Moonshiner in Paris's 11e Bastille is the Art Deco speakeasy hidden behind the cold-room door of the Da Vito pizzeria on Rue Sedaine, with 83 whiskies and a classics-led cocktail list since 2013.
Tip: Ask staff at Da Vito for the bar; cocktails €13-16. Quietest before 21:00, jammed after 23:00 Thu-Sat.
Address: 5 Rue Sedaine, 75011 Paris
Lone Palm in Paris's 11e Bastille is the Ben Benayoun tiki-tinged Californian cocktail bar on Rue Keller, with a 1950s palm-and-rattan room and house frozen daiquiris at €10.
Tip: Frozen daiquiris are the order; arrive before 21:00 for a banquette or after 00:30 for the late lull.
Andy Wahloo in Paris's 3e Marais is the Mourad Mazouz cocktail lounge stacked with Moroccan tea-canister stools and a North African disco soundtrack on weekend DJ nights.
Tip: Sunday-Monday closed; Friday-Saturday DJ nights book up fast. Smaller back room is the quieter table.
Le Mary Celeste in Paris's 3e Marais is the corner cocktail and oyster bar opened 2012 by the Experimental Cocktail Club team, with a long zinc counter and a no-bookings horseshoe room.
Tip: Oysters Tue-Sat from €3 each; the early evening at 18:00 is when the high-tops free up.
Cravan Saint-Germain in Paris's 6e is the Franck Audoux five-floor cocktail house in a 17th-century townhouse on Boulevard Saint-Germain, with a rooftop music kiosk and Moët Hennessy backing since 2023.
Tip: Book the rooftop kiosk for two hours; main bar walk-ins go to the salon on the second floor. Cocktails €18-22.
Lone Palm in Paris's 11e Bastille is the Ben Benayoun tiki-tinged Californian cocktail bar on Rue Keller, with a 1950s palm-and-rattan room and house frozen daiquiris at €10.
Tip: Frozen daiquiris are the order; arrive before 21:00 for a banquette or after 00:30 for the late lull.
Le Tango in Paris's 3e Marais is the cooperative-run queer dance hall on Rue au Maire, with themed Friday-Saturday nights and a 70s-tinged room that welcomes LGBT+ first and reinvests profits in the community.
Tip: €12 at the door; come for the salsa-and-pop early hours, stay for the late DJ shift after 01:00.
Raidd Bar in Paris's 4e Marais is the Rue du Temple landmark gay bar opened 2003, famous for the nightly midnight shower show where dancers perform inside a tank set into the wall.
Tip: Shower show is on at midnight every night; arrive 23:30 for a spot near the tank, the back room thins after 02:00.