Locals flock to Le Baron Rouge for its excellent selection of wines.
Best Bohemian Bar
★ Chez Prune, 36 rue Beaurepaire, 10th (p 122)
Best Chic Cocktails
★★★ Le Coq, 12 rue du Château d’Eau, 10th (p 123)
Best Place to Steal a Kiss
★★ La Palette, 43 rue de Seine, 6th (p 122)
Best Wine Bar
★★ Le Baron Rouge, 1 rue Théophile-Roussel, 12th (p 124)
Best for Paris-Brewed Beer
★★ Paname Brewing Company, 41 bis Quai de la Loire (p 123)
Best for Ping-Pong Fans
★★ Gossima, 4 rue Victor Gelez, 11th (p 122)
Best for Fans of Papa
★★★ Harry’s Bar, 5 rue Daunou, 2nd (p 122)
Best for Dinner & a Boogie
★★ Wanderlust, 32 quai d’Austerlitz, 13th (p 120)
Best Outdoor Partying
★★ Rosa Bonheur, 2 allée de la Cascade, Parc des Buttes Chaumont, 19th (p 123)
Best Hip Club
★★ Le Cartel Club, 8 rue Arsène Houssaye, 8th (p 120)
Best Speakeasy
★★ Candelaria, 52 rue Saintonge, 3rd (p 122)
Best Waterfront Location
★★ Batofar, 11 quai François Mauriac,13th (p 120)
Best Cutting-Edge Club
★★ Le Social Club, 142 rue de Montmartre, 2nd (p 120)
Best for the Latest Electro Sounds
★★ Rex Club, 5 bd. Poissonnière, 2nd (p 120)
Best Gay Bars
Open Café & Café Cox, 15 & 17 rue des Archives, 4th (p 121)
Best Lesbian Bar
3W Kafé, 8 rue des Ecouffes, 4th (p 121)
Best Boudoir
★★★ Le Bar de L’Hôtel, 13 rue des Beaux-Arts, 6th (p 123)
Batofar is a barge turned hip dance club.
Dance Clubs
★★ Batofar BIBLIOTHEQUE At this hip club, on a converted barge on the Seine, the rotating DJs attract hundreds of 20- and 30-somethings. In the summer, the quayside turns into an extension of the boat, with food, a bar, and deck chairs. 11 quai François Mauriac, 13th. ☎ 09-71-25-50-61. www.batofar.org. Cover free–15€. Métro: Quai de la Gare. Map p 118.
Caveau de la Huchette LATIN QUARTER This rocking club has an emphasis on good times and loud funk, jazz, and classic swing; the crowd tends to be in their 30s and older. 5 rue de la Huchette, 5th. ☎ 01-43-26-65-05. www.caveaudelahuchette.fr. Cover 10€–15€. Métro: St-Michel. Map p 118.
★★ Le Cartel Club CHAMPS ELYSEES This uber-trendy, Mexican-themed club drips in shabby-chic style and serves 30 tequilas at the bar. Music-wise, hip hop and deep house draw a stream of fashionistas, so book a table if you want to get in; the bouncers are notoriously difficult. 4 rue Arsène Houssaye, 8th. ☎ 06-43-74-53-39. www.cartelclubparis.com. Cover free. Métro/RER: Charles de Gaulle-Etoile. Map p 115.
Le Showcase CHAMPS ELYSEES Underneath pont Alexandre III, inside an old boat hangar, this happening club packs in the young and energetic for nightly shows by French and international rock, pop, and electro bands. There are DJ nights with renowned names, too. Pont Alexandre III, 8th. ☎ 01-45-61-25-43/resa@showcase.fr. www.showcase.fr. Cover up to 20€. Métro: Champs-Elysées Clémenceau. Map p 115.
★★ Le Social Club BOURSE This funky club is where the serious French electronic music and techno lovers go. Internationally acclaimed producers and DJs splice the night, and live bands occasionally pump things up. 142 rue de Montmartre, 2nd. ☎ 01-40-28-05-55. www.parissocialclub.com. Cover free–20€. Métro: Bourse or Grands Boulevards. Map p 116.
★★ Machine du Moulin Rouge MONTMARTRE Set in the nightclub adjoining Paris’s most famous cabaret, this is the latest hot spot for electronic music lovers. Expect DJ sets by famous names, a big dance floor, and youthful fauna soaking up the vibes. 90 bd. de Clichy, 18th. ☎ 01-53-41-88-89. www.lamachinedumoulinrouge.com. Cover free–30€. Métro: Blanche. Map p 115.
