Night Life
The best speakeasy bars in Paris
5 years ago - Léa D.
The origin of these mysterious places
Hidden behind a launderette, a pizzeria or a small back door, you have surely heard about these bars with a special trend, inspired by prohibition. Indeed, in 1920 in the US, the manufacture and sale of alcohol was banned, which led to the opening of multiple clandestine bars. When buying alcohol, the bartenders asked the customers to "speak easy", speak softly in French, hence the expression in French today.
In 2007, this concept is repeated in New York by the Please do not Tell bar. The principle is simple: to get in, you have to call from the phone booth of a small restaurant. The success is immediate and the fashion is launched, reaching Paris in 2011 with the Candelaria in the Marais district. This Parisian speak easy is only accessible by a small door at the bottom of a Mexican restaurant, which also serves excellent nachos ... But not only! Today, this place is known as one of the best European addresses for cocktails on a trend pop music background. The map is original and renewed regularly, the place is hype and the price-quality ratio is excellent; it is certainly the most inescapable address of the Marais, rewarded with a Timeout Award in 2016.
Only here, a hidden bar is by definition ... hidden! Here are our best places to experiment during your next stay in Paris!
Our favorite addresses
A discreet facade, some posters on the wall: this contrasts sharply with the cozy and classy interior of this speakeasy so well hidden in rue du Faubourg Saint - Denis, in the 10th arrondissement. The union is a cocktail bar composed of unexpected ingredients, rare French liqueurs and especially a specific mission: to defend the cause of blue-white-red spirits. Regarding the menu, different cocktails are offered based on French whiskey, pear, gentian or calvados. They are all 100% original, worked with delicacy and precision for a mixture of new flavors. With friends or as a couple, this place is perfect to enjoy a drink in the first room with a central bar, or in a softer atmosphere behind the curtain that gives way to the second room.
The term Moonshiner means in English a smuggler of alcohol, which you will have understood was in charge of supplying the underground bars at the time of the prohibition. This speakeasy is aptly named, and it is really well hidden. At the address 5 rue Sedaine, in the 11th arrondissement, you will find the pizzeria Da Vito which you will have to cross the cold room to finally find yourself in the subdued atmosphere of a bar of the 30s, golden patterns painted with stencil on walls and some blues notes accompanying the bartenders. The whiskey is the flagship drink of this surprising place, in a variation of several cocktails revisited. The secret of this place (secret) is the safe in the smoking room: find the combination of the code and win the bottles there.
Of course, if you feel like it, do not hesitate to stop first in the pizzeria Da Vito's room which will satisfy your taste buds with delicious pizzas, burratas or other homemade salads for a guaranteed taste pleasure!
This gourmet piano bar is by far a place not to be missed during a stay in Paris. Opened in 2011, it is located in a discreet street of the 16th arrondissement of Paris. Its owner is an art dealer and has made this place a magical place, a real step back in the 20s. In this cozy atmosphere, come and enjoy the signature cocktail Speakeasy based on cognac, licorice liqueur, lime and ginger ale or the alcohol-free Caribbean, a mixture of mango juice, orange, passion and banana. On the menu side, you are spoiled for choice: truffle pizza, tender cuts of beef or salmon fillet, the dishes are refined and delicious.
In the background, artists from around the world come to perform on piano and saxophone, reminiscent of the atmosphere of the cabarets of Harlem and Broadway. Here, no DJ sets, just live and authenticity in an artistic and bohemian atmosphere of the most exciting.
The most recent
The new speakeasy of the capital is the Lavomatic, concealed on the 1st floor of a laundromat of the 10th district (rue René Boulanger). Once in the laundromat, look for the camouflaged button and access the Lavomatic! Here, the pop, colorful and original decoration soothes and gives a friendly atmosphere. Sit comfortably on cushions and take a look at the menu which offers a multitude of fruity and colorful surprises. Basil Instinct is based on fresh basil, cucumber, lime juice, cordial elderflower; the DetoxOmatic will be suitable for the more adventurous with beet, blackcurrant, artichoke liqueur, gin, lemon and grapefruit. A multitude of other 100% original cocktails await you. You can accompany them with small dishes made with quality ingredients, adapted to the seasons: filet mignon caramelized with pomegranate, ginger ceviche ginger cucumber, cantaloupe organic farm ham ... Do not wait to discover and enjoy this unusual place!
Baranaan
For Indian food lovers, this naan bar is the perfect place. No name is written on the front and at first, it feels more like approaching an Indian-style tea room. To get to the real heart of the place, go see a waiter and ask him "Where is the train? ". You will then embark on a real journey, accompanied by a delicious smell of incense. Opened in 2015, this charming place offers Indian cocktails but also some culinary specialties such as naan and kebabs.
The room is designed like a vintage train car, in length, decorated with leather seats and "windows", or rather screens placed on which scroll landscapes. Our choice of the day is the Tajma, a mix of 4 rums and pineapple juice served in a fresh coconut.