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Young and hip—from the colorful cafés and bars surrounding Place de la Bastille to the newly chic 20e arrondissement, with Oberkampf's artsy cocktail clubs and Canal St-Martin's trendy watering holes in between—there's enough here for a week of stellar nights out.
For well-priced Brazilian-inspired cocktails (try the delicious caipirinha, pisco sour, or spicy rosé margarita), check out Bar Principal. Here you can also enjoy the menu of delicious South American–inspired nibbles in the streamlined interior or outdoors on a pretty leafy square.
Epitomizing the effortless cool of this arty neighborhood, Chez Prune is a well-loved spot. It offers the designers, architects, and journalists who gather here a prime terrace for gazing out at the arched footbridges and funkier locales of Canal St-Martin.
Among the bars and eateries lining Rue Lancry, is the welcoming La Patache. It has a wide selection of wines and a retro-inspired ambience fueled by a jukebox and candlelight that illuminates the vintage photos on the wall.
It's not just hotel guests who flock to this hotel's Island Bar, one of the coolest spots around the neighborhood. Local hipsters also appreciate the live music and DJ nights, foosball, and even the adjacent pizza bar. In summer, the fun extends to the bar's rooftop cocktail lounge, especially popular on weekend evenings.
In true Prohibition-era fashion, this 1920s-style speakeasy is reached through a freezer door in the depths of a pizzeria, so don't be alarmed at first glance (it's quite obvious when you're there). House cocktails are imaginative and delicious, but the friendly bartenders are equally adept at the classics—and the pizza's good, too.
