On the corner of nearly every block in Paris is a bar with loyal customers who will say it’s the best bar.  It’s all highly subjective but after three years in the French capital, I have made a list of my favourite places for a verre or deux.

It is worth noting that “Happy Hour” is a bit of an institution in Paris, with many bars reducing prices to attract workers on their way home.   Each bar has its own hours but many run from 1700 to 2000 when there’s usually a draft lager, glass of wine and cocktail for about €5 which is a good saving on the usual prices.  It’s also worth checking out the app “Mister Good Beer” which will point you to the best value beers locally.

Many of these will serve food and there is no need to book them.

And so to the bars: I’ve divided it by district in Paris to help you navigate around.

Along the Seine: In the Summer the Seine turns into the Paris Plages (Paris Beaches) with additional bars, areas with deck chairs and family activies. We like to watch the sunset at Scilicet (134 Voie Georges Pompidou, 75001) or enjoy afterwork drinks at Rosa Bonheur sur Seine (Quai d’Orsay, 75007), Le Flow (4 Port Des Invalides, 75007) and Bistrot Alexandre III (Pont Alexandre III, 75007). 

2^e Arrondissement – around Rue Montorgueil and Les Halles:  We lived for a while between the trendy Rue Montorgueil and the “earthier” Rue St Denis.  Therefore, the areas’ bars also cater for all tastes!

Le Compas (62 Rue Montorgueil) is a traditional Parisian café with the coffee, beers, Croque Monsieur and slightly snooty service you would expect.  On the opposite corner is Bianco’s (60 Rue Montorgueil) which is more trendy with mini-pizzas to soak up the beer. Towards Les Halles is La Cabane Montorgueil (24 Rue Montorgueil) which offers beers and a hipster vibe.

Around the corner is REDD (28 Rue Saint-Sauveur) which is a wine bar with a handful of tables. It’s welcoming and offers a good selection of meats and cheeses to soak up the interesting wine list.

Over on Rue Réamur there is another pair of bars: Capitole Café (105 Boulevard de Sébastopol) – a more modern café with colour tiles & cheap beer on Happy Hour and on the opposite side is Happiness Bar (55 Rue Réaumur) which is always lively with a good range of beers.

Heading up the hill, away from Rue Montorgueil has become increasingly fashionable and you may want to look in to La Boisonnière Sentier (17 Rue Poissonnière) which offers craft ales, select wines and small plates – all making it popular with a trendy croud.

If beer is your thing, at the bottom of Rue Saint Denis is Le Frog & Rosbeef (116 Rue Saint-Denis) which has styled like a traditional English pub with a good, constantly changing list of craft and real ales.

For something a little more trendy, try Player One (224 Rue Saint-Denis) which is themed around old school electronic games.  Its drinks and crowd are a little hipster with prices reflecting that. Zango (15 Rue du Cygne) an African themed. Hoppy Corner (34 Rue des Petits Carreaux) small bar, dice bar feel, great beer list.

3e Arrondissement – north of the Marais:  Heading a little to the east, try Bon Esprit (310 Rue Saint-Martin) is compact but stocks a nice range of craft beers. For some innovative cocktails head to Little Red Door (60 Rue Charlot) which shows off one ingredient in each drink. The Cambridge Public House (8 Rue de Poitou) sounds like a British pub and although the decour is inspired by that, the drinks are far more sophisticated.

The third district is also home to The Quiet Man (5 Rue des Haudriettes). Whilst most Irish Bars seem to be run by Irish or Australian expats, this one is run by a French Man who had to patiently about the film the bar was named after.  It serves more than Guinness with a couple of decent French ales at reasonable prices, all adding to a French variation on the craic.

4^e Arrondissement – the Marais:  The 4^th area is the centre of Paris’ Gay District, Le Marais, and we head to Open Café (17 Rue des Archives) – a café-bar with added rainbow tiles – and Quetzal Bar (10 Rue de la Verrerie) which has old-school pin ball machines & a slightly older crowd.  There are bars to suit all tastes: from drinking outside with the ‘bear’ community (see El Hombre, 15 Rue de la Reynie) to the more spit & sawdust (see Cox, 15 Rue des Archives) but they may not be suitable for everyone.

5^e Arrondissement – around the Sourbonne and Rue Mouffetard:  The 5th is my home and La Terrace St Jacques (86 Boulevard de Port-Royal) which is not only a traditional café but also my local.  A couple of doors up is the Académie de la Bière (88Bis Boulevard de Port-Royal) which has a huge range of beers and quite a number reduced during Happy Hour. For some top end cocktails, head to Solera (283 Rue Saint-Jacques) which is making a name for itself.

The 5th district is also the spiritual home of French higher education with the Sorbonne & a number of universities based here.   Students hang out on Rue Mouffetard which is a bit scruffy but there are some smarter places on Place de la Contrescarpe and Rue du Pot de Fer. A particular favourite is Café Delmas (2 Pl. de la Contrescarpe) which has been redone with an Art Deco feel.

At the other end (more studenty) of the scale, we have enjoyed beers at La Petite (53 Rue Lacépède), The Wall (51 Rue Lacépède) and Soul Kitchen (83 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine).

