Café de la Paix sits on the corner of Place de l'Opéra and Boulevard des Capucines, directly across from the Opéra Garnier, and has poured drinks on this spot since 1862. It is the café and bar of the InterContinental Paris Le Grand, and the terrace is one of the most photographed places to take an apéritif in the 9th arrondissement.
Who would love it: a visitor who wants a glass of champagne with a front-row view of the Opéra and a room that has not lost its Second Empire grandeur. Who would not: a drinker hunting a quiet neighbourhood local or low-key prices, since this is a landmark address with grand-hotel rates and a steady flow of tourists.
The room is the reason to come. The interior was decorated by Charles Garnier, architect of the opera house opposite, and the painted and gilded ceiling has been listed as a historic monument since 1975, per Wikipedia and the café's own history. The terrace under the arcade looks straight onto the Palais Garnier, and the inside salon keeps the chandeliers, mirrors and frescoes that have drawn writers and performers here for more than a century. It reads as a piece of Paris history that still works as a café, rather than a museum that happens to serve coffee.
The drinks lean classic. Champagne by the glass and the bottle is the signature order, alongside a list of standards and house cocktails, and the kitchen runs full café and brasserie service from breakfast through dinner, per the official site. The smart move is an early-evening coupe on the terrace before a performance across the square, or a coffee and the house pastry in the afternoon. Pricing sits in landmark-Paris territory rather than neighbourhood-bar territory, so treat it as an occasion stop, not a nightly habit.
The crowd is mostly visitors and theatre-goers, with hotel guests and a business set earlier in the day. Tripadvisor reviewers consistently praise the setting and service while flagging the prices, which is the honest trade here: you are paying for the address and the ceiling as much as the glass. Service is formal and quick, and the terrace turns over with the show schedule at the opera house.
Best time to go is the hour before an Opéra Garnier curtain, when the terrace fills with a dressed-up pre-theatre crowd, or a calm weekday afternoon for the room without the rush. Café de la Paix works as the grand opening stop on a night around the Opéra. See where it sits among the best cocktail bars in Paris and browse the wider guide to cocktail bars by city, then plan the rest of the evening through the Paris bar guide.
Getting there is simple: the café sits on top of the Opéra Métro station, served by lines 3, 7 and 8, with the Auber RER A stop a short walk away. That puts it in the middle of the grands boulevards, ringed by department stores and theatres, so it slots naturally into a night that starts with a performance and carries on toward Pigalle or the 2nd. Cards are accepted, and the room keeps long café hours from morning into the late evening.
Pair this bar with
For another grand-hotel classic, compare the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz in Paris. For a palace bar with a famous cocktail history, try Le Bar du Bristol in Paris. And for the original American bar near the Opéra, Harry's New York Bar in Paris makes the natural next round.
Sources
Café de la Paix official site · Wikipedia: Café de la Paix · InterContinental Paris Le Grand · Tripadvisor and Google Maps reviews (accessed 2026-06)
Reviewed by Marcus Webb, barsforKings. Published Jan 19, 2026
