17 Best Bars in The Marais, Paris

Half-price oysters at happy hour (6–7 pm) aren't the only reason this refreshingly unpretentious cocktail bar is wildly popular. One of a trilogy of super-hip watering holes (including Candelaria and Glass) opened by a trio of expat restaurateurs, its craft cocktails, microbrews, natural wines, and standout tapas menu deliver the goods and then some. If you're planning to dine, reserve ahead online.

This is the Marais’s most popular outpost for an eclectic mix of music: jazz, Latin jazz, funk, groove, and Brazilian, all under the resonant acoustics of the 12th-century vaulted ceilings. Both up-and-coming and established musicians join the exuberant local crowds for concerts and jam sessions.

The look here is something between a chic contemporary Paris apartment and a low-key lounge. Enjoy a cocktail over a good book from the bar library, or relax with a smooth drink in front of the outdoor fireplace.

Art Nouveau adornments, a shapely marble bar, and zinc mirrors in the historic upstairs give way to a moody industrial downstairs. Cognitive dissonance aside, the cocktails concocted here by a trio of Paris’s top mixologists are nothing short of extraordinary and the music is very good, too. Bar aficionados will appreciate the minute attention to details, from barware to presentation, that’s rare to find.

“Le Cox" is a prime gay pickup joint that's known for its live DJ sets. Its extended Sunday happy hour—from 6 pm to 2 am—is a rollicking good time.

An almost-too-cool crew can be found in Clandestino's red-emberlike interior, drinking cocktails and eating the sultry bite-size pintxos of Basque country. There's a distinct party atmosphere here, which can spill into the street, especially in summer.

Young tortured-artist types flock to this low-key club—one of the oldest gay bars in the city—to enjoy the frequent art exhibitions, alternative music, and mood-inspiring ambient lighting. It's open from 8 pm to 2 am, except on Friday and Saturday when it's open till 4 am.

Equal parts cocktail bar and gourmet pizzeria, this stylish offspring of the übercool concept store Merci promises top-quality libations and stone-oven-baked pizza. The decor is industrial-rustic, with pressed-tin ceilings and a corrugated-iron bar, all enhanced by mood lighting. It's jam-packed with neighborhood hipsters, so reservations are a must.

This spot is heaven for anyone who ever wished they had a book in a bar (or a drink in a bookstore). The bar littéraire is the infamous spot where gal-about-town Catherine M. launched her vie sexuelle that became a bawdy bestseller.

Run by a female-only collective, this feminist bar is described as “a space run by and for queers, women, trans people, dykes and bis.” It's a chic spot for drinks, music, and dancing, but there’s plenty beyond socializing over a drink. Artist exhibitions, discussion nights, writing workshops, and stand-up shows make this more a place of community.

On a tiny street that's a tad separated from the sometimes-madding crowd of the Marais, this large, lively Auvernian café has mismatched Baroque furnishings and a chill vibe, but its biggest appeals are the sprawling outdoor terrace (heated in winter) and late weekend hours.

Behind the red door, you’ll discover a dark, cozy lounge that has style, sophistication, and atmosphere without the attitude. Creative cocktails—supplemented by artisanal beers and well-chosen wines by the glass (the last of which aren't always easy to come by in a cocktail bar)—can be enjoyed from a cushy velour barstool or cubbyhole alcove.

Conceived by a cocktail aficionado and an avid musician, this popular Franco-Japanese bar spins vinyls while concocting wildly inventive ambrosias like the Aztobizkar milk punch (with aguardiente de caña, rum, absinthe, cold brew, lime, and clarified vinegar with milk). There’s also a fine list of natural wines and pretty stellar food. Dishes served at lunch and dinner are as eclectic as the drinks: Japanese tempura, beef croquettes, hot dogs, a sashimi of the day, and other delights all served to a pulsing beat.

The ever-popular Raidd has a dark downstairs bar and potent drinks. The men are hot, and so is the steamy shower show presented after 11 pm—not for timid voyeurs.

Any place whose tagline is "cocktails and pajamas" is bound to be a good time, especially when located in the vaulted 17th-century cellar of a town house smack-dab on the Place des Vosges. Surprising cocktails fuel the anything-goes atmosphere that often includes late-night dancing and revelry.

This happening lesbian bar in the heart of the gay district welcomes all comers (including small groups of men). The DJ in the tiny basement cooks on Friday and Saturday nights.