More options on Mouffetard:

• Le Café Saint-Médard (53 Rue Censier)
• Méjane (100 Rue Monge)
• Cave La Bourgogne (144 Rue Mouffetard)

A good option near the Sorbonne is Les Patios (5 Pl. de la Sorbonne).

6^e Arrondissement – around Jardin du Luxembourg & St Germain:  With the French Senate based in the 6^th, it’s not a cheap part of the world but our favourite road is Rue de Buci.  Maison Sauvage (5 Rue de Buci) is a trip back to the 1920s with flowers and retro decoration plus a good terrace.  Le Molière (10 Rue de Buci) and its neighbour Café Jade (12 Rue de Buci) offer a good range of beers and burgers – even with its own take away.

Around the corner, down on Rue de Seine, is Freddy’s (54 Rue de Seine) a hip little wine bar with a good wine list by the glass and small plates to nibble on.

Elsewhere, there are some nice bars around Odeon – for a traditional café try Le Danton (103 Boulevard Saint Germain), for a great range of beers head to La Robe et La Mousse (3 Rue Monsieur le Prince) and for a bit of a dive bar there’s Rosie’s Smokehouse (13 Rue de la Huchette) or the Canadian The Moose (14 Rue des Quatre Vents). There’s also there’s Corcoran’s Irish Pub (28 Rue Saint-André des Arts) for some craic and beer.

A new area we’ve recently discovered is in the streets behind St Sulpice: Rue des Canettes, Rue Princesse and the interlinking Rue Guisarde are rapidly becoming our favourite area.  We particularly like Brasserie O’Neil (20 Rue des Cannettes) with its in-house brews, The Frog & Princess (9 Rue Princesse) which is the sister pub of the Frog & Rosbeef with a similar range of real ales and, for some cheap beer to drink on the street corner, try Le Quartier (18 rue Princesse). For those who enjoy a gin, try Tiger (13 Rue Princesse).

Le Boa (127 Bd du Montparnasse) for a revitalised cafe as is, at the opposite end of Montparnasse, Le Standard Rive Gauche (1 Bd du Montparnasse).

7^e Arrondissement – around Les Invalides:  I work in this arrondissement and am gradually finding the cheap(er) locations in this classy district.  After work drinks have taken place at O’Brien’s (77 Rue Saint-Dominique which is probably the classiest Irish Pub I’ve been in and La Tour Maubourg (58 Boulevard de la Tour-Maubourg) which has good homemade crisps and the drinks are well priced.  The famous Rue Cler has a number of cafés and Le Central (40 Rue Cler) always seems nicely priced on an expensive street. Le Recrutement (36 Bd de la Tour-Maubourg) has become popular with Instagrammers due to it’s view of the Eiffel Tower and it’s service suffers due to that but it is the best café for a glass and a spot of lunch in the area.

Some other cafes in the 7th include:

• L’Éclair (32 Rue Cler) l-eclair.paris
• Le Petit Cler (29 Rue Cler)
• Le Roussillon (186 Rue de Grenelle) 
• Les Vieilles Vignes (149 Rue de l’Université)

The Musée D’Orsay’s Café on the top-floor has a view over Paris to Montmartre and Sacré Coeur and is a nice spot to stop for a coffee.  Around the corner is the Eiffel Tower and the best value option here is to grab a bottle of your favourite tipple, find a bench on the Champ de Mars and admire this iconic view.

9^e Arrondissement – near Opéra, Pigalle and Montmartre:  Talking of views, I think the best in Paris is from La Terrace des Galeries Lafayette (40 Boulevard Haussmann) and the Ice Cube Bar which offers a glass of fizz & nibbles with a great panorama of Paris (though sadly closes relatively early).  A great one for celebrations.

Pigalle and Montmartre: the area is very in vogue having changes seedy to hipster in the last 20 years:

• Dépanneur lounge (27 Rue Pierre Fontaine)
• BBP Pigalle (1 Rue de Bruxelles) 
• Corcoran’s (9-11 Rue Foyatier) 

10^e Arrondissement – around Canal St Martin:  The 10th is trendy and within minutes of arriving in Paris a friend took us for a drink at Le Château d’Eau (67 Rue du Château d’Eau) which has a good range of beers, despite its slightly rough exterior.  Over the road is Chez Jeanette (47 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis), a café with its red neon lights and traditional tables that doesn’t seem to have changed since the 1920s. A couple more dive bars in the area is Le Sully (13 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis) and Tribal Café (3 Cr des Petites Écuries).

Around the corner is La Mechanique des Fluides (17 Rue de Mazagran) which has some good beers and a good atmosphere. Further along is Le Fût’RaX – Votre Bar à Bières (2 Rue d’Hauteville) which allows you to pour your own beer and is bisy on a Friday.

