Montmartre, nearest Château Rouge (4)
No reservations. The handful of tables fill on weekend afternoons. Come early or plan to perch.
The rue Custine Bottle Shop You Drink In
À la Bière Comme à la Bière sits on rue Custine below Montmartre, in the 18th arrondissement. France Today describes it as a beer shop that doubles as a bar, with more than 300 references kept cold so you can open a bottle and drink it at one of the tables scattered around the room.
It suits beer drinkers who want range over a slick taproom. The decor runs to vintage signs and odd furniture, and there is a Super Nintendo in the corner. It is not the place for a quiet date or a quick pint; it is the place to work through a French micro-brew you have never heard of.
Paris by Mouth lists it among the city's craft beer destinations, and the format is the draw: shop prices, drink-in tables, and a cellar deeper than most bars carry.
The space is small and packed with bottles, with a cold case along one wall and a scatter of tables and stools. Yelp reviewers single out the relaxed, slightly cluttered feel and the staff's willingness to point you toward something local. Cheese and charcuterie plates round out the offer.
The selection runs to more than 300 references, heavy on French micro-breweries with Belgian and American bottles alongside, per France Today. Ask the staff for a current Paris brew, since the stock rotates. Pair it with a cheese plate, the standard order in the room. There is no long cocktail list here; the point is the bottle cellar.
- Treat it as a bottle shop first. Reviewers on Yelp note the shelf prices and the freedom to drink in, which is the real value.
- Ask the staff. They steer drinkers toward current French micro-brews rather than the obvious imports.
- It is casual to the point of scruffy. The vintage decor and the Super Nintendo are the vibe, not an accident.
- Beer hunters who want range and rotating French micro-brews.
- A low-key afternoon with a cheese board and a few bottles.
- Skip it if you want table service, cocktails, or a quiet room.