After a long day out and about or at work, if you're looking for a cosy spot to meet up and enjoy a delicious cocktail, we've found the best speakeasy bars in Paris for you.
Tucked away from the crowded tourist spots, speakeasies are the hidden bars of Paris. The term comes straight from the American Prohibition era, when between 1920 and 1933 the American Constitution prohibited the consumption, manufacture, export or even transport of alcoholic beverages. It was as a result of these new laws that the Americans decided to create hidden bars, so that they could continue to consume alcohol sheltered from the forces of law and order who were formally banning it. These hidden and clandestine bars were then called speakeasy or "blind tiger", and multiplied at an incredible rate. Since then, the concept of speakeasy has crossed the Atlantic to designate hidden or little-known bars, giving these places an intimate, more private atmosphere.
Here's our selection of secret bars in Paris where you can have a good time and enjoy delicious cocktails.
The 1905
In 1905, a Catalan engineer founded a Parisian institution: Aux vins des Pyrénées. Situated in the heart of the Marais district, the house has retained its old-world charm, with its wooden façade contrasting with its gold-lettered glass sign. Even back then, great historical figures such as Charles Baudelaire, Jeanne Duval and Jim Morrison frequented this place and were inspired by its unique atmosphere.
On the ground floor, you'll find the famous Aux Vins des Pyrénées restaurant, a local bistro and family wine shop.
Having housed his family above his restaurant for 3 generations, the place has been renovated, keeping the spirit of a family home with furniture steeped in history, hiding a cocktail bar and a terrace under the stars of Paris.
To get there, you'll have to follow a hidden staircase to the right of the façade, leading you above the restaurant "Aux vins des Pyrénées", into the former family flat.
Surrounded by a charming vintage decor, you can discover a range of original signature cocktails or rediscover the great classics in a very intimate setting. For wine lovers, a small but qualitative selection of different wines is on offer. To accompany your drinks, small dishes such as duck confit cromesquis or oysters from the open sea will delight you, before ending your experience with a comforting traditional brioche perdue with salted butter caramel or the famous lemon tart revisited.
Mobster bar
A decor and atmosphere that will take you back in time! As mentioned above, the speakeasy concept dates back to the Prohibition era in the United States, and it's to this period that Mobster Bar takes us on a journey. This bar faithfully recreates the atmosphere that regulars found in these bars, from the period decor to the jazz music, but this time it's totally legal!
Confidential and atypical, this hidden Parisian bar offers cocktails with or without alcohol, different types of beer and white or red wine. But before you can enjoy a good cocktail, you have to get inside. This secret bar in Paris has a rather surprising entrance. The front door looks like a telephone booth, and you have to answer the phone first. To find out what happens next, we'll leave you to make your own way through the experience...
No entry
Pink Mama is a very popular Italian restaurant in Paris, attracting locals and tourists alike for lunch and dinner. It's best known for its masterful Italian cuisine, but also for its 4 floors of elegant, trendy decor, enhanced by an impressive glass roof.
What many people don't know is that this establishment hides another room that is just as surprising and out of the ordinary. After descending a few steps to the basement, you'll find yourself in a sort of cold room. For the more curious and courageous, the surprise lies behind the door of the cold room, which has a "no entry" sign.
Behind this large, cold, unwelcoming door lies not frozen food, but a secret, hidden bar!
Once inside, you'll discover an intimate, subdued atmosphere with an Italian feel. Red velvet benches are topped by a multitude of large bottles, where hundreds of litres of spirits are brewing before being tasted.
On the menu, the range and diversity of spirits on offer is quite astonishing, with almost 320 references. The menu and the various cocktails you can find there reveal a very strong Italian influence.
In a daring mood? Let the specialist and passionate barman guide you and create a cocktail to suit your taste preferences.
Little Red Door
Little Red Door literally decribre litteraly this bar ! In fact, that's what the entrance to this secret bar in Paris looks like. And it's not a cocktail bar like the many in the capital, because this one respects a lot of commitments, but it's also one of the top 5 best bars in the world in 2023, and has appeared 9 times in the ranking of the best bars in the world since 2007. This bar makes cocktails that in a "farm to glass cocktail" charter, to promote French farmers and their local, responsible products.
Surprise your friends and family with these atypical and truly high-quality addresses, allowing you to discover new secret bars in Paris and get away from the routine!,