Acing a game of pétanque, mulling over a crossword puzzle, splashing around in salty waters, getting some shut-eye under the hazelnut trees… All good things must come to an end! But there’s nothing like a spirited bar to chase your blues away once summer comes to a close. Here’s our honest-to-goodness selection of the five most beautiful bars for la rentrée.
The most cuddly
With its cute name, bubble lamps and sidewalk terrace underneath a pink awning, Bisou is always there for you to cuddle up with. There’s no cocktail menu but behind the marble bar, Nicolas, the bartender, is all ears and will craft you something unique depending on what you’re in the mood for… Read more.
The most mixomaniac
Downstairs at the brand new Hôtel National des Arts & Métiers, tucked away behind a marbled trattoria and a windowed patio, the Herbarium bar, designed by Raphael Navot, is a hideaway that dispenses with the classics… Read more.
The most girl power
Combat, the former pseudonym for this section of Belleville, is now that standard-bearer for successful bars. Owned and run by Elena Schmitt and Margot Lecarpentier (ex-Experimental Cocktail Club), and situated between a Thai restaurant and a Chinese wholesale shop, their girly bar isn’t lacking in panache… Read more.
The most delicious
Another pleasure center for the people behind Little Red Door, Bonhomie just opened up its brand new 200-square-meter space with long parallel bars in a former dive on rue d’Enghien… Read more.
The most tropicool
After the success of Le Syndicat, mixologists Sullivan Doh and Romain Le Mouëllic are still fighting the good fight and opened La Commune in Belleville, in November of 2016. You’ll find the same classy ambiance, with a reggae soundtrack this time around… Read more.
Photo © Margaux Roy