Queen CHAMPS ELYSEES This cheesy, very-late-night, gay-friendly club attracts a mixed crowd of corporate workers kicking back, ladies out for a night of dancing, and tourists in the know. International DJs regularly play, and it’s one of the only places to provide clubbing every night of the week. 102 av. des Champs-Elysées, 8th. ☎ 01-53-89-08-90. www.queen.fr. Cover free–20€. Métro: George-V. Map p 115.
★★ Rex Club GRANDS BOULEVARDS This place is known for its cutting-edge electronic music, with top DJs playing weekly and frequent free nights. Check local listings to see who’s at the helm. 5 bd. Poissonnière, 2nd. ☎ 01-42-36-10-96. www.rexclub.com. Cover up to 20€. Métro: Bonne Nouvelle. Map p 116.
★★ Wanderlust & Nüba AUSTERLITZ The riverside Cité de la Mode et du Design (fashion and design school) now has two hip night venues: Quay-level Wanderlust is where stylish crowds gyrate to French touch electro, while top-deck Nüba offers panoramic views and a chill DJ beach hut. Make a night of it and dine at Wanderlust before you party. 32 & 36 quai d’Austerlitz, 13th. ☎ 01-70-74-41-74 (Wanderlust restaurant; no phone in club) or ☎ 01-76-77-34-85 (Nüba). www.wanderlustparis.com or www.lenuba.com. No cover. Métro/RER: Gare d’Austerlitz. Map p 118.
Over the last 5 years, Paris’s night-scene has exploded, from exclusive clubs headed by international DJs, to intimate speakeasies and inventive mixology cocktail bars. Many of the city’s bars and cafes chip in, too, by staying open until 1 or 2am. If you plan to hit a trendy nightclub, you should know that most are open 11pm to 6am, and that Parisian bouncers—physionomistes (literally “face-checkers”)—are extremely picky. Dress up, smile, and hope they let you in; or ensure entry the expensive way by reserving a table with bottle service, where you pay around 150€ for a bottle of champagne or a spirit.
The legal drinking age in France is 18. Expect to pay around 5€ for a glass of wine or 4€ for beer in a bar or café, and 13€ to 20€ for a cocktail. Drinks in nightclubs usually start at 10€.
Gay & Lesbian Bars & Clubs
3W Kafé MARAIS This fun lesbian bar offers a jam-packed program, from clubbing and karaoke, to lesbian movie screenings and burlesque cabaret nights. Men are welcome too, if they arrive with a woman. 8 rue des Ecouffes, 4th. ☎ 01-48-87-39-26. www.facebook.com/3w.kafe. Métro: St. Paul. Map p 116.
Le Tango (aka La Boîte à Frissons) REPUBLIQUE Open on weekends, this wacky, hetero-friendly gay and lesbian dance hall plays cheesy Madonna songs and accordion music alike. Couples practice dancing the foxtrot and tango early on, and then a DJ takes over and plays everything except techno. 13 rue au Maire, 2nd. ☎ 01-42-72-17-78. www.boite-a-frissons.fr. Cover varies. Métro: Arts et Métiers. Map p 116.
Mutinerie MARAIS More than just a party spot, this shabby LGBT bar acts as a local cafe, library, concert venue, and even a yoga center. DJs spin everything from ragga and pop to cool electro and rock. 176-178 rue St. Martin, 3rd. ☎ 01-42-72-70-59. No cover. Métro: Rambuteau or Etienne Marcel; RER Châtelet-les-Halles. Map p 116.
Open Café & Café Cox MARAIS This pair of gay men’s bars includes two independent businesses, but there’s so much traffic between them that they’re often thought of as a single place. You’ll find the most mixed gay crowd in Paris here. 15 & 17 rue des Archives, 4th. Open Café: ☎ 01-42-72-26-18. www.opencafe.fr. Café Cox: ☎ 01-42-72-08-00. www.cox.fr. Métro: Hôtel-de-Ville. Map p 116.
Pubs & Bars
★ Académie de la Bière LATIN QUARTER This rustic-looking “academy of beer” can get downright raucous. Most of the beers on tap come from Belgium. Soak it up with delicious moules-frites. 88 bd. de Port-Royal, 5th. ☎ 01-43-54-66-65. www.academie-biere.com. RER: Port Royal. Map p 118.
