Want to add some extra fun to your night out in Paris? Then you really HAVE to check out some of the city’s amazing speakeasy-style bars. There are some fantastic ones in Paris, and as it always goes with speakeasies, the adventure begins with finding them.
With award-winning mixologists, live Jazz nights, and bars hidden within other bars, I think you’ll love these speakeasy-style bars in Paris just as much as us Parisians do. A bunch are in the buzzy Marais district, so you could do a bar crawl to a few of them in one night.
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Image Courtesy of Moonshiner via Facebook
Moonshiner, 11th arrondissement
Hidden behind a pizza joint in the Bastille area is this cool speakeasy with a prohibition-era theme. After you get through the big old-fashioned wooden storage door, you’ll reach the secret bar. There’s low lighting, worn leather armchairs, and a vintage record player, all of which create the perfect ambiance for a date or romantic night. Its menu has drinks inspired by and using typical ingredients from different regions around France, so it’s sort of a tasty cocktail “Tour de France”.
I personally am a sucker for anything with apple, so I love their Normandy cocktail called Tomber dans la Pomme (a play on words with the French expression tomber dans les pommes, meaning to faint), which is made with apple, pear, liquorice, and moonshine. Before or after your drink, you could order a pizza from the restaurant side – it isn’t just a front, it’s actually really good.
Image Courtesy of Little Red Door
Little Red Door, North Marais
This bar’s name gives you a pretty good clue to how to find it once you reach rue Charlot in the trendy North Marais neighborhood. One of the first speakeasy-style bars in Paris, and included at the end of Day 3 of our Paris Itinerary, the bar has made the 50 Best Bars in the World list a total of nine times, which is pretty darn impressive and means you’re going to get some excellent cocktails here.
They’ve got a really cool approach, which they call “Farm to Glass,” as they directly source ingredients from French producers. In addition to sampling these items in your cocktail, you can see the actual producers who are depicted in the large photos on the bar’s exposed brick and stone walls. The place can get lively on Friday and Saturday nights, so if you’re looking for more of a party scene, this is a better option than some of the others on the list.
Image Courtesy of No Entry via Instagram
No Entry, South Pigalle
While I don’t recommend waiting in line at the over-hyped Italian restaurant Pink Mamma, I do really like its cool speakeasy bar. Included at the end of Day 4 of our Paris Itinerary, it’s a great spot to kick off a night out in South Pigalle. When you show up, go past the long line for the restaurant and tell the hostess you’d like to go to the bar, and they’ll point down to the basement.
I won’t tell you how to find it– just use its name to help guide you. Once you DO get inside, you’ll be in a quirky boudoir surrounded by shelves of large glass jars with infusing herbs and other items. It’s a little weird and quirky, and their Italian-inspired cocktails are fantastico.
Image Courtesy of Le Syndicat
Le Syndicat, Faubourg St-Denis
Going down the hip rue du Faubourg St Denis, you’d likely walk right past this edgy speakeasy, which is hidden behind what looks like a closed-up shop front plastered with posters. The “under construction” feel carries on inside with unfinished walls, but this bare look is spruced up by cool seating and golden curtains. Made with all kinds of eccentric ingredients, like capers, black grapefruit, and beer “spirit”, the cocktails at Le Syndicat are a big contrast to the simplistic decor. Definitely come here if you’d like to be surprised, and to hang with cool young Parisians.
Image Courtesy of Castor Club via Instagram
Castor Club, Latin Quarter
One of the few speakeasies on the Left Bank, you’ll be able to spot this bar by its very un-Parisian facade, which is covered in rustic wood. It sort of looks like you’re walking into a sauna, and this feeling continues once inside its cozy interiors. Castor means beaver in French, and there’s certainly a “into the woods” vibe going on here. Castor Club has got a menu of 12 cocktails – half stay year-round, half change with the seasons, and then there’s a cocktail of the week. I’d suggest getting the special, or try the Stamina Pop, with blackberry liqueur, sherry, red vermouth, and sage syrup, which is DELICIOUS and perfectly matches the bar’s feel.
