Top 10 favorite Cocktail bars in Paris in 2023

The cocktail scene is booming in Paris. There is one for everyone, from speakeasies to vinyl themed to hidden spots.

We have included a hand-picked list of what we consider are the most exciting Paris cocktail bars combining creativity, quality, price, and friendliest service.

Most cocktail bars do not take reservations, so get there early if you want a conversation and a quieter time, or get there after dinner if you are more into partying, louder music and amazing Parisian cocktails!

But do book your dinner anyways to assure yourself of the best experience. We also added a pro tip at the end to combine your visit with a delicious eatery with recommendations from some of the best food and wine tours in Paris.

Combat is our best discovery in 2023. It is located in the off-the-beaten-path Belleville neighborhood with a burgeoning restaurant scene.

Combat serves unique, creative, and delightful Parisian cocktails in a relaxed, less pretentious environment than other cocktail bars in Paris. Prices are similar to other places with the bonus of super friendly and professional staff. 

The cocktails are uniquely designed and put together by the best female mixologist in Paris. They have an inventive menu. Additionally, they are happy to prepare any classic cocktail you like.

We love the dirty martinis served in a beautiful vintage glass and “the formidable” signature cocktail, which was super smooth and complex. The food menu is more like snacks than small plates. PRO Tip: This is a great place to spend a good quality hour, then try a second cocktail bar a few steps away. We highly suggest LA COMMUNE at 80 Bd de Belleville, 75020, then head to your favorite restaurant in the neighborhood. We highly recommend PALOMA for some amazing Parisian food and wine at 93 Rue Julien Lacroix, 75020 –  Make a reservation before you go.

Le Syndicat is our old-time favorite cocktail bar in a somewhat sketchy and worldly area near Gare de l’Est. If you pass by without knowing this place, you’d never know they serve world famous French cocktails inside.

The cocktails are very creative and unique. The quality of the cocktails matches the concept, which is not always the case when mixologists get too clever.

Le Syndicat’s uniqueness is that they celebrate all things French by stocking only French spirits from family-run distilleries.

Le Syndicat is a stylish and contemporary place with weekend DJs and a French cuisine focused food menu. Like most cocktail bars in Paris, the music tends toward hip-hop. Expect to mingle with a young clientele.

PRO Tip: Don’t spend the whole night here; cross the street and check out our two other favorite places so you can mingle with locals too at Le Maury and Chez Jeannette. Because you are in a multicultural neighborhood, we highly suggest the following eateries to explore the culinary culture of Paris: Sette pizza, Urfa Durum, or the Daily Syrien.

Danico is a very chick, trendy, high ceiling and contemporary Paris cocktail bar with a beautiful graphic patterned marble bar.

You can access it two ways via the pizza eatery Daroco located in Jean-Paul Gaultier’s former flagship store or the famous Passage Vivienne.

Have famous cocktails in Paris made by the owner Nico de Soto who won the “Most Influential Bartender” prize at Paris’s Cocktail & Spirits show in 2014.

We loved the number of details about how the cocktail is shaken and the flavors and textures you will find in them. We loved the focaccia and the delicious Italian cheeses. It is always lovely to take a break from French food and wine.

PRO Tip:  We recommend having dinner at Juveniles wine Bistrot at 47 Rue de Richelieu, 75001 (reserve by calling +33.1.42.97.46.49) or at our favorite Korean restaurant BISTROT MEE (reserve on google) at 5 Rue d’Argenteuil, 75001 Paris, France.

A very cool speakeasy, and it has a lovely mix of local Parisians and travelers alike.

The bar is hidden, so you have to look for the entrance thru the buzzing local pizza place Da Vito, walk straight to the steel door and be surprisingly amazed.

This cocktail bar is tiny; get here early or be prepared to wait in line. We love the 1920’s theme with Art Deco furnishings, record players, and quirky glassware.

The cocktails are fun names like “Back Basil” and are served in mason jars and vintage flasks. The pizza is OK.

PRO Tip: we suggest having cocktails here, then heading towards le Recoin restaurant for authentic Parisian food, 60 Rue St Sabin, 75011, or vice versa –  small plates, low-intervention wines, fantastic service, and super fresh French food.

This cool newish Parisian hangout launched by Fabien Lombardi (also co-founder of L’Entrée des Artistes in the Pigalle neighborhood) brings natural wines, cocktails, and vinyls.

They have a curated small gourmet Parisian food plate cooked in a wood-fired oven. We love their signature roast chicken sandwich and their stuffed calzones. 

The walls are polished concrete, and nights here are usually complete with a fantastic crowd of locals mixed with travelers, wildly when the DJ spins old-fashioned types of vinyl on the turntable. You can expect Hip-hop, Soul, Funk, and Disco all night long.

The atmosphere gets energetic and friendly as the night goes on and the drinks go in. You can expect dancing and mingling in a place with a proper sound system.

