30 bars worth the trip across France, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All France guides.
Chez Tonton ★ 4.8 · Toulouse
saint-pierre · 16 Place Saint-Pierre, 31000 Toulouse
Chez Tonton on Place Saint-Pierre is the legendary student bar with a square-terrace crowd, tapas plates from 18:00 and the canonical pastis pour.
Tip: Lines pile up Friday from 19:30; the pastis tonton with anchovy tapas is the canonical first-round order.
Bar Hemingway ★ 4.7 · Paris
Ritz Paris, 15 Place Vendôme, 75001 Paris
Bar Hemingway at the Ritz Paris is Colin Field's classic-cocktail temple. Open 18:00-02:00. No standing; book a 19:00 seat for the calmer first hour.
Tip: Open 18:00-02:00. No standing; book a 19:00 seat for the calmer first hour.
Carry Nation ★ 4.6 · Marseille
6 Rue Jules Moulet, 13006 Marseille
Carry Nation in Marseille's 6e is a hidden speakeasy named for the hatchet-wielding temperance activist, prohibition-era cocktails behind a door you.
Tip: Open Wed-Sun 19:00-02:00; check the website for the entry procedure.
Little Red Door ★ 4.6 · Paris
60 Rue Charlot, 75003 Paris
Little Red Door in Paris's 3e Marais runs a menu themed around the chemistry of plants, with custom-distilled spirits. Order the plant-based menu.
Tip: Reservations from 18:00. The Sunday bar manager's pick at €15 is the cheapest cocktail in the room.
Le Mandala ★ 4.6 · Toulouse
carmes · 23 Rue des Amidonniers, 31000 Toulouse
Le Mandala on Rue des Amidonniers is Toulouse's longest-running jazz bar, with live jazz sets six nights a week, cocktails and a small back-of-room kitchen.
Tip: Live jazz sets six nights at 21:30 and 23:30; the cocktails plus charcuterie plate is the canonical evening pair.
Symbiose Cocktail Bar ★ 4.5 · Bordeaux
chartrons · 4 Quai des Chartrons, 33000 Bordeaux
Symbiose Cocktail Bar in Bordeaux's Chartrons is the speakeasy behind the bookshelf at Symbiose, with homemade syrups, forgotten ingredients and a working.
Tip: No reservations on the cocktail side; arrive 19:00 to claim a stool or stay through dinner for a guaranteed seat.
L'Antiquaire ★ 4.5 · Lyon
20 Rue Hippolyte Flandrin, 69001 Lyon
L'Antiquaire in Lyon's 1er on Rue Hippolyte Flandrin is the classic-cocktail room with a long mahogany bar and an old-fashioned that defines.
Tip: Walk-in only; arrive at 19:00 for a seat at the bar; closed Sunday.
La Baignoire ★ 4.5 · Lyon
7e · 11 Rue des Trois Rois, 69007 Lyon
La Baignoire on Rue des Trois Rois in the 7e Guillotiere is the Art Deco speakeasy behind a discreet doorbell, with a seasonal ephemeral cocktail menu.
Tip: Ring the bell; reservation recommended; closed Monday Standing room when busy.
Bar de Bon-Secours ★ 4.5 · Lyon
5e · 12 Rue du Boeuf, 69005 Lyon
Bar de Bon-Secours on Rue du Boeuf in Vieux Lyon is the stone-cellar speakeasy beneath an old chocolaterie, with 1920s decor, antique crystal service.
Tip: Password entry; open Thursday-Monday from 19:00; closed Tuesday-Wednesday.
La Caravelle ★ 4.5 · Marseille
34 Quai du Port, 13002 Marseille
La Caravelle in Marseille's 2e hangs over the Vieux Port on the first floor of the Hotel Belle-Vue since the 1920s, the most coveted balcony in the city.
Tip: Open daily 7am-2am; jazz concerts Wednesday and Friday October.
Cave de la Tour ★ 4.5 · Nice
3 Rue de la Tour, 06300 Nice
Cave de la Tour on Rue de la Tour has poured Bellet and Provence wines since 1947, fourth generation Gazan family room and the world petits farcis.
Le Syndicat ★ 4.5 · Paris
51 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, 75010 Paris
Le Syndicat in Paris's 10e mixes cocktails using only French spirits, a rule the bar has kept since opening in 2014. The graffitied facade hides 18 seats.
Tip: No reservations. Arrive at 19:00 for stools or after 23:00 once the early crowd shifts elsewhere.
Bisou ★ 4.5 · Paris
15 Boulevard du Temple, 75003 Paris
Bisou in Paris's 3e is the no-menu cocktail bar Nicolas Munoz built around five-minute conversations with each guest. Order the no menu, bartender's pick.
Tip: Reservations only; first round €14, refills €12. Ask for a non-alcoholic option and they will build one.
Mama Shelter Toulouse Rooftop Bar ★ 4.5 · Toulouse
saint-aubin · 54 Boulevard Lazare Carnot, 31000 Toulouse
Mama Shelter Toulouse Rooftop on Boulevard Lazare Carnot is a planted hotel rooftop with frozen margaritas, sunset views over the Canal du Midi.
Tip: Sunset to midnight is the busier service; the frozen margarita and the bao bun pair is the canonical summer order.
Point Rouge ★ 4.4 · Bordeaux
saint-croix · 1 Quai de Paludate, 33800 Bordeaux
Point Rouge in Bordeaux's Saint-Croix is the cocktail bar and restaurant in a wing of Chateau Descas, with a menu of around 100 cocktails that walks.
Tip: The lounge upstairs is the calmer drinking room; the kitchen of chef Christophe Girardot is the dinner-only sister.
