20-05-2025
The best wine and cocktail bars in Paris
Trips to Paris have always been short and with a full schedule. However, I had two days to myself in the city in February and there was much to explore. After taking in the touristy experiences—a walk along the Champs Elysees, visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral and spending time at the beautiful garden Jardin des Tuileries—I focused on high quality eating and drinking destinations. In previous visits, I've always had a wine hat on, but this time the thriving cocktail bar scene took me by surprise.
When it comes to wine, it's everywhere—boutique stores, wine bars, serious places that take wine and food pairing to their highest level, and multiple tasting events and wine dinners everyday. The events, easy to find online through a simple search or via Instagram are at all levels from easy-going to expensive.
Paris also has easy access by train or car to the most sought-after wine regions in the world — Champagne, Bordeaux , Burgundy, Alsace to name a few. Hop, skip and jump your way to the very heart of wine excellence on a day or overnight trip. Paris truly is a perfect base for wine adventure at the highest level. Champagne flows like water in Paris; it is drunk very often, not relegated to special occasions and consumed whether it's the start of an evening, or during the entire course of the evening through dinner.
Bookmark these wine spots
My favourite way to enjoy Paris when it comes to wine is to keep it simple: take a bottle of wine with some cheese, sit on the banks of the river Seine and enjoy your drink while watching the cruise boats go by.
I was tipped by a friend to go to a wine bar called Ambassade de Bourgogne. The wine bar and bottle shop is the holy grail for those who love Burgundy with literally everything on offer that comes out of the region. It's a great place to get your Burgundy fix while browsing through their wine list which is 36 pages long.
Planche at The Hoxton hotel is the one place to visit for natural, biodynamic and organic wines like Domaine L'Herbier, Domaine De Clos and Chateau Doyac. These will thrill wine nerds. For natural wines, ciders and craft beers you must go to Liquiderie, a cool wine bar.
At Galerie Vivienne is Le Comptoir des Caves Legrand , which has a great selection of French wines Domaine Trapet, Marsannay, Domaine Bott, First Flight Viognier to name a few.
Comme Chai Toi is a fine, delicious small restaurant that serves up great French food in a fuzzy warm space with some delicious wines made mostly by small producers. If that's not enough, you get a beautiful view of Notre Dame through its large windows.
A toast to cocktails
I would recommend The Cambridge Public House, a cool Persian pub that's relaxed and has a strong focus on sustainability with cocktails like Silent Sky, Midnight Driver and Golden Child. Please meet Hyacinthe, the co-founder and Nikos and Xenia, their brilliant mixologists.
Another cool bar in the same area is Little Red Door where they take the concept of farm-to-cocktail glass seriously using seasonal produce like vegetables, fruits and flowers sourced from farmers. Try their drinks named Lou Mandrin, Squash Squash or Volupte.
If walking around is your thing, with a cocktail here and a glass of wine there, on the left bank of the Seine is the neighbourhood of Saint-Germain-des-Prés with a wide selection of bars, cafés and restaurants. It's a bit touristy but fun nevertheless.
Finally, a place that's still on my must-visit list is the Plénitude at the Cheval Blanc hotel. It's a fine dining restaurant with three Michelin Stars, and the hotel in which it's located is named after the prestigious vintage wine Cheval Blanc. The hotel is owned by the LVMH group and promises a lavish gastronomic experience.