There are plenty of hip bars in the roads around the Canal St Martin: a favourite with tourists is the ship & rum themed Le Comptoir General (80 Quai de Jemmapes). A recent addition to the area is The Brussels Beer Project (47 bis Rue Bichat) which is retro with good beers and quite a few hipsters.  Down the road, Bar Le Carillon (31B Rue Bichat) is a busy, lively bar with people standing on the corner enjoying a drink.  Around the corner is another dive bar Le Dude (214 Rue Saint-Maur) which is good for late night beers.  For something smaller & typically French try Le Terre Taquin (22 Rue Juliette Dodu) and if you’re looking for some Irish fun there’s The Cork and Cavern (70 Quai de Jemmapes).

Also near the canal are Loui’s Corner (49 Rue Bichat) and with a popular beer garden Café A (Maison de l’Architecture, 148 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin).

Some further options in the 10th include these nearer Gare du Nord:

• The Hideout Paris Gare du Nord (8 Bd de Denain) 
• Le Café de l’Église (2 Pl. Franz Liszt) 

11^e Arrondissement – near Bastille and Oberkamf:  The popularity of the 10th has rubbed off on the 11th with some bars just as hip.  For example, La Caravane (35 Rue de la Fontaine au Roi) is all exposed brick, reclaimed furniture and hip beers.  Near by is A la Bonne Bière (32 Rue du Faubourg du Temple) which has a wide range of beers.  And for a quick drink and burger, there’s also L’Eventail (28 Boulevard Voltaire).

Heading towards Bastille, there’s a group of bars around Rue de la Roquette including a decent sports bar The Bootleg Bar (55 Rue de la Roquette), busy cafés like Cafe des Anges (66 Rue de la Roquette) and small, popular but well priced wine bars/restaurants like Le Ptit cou de la girafe (3 Rue Froment).

Some further options:

• BAROOM (21 Rue de la Roquette)
• Barawine (25 Rue de Charonne)
• Café Divan (60 Rue de la Roquette) 
• Pause Café (41 Rue de Charonne) 
•  Les Cuves de Fauve (64 Rue de Charonne)
• WAB : We Are Brewers (16 Bd Jules Ferry)

12e Arrondissement – near Garde de Lyon: If you’re stuck near Gare de Lyon try La terrasse de lyon (28bis Bd Diderot) – an old school cafe.

13e Arrondissement: For a night dancing (with students) on the Seine try Café Oz Rooftop (Cité de la Mode et du Design, 34 Quai d’Austerlitz). 

14^e Arrondissement – around Montparnasse:  Back on the left bank, near the Paris Catacombes, one of the liveliest streets in the 14^th is Rue Daguerre with cafés and bars wedged between fishmongers, butchers and flourists.  We enjoyed the cramped but lively La Chope Daguerre (17 Rue Daguerre) which is filled with students and young people.

There’s a collection of bars near Boulevard Edgard Quinet to serve the local office district, particularly at the Tour Montparnasse end, including Pinocchio (19 Boulevard Edgar Quinet) which offers good pizzas.  Always busy is Le Falstaff (42 Rue du Montparnasse) with its wide range of Belgian beers. Popular with students is My Baar 9152 Boulevard du Montparnasse) with an all-night Happy Hour and a recent additon the Charales Quint (145 Bd du Montparnasse) with some good Belgian Beers. Around the corner is Le Bistrot des Campagnes (6 Rue Léopold Robert) offers traditional French Fair in an intermate environment.

A great area are the bars around Rue de la Gaité including The Copper Pub (4 Impasse de la Gaité) with some good beers and cocktails – and snacks to soak them up.  There’s plenty of other good options around here including Le Tournesol (9 Rue de la Gaité), Stand (9 Bd Edgar Quinet), Le Plomb du Cantal (3 Rue de la Gaité) and Café Odessa (28 Rue d’Odessa).

Some options across this large & varied neighbourhood also include:

• Café Bohème (19 Bd Edgar Quinet)
• Poinçon Paris (124 Av. du Général Leclerc)
• Café Oz Denfert (3 Pl. Denfert-Rochereau) 
• Les Frangines (46 Rue Raymond Losserand) 
• Louisette bar à grignoter (50 Rue Raymond Losserand)
• Au métro (66 Rue Raymond Losserand)

15^e Arrondissement – beyond the Eiffel Tower:  This a lesser known neighbourhood despite its star attraction (the Eiffel Tower) but some interesting beer bars are opening up including La Toute Petite Culotte (4 bis Rue Violet), Rhinconcéros (35 Rue de Lourmel) and Plan B (28 Rue de Lourmel).

19^e Arrondissement – near La Villette:  The 19th is a little north of the 10th district and going through a rejuvenation, too.  On the canal edge is the Paname Brewing Company (41 bis Quai de la Loire) with large terraces and a good selection of beers, attracting an international crowd.

Near by are Le 25° Est (10 Pl. de la Bataille de Stalingrad) and La Rotonde Stalingrad (6-8 Pl. de la Bataille de Stalingrad).

20e Arrondissement – Belleville: The 20th is the outer district of Paris and cheaper but a little rougher around the edges. These are some places which put the area on the map:

• La Bellevilloise (19-21 Rue Boyer)
• La Maroquinerie (23 Rue Boyer)
• Entrepot’s (2 Rue Sorbier)
• Les bols d’Antoine (10 Rue des Envierges)

[First Published 06/03/19, Updated 13/05/19, Updated 25/04/22]