Best Bars in Paris

When you think of the best bars in Paris, places where people gather for conversation, culture, and carefully crafted drinks. Also known as Parisian drinking spots, these venues aren’t just about alcohol—they’re about rhythm, mood, and the art of slowing down. This isn’t the Paris of postcards with crowded cafés on the Champs-Élysées. It’s the Paris of dimly lit backrooms, where bartenders remember your name, and the wine list reads like a love letter to the Loire Valley.

What makes a bar truly great here? It’s not the neon signs or the VIP line. It’s the Paris nightlife, the quiet, lived-in energy that starts after 9 p.m. and lasts until the last glass is poured. You’ll find it in the 10th arrondissement, where young professionals swap stories over natural wines, or in the 6th, where old-school barmen pour absinthe the way it was meant to be—slow, green, and full of history. The Paris cocktail bars, modern temples of precision and creativity, don’t shout. They whisper. A single perfect gin and tonic, made with local botanicals, means more than a dozen overpriced mojitos. And then there’s the Paris wine bars, small, unassuming rooms where sommeliers guide you through bottles you’ve never heard of, but will never forget. These aren’t tourist experiences. They’re local rituals.

You don’t need to be rich or fluent in French to find your spot. You just need to look past the flashy signs. The best places have no website. They’re listed in one old blog, whispered about in a French podcast, or recommended by the barkeep at the place you liked yesterday. The Paris after dark, the real pulse of the city after the museums close and the tour groups leave, isn’t loud. It’s warm. It’s slow. It’s the kind of night that sticks with you—not because of the drinks, but because of the people, the silence between conversations, and the way the streetlights catch the steam rising from a freshly poured espresso.

Below, you’ll find real guides from people who’ve been there—not just visiting, but living it. You’ll learn where to sit for the best view, what to order when you’re unsure, how to avoid the traps, and why the bar with no sign on the door is the one you’ll return to. These aren’t lists. They’re maps. And they’ll help you find the Paris that doesn’t sell tickets.