Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:22 pm
Rosa bonheur has been mentioned several times. Other outdoor venues would be Bagatelle (in the bois de boulogne), Longchamp (the race course turns into an open air club> interesting space, similar sort of crowd to l'arc however, which isn't my cup of tea) and Wanderlust, which is a restaurant cum massive terrace that turns into a club and then moves inside; it's at the Institut Francais de la Mode which is overhanging the Seine. (a dramatic space, which has a good ambience, if a little bobo like the rest of paris.)
The Experimental Cocktail Club on rue saint saveur is a discreet cocktail bar with excellent drinks.
The beef club is a steakhouse (open very late) that has a ballroom (read good cocktail bar) hidden underneath, speakeasy style. Run by the same teams as curio parlour/prescription cocktail club, which is a good indication.
L/inconnu opened near me recently by a mixed team, quite a few from Chez Carmen. It's good for coffee/day drinking in the chesterfields, and Kevin the bilingual bartender has perked me up several times by inventing cocktails for me or literally perking me up with a coffee martini, which should be disgusting but surprisingly isn't.
Le pompon is old school cool, but unless you want it crowded full of models, fashion girls and the creatives/hype followers of paris go during the week when it's emptier. I like Tuesdays. (The trick being that as a twentysomething fashion girl i can go at either time, but I'm actually a 90 year old man at heart and I like listening to a bit of everything). They made up a drink for me and it involves a pint of champagne and roses, so they bought me early on.
La 25e Heure is a tiny ex whorehouse that's become an intimate, cozy hidden club, where you ring the bell to get in. Ugo is one of the owners and a fantastic bartender, though i don't think there's an actual menu (that i've found, at any rate). It's full of artbooks and vintage furniture.
Candelaria is a great taco place. but it also has a speakeasy bar with one of the best cocktail selections in the world (they have actually been nominated in so many international competitions/awards. both as an institution and separately as individual bartenders). I like going early for an apero when it's less crowded.
Le Fumoir is quite old school. opposite the Louvre. But there's a long wait. I don't really like waiting.
L’Hotel Particulier is another semi-secret bar in l‘Hotel Particulier Montmartre, which was the Hermes family residence and is now a hotel. You have to make a reservation, then ring at the door and ask to boire un verre. It's all rather clandestine.
I know there's a pop up club opposite the eiffel tower near the baron this summer, called La Guinguette Eiffel. I haven't bothered wandering over yet, I'm a creature of habit and like spending time in my cocktail bars, neighbourhood bars (Pompon/l\inconnu/Chez Jeannette/le Progres/couer fou/Le temps des cerises/chez prune) or by the Canal saint martin. I also venture to Tigre, Baron, Silencio, Bus Palladium, Favela Chic, Pop in and the normal parisian haunts, but those don't really fit the description given...
L'acte 3 on rue Quincampoix is another one of those clandestine unsigned cocktail affairs. Management has been pilfered from Baron and costes, i believe, or at least a significant portion thereof. Reasonably priced drinks. food. Lots of lesbians, because it's near the gay area and because one of them used to work at an infamous lesbian club.
Le p'tit bar in the eleventh is run by mme paulo. She is an authentic character. There is a cat. called wa oooh. There are about three seats. But she is fascinating. Speak french.
Le Café Rouge looks like a normal brasserie with chairs and tables but it's actually deceptively massive and has two mezzanines (each with a different vibe), a lounge with a fireplace, huge Chesterfield sofas, a chandelier and a piano. A magazine i work with like to have their meetings on the top floor, and it's near my regular cafe (Merce and the muse) where i go to find decent coffee in paris.
Le Forum has earned its reputation as one of the finest cocktail bars in Paris.
Le Petit Fer à Cheval is miniscule but charming.
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