The 15 best cocktail bars in Paris

If you like your music and you like your drink (that’ll be most of you, then), try Fréquence. The dozens of soul and reggae sleeves behind the counter give a good indication as to what you’ll hear here. The cocktails are diverse – and crucially, delicious.

You’d struggle to find a cosier drinking den than this pub-like affair in the Marais. From the vintage furnishings to the piano in the corner to the staff in blue overalls, it’s all low-key and down-to-earth here. And in Paris’s flashy bar landscape, that makes a refreshing change. Care about how what’s in your glass gets there? Happily, the Cambridge only works with sustainable spirit brands.

At Danico, they know how to make you feel at home. With its green velvet armchairs, black-and-white marble counter and hugely catchy ’80s soundtrack, this Brooklyn-style bar – yes, another one – is pretty much destined for your Instagram feed. The staff are very welcoming. And the drinks? Totally fab.

This cosy Belleville hangout is talked about for a reason. The setting’s laid-back, the staff friendly and the cocktails, well, they’re superb. Elena Schmitt and Margot Lecarpentier (ex-Experimental Cocktail Club) know their way round a well-balanced mix, and their new opening, not far from the Parc de Belleville, delivers. The food’s good, too – try the terrine (€8) with gherkins and rustic Thierry Breton bread.

At this elegant bar in Pigalle (formerly the home of Paris's red light district), owners Jen Riley and Joseph Boyley serve up seriously fresh cocktails in its OTT, panther-like room. At Sister Midnight, you'll find drag shows, live music and more, and likely have a night you'll never forget. La Mano Negra was wrong, Paris by night isn't over at Galle-Pi.

This bar opened in summer 2023, and is already one of the top spots in Paris. The offering from Rémy Savage and his team at Bar Nouveau is already incredibly accomplished, with a beautifully curated cocktail menu of subtle and elegant flavours. Upstairs is giving neo-Art Nouveau in its décor, while downstairs is more gloomy and industrial. Both are great, and so are the staff. 

A pretty apothecary-style bar with a cute tree-lined terrace away from Pigalle, this cocktail bar features retro interiors, period tiles, chiselled glass fittings and luminous green crosses inherited from an old pharmacy. Mysterious amber jars sit in dark wooden cupboards. Behind Classique's long marble counter, Hugo Combe prepares his magical blends (€12-13). For an aperitif, the drinks are paired with sumptuous small plates, and on Sundays you can grab brunch for €20.

Oddly, the red door doesn’t actually open – you go in via the blue one on the left. But that dinky lil’ rectangle has become pretty much emblematic of Parisian cocktail excellence since Little Red Door first appeared on the World’s 50 Best Bars list a few years back. Inside, you’ll find a dim-lit speakeasy with matchless charm – think tin ceilings, insanely comfy chesterfields and midnight-blue velvet armchairs.

Nautical-themed drinking hole Le CopperBay is a sophisticated and elegant cocktail bar hidden away down the quiet Rue Bouchardon. Against a décor of wood panelling and ropes, experienced cocktail crafters Elfi, Julien and Aurélie serve you up a sailor-friendly rum on the rocks, or something a little more adventurous from their ambitious mixology menu. It’s classy, yet not extortionate by Paris standards: cocktails cost around €10 each and a half-pint of Demory will set you back €7. Oh, and the menu is travel-themed, with drink names like Falouka, De La Bretagne and Coco Lima. 

The 16th isn’t exactly the buzziest part of town when it comes to drinking out. But Cravan alone is reason alone to pop on down for a bev. Classed as a national ’historic monument’, the art nouveau building it’s housed in makes a dramatic backdrop against which to enjoy their speciality inter-war cocktails. The soundtrack’s pleasingly jazzy, and the small plates menu is excellent.

To get to this buzzing spot, you’ll first have to pass through the tiny white taqueria that operates out of the same address. The backroom is where the Marais’s moneyed thirty-somethings come for their margaritas – and all manner of other top-notch cocktails. Don’t miss out.

The Left Bank may not be known for its nightlife, but perhaps that’s because some of its best haunts are concealed behind featureless façades. That’s true of the très modish Castor Club, anyway. This dimly lit wood-panelled bar plays a mix of Nashville pop from the ’50s and ’60s, and the cocktail choices are eclectic.

For almost 20 years, the Mazouz brothers have been serving as a case study in ‘bars for dummies,’ which should de distributed to all entrepreneurs interested in mixology. Order an exceptional Old Fashioned (or their Mexican version, with mezcal from Oaxaca), and stay till late when a DJ brings the vibes. You'll pay a Parisian price for Andy Wahloo – drinks are around €15 – but it's worth it, in our humble opinion. 

There's a seriously chilled-out atmosphere at Bluebird, and it's complimented by a warm colour scheme, copper ceiling and a smoking room surrounded by an aquarium; it feels a bit like a cross between a cosy hotel bar and the back room of a chic Chinese restaurant. Milanese barman Flavio Angiolho rustles up an unforgettable negroni with bitter, red vermouth and thyme liqueur directly imported from Italy. And because one should never drink on an empty stomach, we recommend ordering the very generous club sandwich.

With its low-lighting and gloomy front windows, Monsieur Antoine, on a sidestreet off Avenue Parmentier, is hardly eye-catching. But once inside, you're immediately welcomed by its  rock soundtrack, and the sound of the cocktail shaker at work. There's a weekly changing list of ten drinks, with syrups made in-house and fruit juice that's freshly squeezed each morning. We would recommend trying them all, but you might not make it home.