calvados, sherry, brown butter, caramel)
Address: 6 Rue Vivienne, 75002