If you are staying nearby, you can stop by in the morning and have a delicious cup of Bambino Café. The selection of coffees and teas to infuse is paired deliciously with yummy Japanese Sando sandwiches and pastries.

PRO Tip:  vinyl-cocktail bars is a thing in Paris right now; if you are into it, then check out the other top 4 Paris cocktail bars in the same style:

– Fréquence: 20, rue Keller, 75011

– Doublevie: 2, rue Poulet, 75018

– Montezuma Cafe: 15, rue Notre Dame des Victoires, 75002

– Le Discobar: 92, rue Rebeval, 75019

The father of them all, a Parisian institution, the benchmark for all other Parisian cocktail bars that followed. ECC brought the cocktail revolution to Paris, and it has been nonstop with new additions to the scene every year.

The theme of this bar is to have “Experimental” cocktails, things you have never had before. The service is very friendly. Keep in mind this place is strictly for tasting cocktails; no food is served besides jars of salted almonds.

This Parisian location is the first establishment of the Experimental Group opened in 2007 in a cozy atmosphere. The deco has exposed stones and beams and upholstered sofas. The dimly lit space indoors features high, wood beam ceilings.

We love the seats at the bar. You can expect to mingle with locals, travelers, and fashionistas. The place gets packed by 11 pm. If you are heading to London, check out the one in Chinatown.

PRO Tip:  There are good options for eateries in this trendy neighborhood, such as our favorite restaurant Tekés with some of the best French food and wine at four bis Rue Saint-Sauveur, 75002 Paris.

It is located near the hip Canal Saint-Martin. It is a beautiful, casual, hybrid place where you can enjoy a glass of natural wine, locally-brewed beer, or one of their carefully crafted cocktails that gravitate around sensations: cold sweat, weightlessness, disorientation, etc.

We come here for their friendliness, excellent service, fantastic food & drinks. The gravity bar has a tremendous wavy ceiling and a large semicircle lobby. It showcases concrete counters and large windows, allowing passersby to peek inside.

The gourmet food is served on small plates and changes with the season. We tasted some delicious pork buns with shiitake mushrooms and duck tataki with figs and pistachios.

PRO Tip:  If you have too many Parisian cocktails and wish to taste one of the most delicious Ramen in Paris, go to Ippudo République at 6 Pl. Jacques Bonsergent, 75010

Herbarium cocktail bar is a very sophisticated and elegant Haussmannian building that went through a total makeover using all-natural materials: marble, stone, copper, ceramic, linen, and natural wood. You don’t have to stay at the hotel to access the rooftop bar, Italian trattoria, and dusky cocktail lounge.

This place is unique in Paris. We love the rooftop bar with outstanding panoramic views of the Sacré Coeur church and the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

The dim light Herbarium is a must-see place in the neighborhood for its themed drinks, all based on botanical infusions of plants and flowers: kaffir lime, jasmine, verbena, fermented black olive, etc.

Everything is house-made, and there is live music on the weekends. It’s a small place, so get there early.

PRO Tip:  We recommend having a classic French food and wine dinner only a few steps away at Derriére 69 Rue des Gravilliers, 75003 Paris, France

This small bar off the boulevard in the Marais is all about pink. Pink awning outside, pink floors inside, and pink bathroom wallpaper. There are tons of hanging plants.

A concept cocktail bar where you get customized drinks based on your taste preferences (sweet, sour, acidic, fruity, fresh, salty, citric, bitter) and current emotions.

It is all made-to-order with edible garnishes such as clementine, candied ginger, or, in winter, a candy cane, seasonal Parisian cocktails, and alfresco seating.

The staff is definitely on top of their game, super friendly, sexy, fun, and chill vibe! Good music too!

PRO Tip: There is no menu here, so we recommend dining at MAGMA  9 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011 (Reservations required)

This tiny cocktail bar institution does not need an introduction. It is an extraordinary and romantic place to see at least once while traveling in Paris if you want to try some of the most famous cocktails in Paris.

Impeccable decoration, you are in a Parisian palace,  with leather armchairs, bar stools, sepia photos, quirky memorabilia, a dried shark’s jaw, newspaper clippings, and a honed cocktail menu containing entertaining descriptions of the drinks.

The whole place is a feast for the eyes and your Instagram account. It is not an easy place to get in, but it is probably the most rewarding experience, so be prepared to wait in line.

Some classics, such as the Clean Dirty Martini, served with a frozen cube of olive juice, and the Ritz Pimms, have an exciting twist. There are olives, almonds, and crispy chips served with your cocktail.

The Hemingway Bar opens at 6:00 pm; people usually have world-famous cocktails before heading to town for dinner.

PRO Tip:  we would come here for extraordinary occasions; if that’s your case, you can match this visit with a gourmet diner at LE CLARANCE 31 Av. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 75008