Vintage Bar ★ 4.4 · Bordeaux
saint-pierre · 4 Quai Louis XVIII, 33000 Bordeaux
Vintage Bar in Bordeaux's Saint-Pierre is the Quai Louis XVIII rum bar with over 150 references from around the world, daily happy hour and one.
Tip: Daily Happy Hour 16:00-20:00; the bartender will build a comparison flight across Caribbean and Reunion rums.
CODE 23 ★ 4.4 · Bordeaux
saint-pierre · 27 Rue Arnaud Miqueu, 33000 Bordeaux
CODE 23 in Bordeaux's Saint-Pierre is the cocktail and jazz room inside a 16th-century convent on Rue Arnaud Miqueu, with a marble bar, Chesterfield sofas.
Tip: Jazz sets start at 20:30 Thu-Fri; the basement speakeasy is the calmer drinking room and rarely needs a booking.
Bar Pelican ★ 4.4 · Lyon
7 Rue Terme, 69001 Lyon
Bar Pelican in Lyon's 1er on Rue Terme is the mixology cocktail bar with a long-list of seasonal signatures and a counter that fills weeknights.
Tip: Reserve a counter seat after 21:00; closed Sunday-Monday Standing room when busy.
Bar Sauvage ★ 4.4 · Lyon
3 Rue Montesquieu, 69007 Lyon
Bar Sauvage in Lyon's 7e on Rue Montesquieu is the speakeasy cocktail bar tucked behind an unmarked door, with classic-cocktail menu and last orders at 02:00.
Tip: Ring the bell; book a booth ahead by Instagram DM.
La Baguette Magique ★ 4.4 · Lyon
5e · 108 Rue Saint-Georges, 69005 Lyon
La Baguette Magique on Rue Saint-Georges in Vieux Lyon is the speakeasy hidden behind a bakery facade, run by three professional magicians who pair around.
Tip: Open Tue-Wed 18:00-23:00, Thu-Fri to midnight, Sat 17:30 to midnight; book online for the show.
Black Forest Society ★ 4.4 · Lyon
1er · 29 Rue de l'Arbre Sec, 69001 Lyon
Black Forest Society on Rue de l'Arbre Sec near Hotel de Ville is the Bavarian-themed cocktail bar where bartenders in lederhosen pour schnapps.
Tip: Open Monday to Saturday from 18:00; Thursday-Saturday until 02:00 or 03:00.
Cigale ★ 4.4 · Lyon
5e · 2 Rue de la Loge, 69005 Lyon
Cigale on Rue de la Loge in Vieux Lyon is the gintoneria with what's likely Lyon's largest gin cellar at 100+ references, warm wood and dim lighting.
Tip: The gin and tonic of the day is the order; open Tue-Sun from 18:00, closed Monday.
Le Bar des Oiseaux ★ 4.4 · Nice
5 Rue Saint Vincent, 06300 Nice
Le Bar des Oiseaux on Rue Saint Vincent in Vieux Nice runs a Decanter-listed natural wine room with thoughtfully curated French growers and Mediterranean.
Experimental Cocktail Club ★ 4.4 · Paris
37 Rue Saint-Sauveur, 75002 Paris
Experimental Cocktail Club in Paris's 2e is the trio of bartenders' original 2007 room, the one that effectively reset Paris on the craft-cocktail map.
Tip: No sign on the door; press the bell. Reservations open at 18:00 for the same evening.
Candelaria ★ 4.4 · Paris
52 Rue de Saintonge, 75003 Paris
Candelaria in Paris's 3e is the taqueria-and-speakeasy hybrid where you order tacos up front and find the bar through the door behind the kitchen.
Tip: The taqueria takes walk-ins; the bar opens 18:00.
Copper Bay ★ 4.4 · Paris
5 Rue Bouchardon, 75010 Paris
Copper Bay in Paris's 10e is the maritime-themed bar Aurélie Pannequin and her crew built into a corner of the Faubourg Saint-Denis cocktail strip.
Tip: Reservations for parties of 4+; under 4 walk in. The cargo-themed flights rotate quarterly.
Sister Midnight ★ 4.4 · Paris
4 Rue Viollet-le-Duc, 75009 Paris
Sister Midnight in Paris's 9e South Pigalle is the cocktail room Jen Riley and Joe Boley opened in the area's glam-rock pocket. Seasonal house drinks.
Tip: Walk-in only and groups capped at eight. Saturday night holds the drag and burlesque programme; show up before 20:00 for a banquette.
Bar 228 ★ 4.4 · Paris
Le Meurice, 228 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris
Bar 228 inside Le Meurice in Paris is the dark-wood-and-leather palace bar where William Oliveri ran a 30-year programme of palace-grade Bloody Marys.
Tip: Open 11:00-02:00. The terrace fronts the Rue de Rivoli arcade; pop in for an afternoon Pastis.
Combat ★ 4.4 · Paris
63 Rue de Belleville, 75019 Paris
Combat in Paris's 19e is the all-female bar team's neighbourhood cocktail room above Belleville park. Order the bartender's call. At 63 Rue de Belleville.
Tip: Reservations from 19:00. The Sunday DJ set runs from 21:00-01:00 with a small dance corner.
ApOthEk ★ 4.3 · Bordeaux
saint-pierre · 1 Rue du Cancera, 33000 Bordeaux
ApOthEk in Bordeaux's Saint-Pierre is the dim-lit cocktail bar on Rue du Cancera with a menu of refined creations and a strict no-Mojito, no-Sex-on-the-Beach.
Tip: Strong dress code and no walk-ups after 22:00 on weekends; book a back-room table for the quietest setting.