★★ Candelaria MARAIS What this tiny taqueria lacks in space it makes up for in trendiness—especially at night, when a young, hip crowd makes a beeline for the speakeasy-style cocktail bar hidden behind the tacos counter. Try—if you dare—the spicy Guêpe Verte (Green Wasp), made from Ocho Blanco tequila infused with hot pepper, coriander, cucumber, and lime. 52 rue de Saintonge, 3rd. ☎ 01-42-74-41-28. www.candelariaparis.com. Métro: Filles du Calvaire. Map p 116.
Chez Jeanette STRASBOURG-SAINT-DENIS The decor in this bar has changed little since the 1940s. Nowadays crowds of trendy 30-somethings lap up the cheap wine, while the occasional old regular sweeps in, Jack Russell in tow, oblivious to the change of clientele. 47 rue du Faubourg St-Denis, 10th. ☎ 01-47-70-30-89. Métro: Strasbourg-St-Denis or Château Eau. Map p 116.
The decor of Chez Jeanette, in the 10th arrondissement, is vintage 1940s.
★ Chez Prune CANAL SAINT-MARTIN This casual spot serves excellent, well-priced food, including some vegetarian dishes (from 13€), plus coffee, beer, and wine to local arty types and cool do-littlers taking in the canal-side view. 36 rue Beaurepaire, 10th. ☎ 01-42-41-30-47. Métro: République. Map p 116.
★★ Gossima Ping Pong Bar NORTHEAST PARIS Set in a converted garage, this quirky, vintage-style bar is the only place in Paris you can drink cocktails and play ping pong at the same time. With two floors of tables, a thrashing sound system, and an all-round jovial atmosphere, it’s a top spot for a night out with friends. 4 rue Victor Gelez, 11th. ☎ 01-48-07-43-35. www.facebook.com/GossimaPingPongBar. Métro: Père Lachaise or Rue Saint-Maur. Map p 116.
★★★ Harry’s Bar OPERA This place is sacred to Hemingway disciples as the place where he and the rest of the ambulance corps drank themselves silly during the Spanish Civil War. The White Lady and the Sidecar were both invented here. A pianist plays in the cellar; the area upstairs is somewhat less sophisticated. Filled with expats, this place is more fun than you might think. 5 rue Daunou, 2nd. ☎ 01-42-61-71-14. www.harrysbar.fr. Métro: Opéra or Pyramides. Map p 116.
★★ La Palette ST-GERMAIN-DES-PRES This is a favorite rendezvous for students from the nearby fine-arts school. It’s also rather romantic (especially the fresco-painted back room). A drink here means following in the steps of Ernest Hemingway and Jim Morrison. A handy base for exploring Saint-Germain’s art galleries. 43 rue de Seine, 6th. ☎ 01-43-26-68-15. Métro: Odéon. Map p 118.
★★ Le Ballroom PALAIS-ROYAL/LES HALLES After a juicy steak in the upstairs Beef Club, descend the “secret” staircase for a soirée in one of the city’s best underground cocktail bars. It feels as though you’ve stepped into a speakeasy, with dark lighting and vintage decor (not to mention the Mafia-like bouncers). Expect well-mixed drinks. 58 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1st. ☎ 09-52-52-89-34. www.eccbeefclub.com. Métro: Louvre-Rivoli or Les Halles. Map p 116.
★★★ Le Bar de L’Hôtel ST-GERMAIN-DES-PRES This wee hotel bar is appropriately theatrical (a Victorian color scheme, baroque touches) when you consider that its regulars tend to be in the film industry—or want to be. This was the hotel where Oscar Wilde died, impoverished and alone; it’s a lovely historic place for a drink and a ponder. 13 rue des Beaux-Arts, 6th. ☎ 01-44-41-99-00. www.l-hotel.com. Métro: St-Germain-des-Prés. Map p 118.
★★★ Le Coq REPUBLIQUE Darkly lit, with 70s-style touches, this trendsetting mixology cocktail bar has made a name for itself by reviving old-fashioned French spirits like Chartreuse and daring to mix “pure” French products like cognac with “lower-grade” alcohols like cider. When you fancy a nibble, croque monsieurs and cheese platters are at hand to soak everything up. 12 rue du Château d’Eau, 10th. ☎ 01-42-40-85-68. Métro: Jacques Bonsergent or République. Map p 116.
