Best Bars in Paris

When you think of best bars in Paris, the places where locals gather after work, celebrate small wins, or linger over a glass of wine long after dinner. Also known as Parisian drinking spots, these venues aren’t just about alcohol—they’re about mood, music, and minutes that stretch into hours. This isn’t about Champagne towers at Eiffel Tower view spots. It’s about the dimly lit bar in Le Marais where the bartender remembers your name, the hidden cellar under a bookstore in the 5th, or the rooftop where the view is secondary to the conversation.

Paris nightlife, the rhythm of the city after dark, shaped by seasons, neighborhoods, and generations of drinkers. Also known as evening culture in Paris, it moves differently than in London or New York. There’s no rush. You don’t go out to party—you go out to feel alive. You sip a negroni slowly while listening to jazz from a speaker tucked behind a bookshelf. You stand at the counter of a 100-year-old wine bar, chatting with a retiree who’s been coming here since 1978. You find yourself in a basement bar in Montmartre, where the only sign is a single candle in the window. These aren’t gimmicks. They’re rituals. And they’re what make the Paris cocktail bars, the quiet, expertly crafted drinking experiences that prioritize technique over trends. Also known as artisanal drink spots in Paris, they’re where mixologists treat gin like poetry and vermouth like history. You won’t find neon signs or DJs blasting EDM. You’ll find handwritten menus, ice carved by hand, and bartenders who ask how your day was before they pour.

And then there’s the Paris late-night spots, the places that stay open when everything else shuts down, serving coffee, snacks, or a final drink to night owls and workers heading home. Also known as 24-hour drinking culture in Paris, these are the spots where the city doesn’t sleep—it just changes its tone. A baguette and a glass of red at 3 a.m. in the 10th. A quiet gin tonic at a bar run by a former ballet dancer in the 11th. A group of friends laughing over cheap beer after a midnight movie in Belleville. These aren’t just places to drink. They’re where Paris becomes real.

Below, you’ll find real stories from people who’ve been there—escorts who know the city’s back alleys and hidden entrances, locals who’ve watched these bars evolve, and travelers who stumbled upon the perfect spot by accident. No fluff. No fake reviews. Just where to go, what to order, and when to show up so you don’t miss it.