Image Courtesy of Serpent à Plume via Instagram
Serpent à Plume, Central Marais
This swanky bar doesn’t have a secret entrance or anything like that, but it’s definitely got a speakeasy vibe. Its location is a tad hidden, as it’s tucked away in a less busy side of Place des Vosges. There’s a restaurant on the first floor, but after climbing downstairs, you’re in a vaulted cellar with black and white floors and a swooping serpent-like white banquette along the walls. No standard cocktails in sight, instead be daring by ordering a “Days of Being Wild” or “Hussy Voodoo”.
Serpent à Plume is included in the bar options of Day 3 of our Paris Itinerary. Try to come on a Wednesday or Sunday when they’ve got live Jazz, but you might want to dress up a bit, since the crowd usually is pretty chic.
Image Courtesy of L’Epicier
L’Epicier, North Marais
This well-hidden venue in the North Marais is definitely one of the best speakeasy-style bars in Paris when it comes to the surprise factor AND for its amazing drinks. The bar is hidden behind what looks to be an épicier, a small food shop in French. These are often run by people with North African roots, which has inspired the decor of this speakeasy. It’s got colorful Moroccan lanterns, traditional woven rugs, and cool stop signs in Arabic for tables. Drinks also have North African flavors, like the Marrakech Mule, made with lychee and pomegranate syrup, whisky, ginger beer, and Moroccan bitter, but even more fun is the Tété du Bled, served in a Moroccan teapot and cups.
Image Courtesy of Grouvie
Grouvie, Saint-Germain
Speakeasy openings are still going strong in Paris, case in point with this newcomer to the scene. Another great Left Bank speakeasy, it’s hidden above the Brasserie des Près, and you may have seen the video about it on our Instagram or TikTok. Near the entrance, you’ll see a sign with a QR that you scan to reserve a spot that night.
Once it’s your time, climb up the stairs to the top and you’ll enter a cozy series of rooms with a groovy 1970s disco vibe. The cocktails have fun links to the music of that era, such as Funkadelic, Grooves Like Jagger, and Heart of Glass, which has rum infused with basil, basil cordial, and coconut liquor, and is SO tasty. Oh, and don’t leave without ducking into its super funky bathroom, which is maybe the coolest in the whole city.
Image Courtesy of Le 1905
Le 1905, South Marais
In my opinion, this prohibition-style speakeasy in the South Marais is one of the most glamorous in Paris. It’s found above the posh Vin des Pyrénées, a chic wine-focused restaurant. The decor kinda makes you feel like you’re at the apartment of a stylish bohemian, with vintage photos on the walls and comfy velour armchairs, and a sleek fireplace. If the weather’s nice, they also have a secret terrace laden with vines and flowers. You might want to come on Fridays, when you can sip your Red Velvet or Tuxedo cocktail and listen to fabulous live Jazz.
Image Courtesy of La Mezcaleria
La Mezcaleria and La Malicia, North Marais
I’ve saved the most hidden speakeasy for last, which is actually two-in-one – a speakeasy WITHIN another speakeasy. first of all, La Mezcaleria is a GREAT Mexican-Japanese bar located through the kitchen of the 1K hotel, on the border of the North Marais and the 11th. The decor is fun with colorful Mexican fabrics and a huge neon cross on the ceiling. As you’ve likely guessed by the bar’s name, mezcal plays a big role in the cocktails, but don’t worry if this smoky Mexican spirit isn’t your thing, there are plenty of options for all tastes.
If you’d like a more intimate vibe, find the door inside Mezcaleria that leads into the second speakeasy – La Malicia. It’s got a boudoir vibe with sexy red lighting, crystal chandeliers and plush velour seating. The ambiance and cocktails are inspired by occult and mysterious rituals, but don’t worry, it’s all just for fun. Just like at La Mezcaleria, most of the drinks include Mezcal and other Mexican ingredients.
If you liked my list of the best speakeasy-style bars in Paris, here’s more help for a fun night out in Paris:
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