★ Le Forum MADELEINE This smart, business-crowd favorite is like a London private club—all oak paneling, single malts, and brass. On the drinks menu (aside from the digestifs) are delicious cocktails, such as the French Cup (champagne, elderflower liqueur, lime juice, and violet syrup). 4 bd. Malesherbes, 8th. ☎ 01-42-65-37-86. www.bar-le-forum.com. Métro: Madeleine. Map p 115.
★★ Paname Brewing Company CANAL SAINT-MARTIN Set in a converted 19th-century warehouse, this hip waterside joint serves five beers that it brews on-site. Choices range from the refreshing, amber-hued Barge du Canal to the Bête Noire (aka Black Beast), a delicious dark ale with a licorice/caramel finish. 41 bis Quai de la Loire, 19th. ☎ 01-40-36-43-55. Métro: Laumière or Ourcq. Map p 116.
★★ Rosa Bonheur NORTHEAST Smack bang in the un-touristy Parc des Buttes Chaumont (a beautiful urban park set in former quarries), this is where those in-the-know come for after-hour drinking and partying. It’s magical looking out across the moonlit park, drink in hand, with nothing but the rustling of trees (and like-minded Parisians) for company. 2 alléé de la Cascade, 19th; after dark enter at 7 rue Botzaris, opposite no. 74. ☎ 01-42-00-00-45. www.rosabonheur.fr. Métro: Botzaris or Jourdain. Map p 116.
★ Au Sauvignon ST-GERMAIN-DES-PRES This tiny bar has tables overflowing onto the terrace, where a cheerful crowd downs wines ranging from cheap Beaujolais to the pricey Grand Crus. 80 rue des St-Pères, 7th. ☎ 01-45-48-49-02. Métro: Sèvres-Babylone. Map p 118.
★ Caves Legrand BOURSE Nestled in the chocolate-box Passage Vivienne (a covered passage), this old-world wine shop doubles as a bar, a delicatessen, and a bookshop. Excellent seasonal menus for food and wine pairings complete the offering. 1 rue de la Banque, 2nd. ☎ 01-42-60-07-12. www.caves-legrand.com. Métro: Bourse. Map p 116.
★★ Fish la Boissonerie SAINT-GERMAIN International, after-work crowds pile into this playful wine bar–cum–restaurant, for a glass of something tasty and an excellent fish-focused menu. Sidle up to the bar, or opt for a sit-down dinner—either way, you’re in for a treat. 69 rue de Seine, 6th. ☎ 01-43-54-34-69. Métro: Saint Germain des Prés. Map p 118.
★★ Frenchie Bar à Vin SENTIER Off the beaten tourist track north of Les Halles, this adorable wine bar belongs to Frenchie, the acclaimed restaurant over the road (see p 109). Fans come for French wine for every budget and delicious small tasting menus. Get here early if you don’t want to queue; no reservations. 6 rue du Nil, 2nd. ☎ 01-40-39-96-10. www.frenchie-restaurant.com. Métro: Sentier or Réamur Sebastopol. Map p 116.
Le Ballroom is a speakeasy-style cocktail lounge underneath the Beef Club.
The historic Bar de L’Hôtel.
★ Juveniles BOURSE This sleek place with a trendy crowd prides itself on its enormous wine cellar with labels from around the world. 47 rue des Richelieu, 1st. ☎ 01-42-97-46-49. Métro: Palais Royal. Map p 116.
La Belle Hortense MARAIS The fact that this quirky bar has a bookshop within its walls makes it a perpetual favorite for bookish wine lovers. 31 vieille du Temple, 4th. ☎ 01-48-04-71-60. www.cafeine.com. Métro: Hôtel-de-Ville. Map p 116.
★★ Le Baron Rouge BASTILLE Be prepared to fight for elbow room at this popular locals’ haunt (opposite the Aligre market), where excellent wine is sold by the glass and drunk on wine barrels posing as tables. Grab a plate of charcuterie or oysters (when in season). 1 rue Théophile-Roussel, 12th. ☎ 01-42-72-76-85. Métro: St-Paul. Map p 116.
★★ Les Bacchantes MADELEINE This place, just down the road from Printemps department store, is a top spot for a post-shopping tipple. Around 50 wines grace the board and exposed beams add character. 21 rue Caumartin, 9th. ☎ 01-42-65-25-35. www.lesbacchantes.fr. Métro: Opéra or Madeleine. Map p 115. 
