Bar Hop Paris (Part One)

Paris is a great city. Period. It’s cute and historic and there are magnificent buildings that you recognize from every European history book and a ton of movies. People also talk about pastries and wine, which are both great too. Do you know what else Paris has? Killer cocktail bars. Lots of them. We visited quite a few of them when we visited last month. Here is Paris Bar Hop Part One for you to try out! (As always this list is by no means exhaustive and your best bet is to always ask your bartender where to go next. Hey, that is partially why we created this site!)

Combat (63 Rue de Belleville)
This very open bar in the busy and street art heavy Belleville area of Paris is adorable. It is well lit so you can see everything the bartender is doing. The rest of the room is made up of clean lines combined with a ceiling covered in flowers and vines. These visual cues lead you to your drinks. The cocktails are all so delicate and at the same time impactful. And if you aren’t in the mood for cocktails, just grab some snacks and people watch. Yes, snacks are a great idea as you begin this Bar Hop!

CopperBay (5 Rue Bouchardon)
After a ~~long~~ little walk, you will arrive at CopperBay with your thirst on! This nautical themed bar is the perfect spot to quench that thirst. The decor is modern and fun and the drinks match. The room is a little bigger than a lot of the other bars of this calibre in Paris and we imagine it can get really busy. Menu design in Paris is amazing and Copper bay is no exception. Here they have diagrams next to the drink names so that you know what to expect.

Little Red Door (60 Rue Charlot)
Little Red Door is one of those cocktail bars that are always listed on those “Best Bars” list and we can see why. This fun cocktail bar boasts one of the more creative menus we’ve seen. This edition of their menu is based on words and phrases that can’t really be translated from their language of origin. Included are languages from all over the world. Fitting as the entire staff on the day that we were there had all moved to Paris from other countries.

Le Mary Celeste (1 Rue Commines)
This small restaurant has some of the best thought out drinks we tried while in Paris. The glassware is perfect, the garnish is complimentary and creative without being a distraction and the menu, while short, is made up of selections that will keep any cocktail drinker happy. Eat everything on the menu, it is all a home run (and will help soak up those cocktails you have been consuming!)

Bar Bisou (15 Boulevard du Temple)
This bar was a wonderful surprise and a great way to end your night. Recommended to us by one of the bartenders at Little Red Door, this no menu bar exceeded all expectations. The staff seemed genuinely excited to hear what kind of drinks we were in the mood for. The questions they ask to find out what you are looking for are exact and must have taken some time to get just right. Both our cocktails were bull’s eyes. (Does “bull’s eye” translate?)

Now… ready for our BAR HOP PARIS PART DEUX?!

Note: As with all Bar Hops, we are not encouraging getting inebriated. This is a list of great cocktail bars that we suggest visiting while in Paris. We want you to have fun and play safe. Check out How to Do a Good Bar Hop for some hot tips.

Josh Lindley

Co-Creator at Bartender Atlas

Josh Lindley has been bartending in Toronto since 2007. Before working for Hendrick's Gin as a Brand Ambassador he was bar manager at Campagnolo and a hired gun at Bar Isabel before working at Chantecler, Le Phenix and Eataly. He has contributed to many magazines, tv shows and newspapers with his recipes and opinions. He recently put his diploma in Radio Broadcasting from Humber College to good use through The Blackbird audio documentary. Currently pouring at Civl Liberties and teaching cocktail classes for Evelyn Chick's Love of Cocktails, he enjoys being an ambassador to Toronto and talking about horror movies, punk rock and basketball.

Bar Hop Paris (Part One)

More from Josh Lindley