The Cambridge Public House proves a London-style boozer can out-think most cocktail bars. It sits on a quiet Marais corner, pours a proper Guinness, and lands at number 20 on the World's 50 Best Bars 2025 list.
Published May 24, 2026 - By Daniel Okafor
The Cambridge Public House opened in 2019 at 8 Rue de Poitou in the Marais, a short walk from the Marche des Enfants Rouges. Founder Hyacinthe Lescoet built it as a hybrid that welds the warmth of a traditional English pub to the precision of a modern cocktail bar. The World's 50 Best Bars ranked it number 20 in 2025, the highest placement any Paris pub has reached in the guide, and it carries that recognition without the velvet-rope attitude that usually comes with it.
The draw is a bar that lets a drinker keep one foot in a neighbourhood pub and one in a serious cocktail program. Craft beer and natural wine sit on the same list as exacting cocktails, and the food runs to homemade pies and sausage rolls rather than small plates with tweezered garnishes.
The room
The space reads as a corner pub first and a cocktail room second. Wood, brass, and a long bar set the tone, and on warmer evenings the crowd spills onto the pavement of Rue de Poitou. It stays loud and friendly rather than hushed, which is the whole idea: this is a pub that happens to make precise drinks, not a temple that asks for silence. Seating is limited, so a stool at the bar is the prize on a full night.
What to order
Order the Guinness, poured with the patience the bar is known for, or the house Pimm's, which the team rebuilds with Alsatian wine, St Germain, and gin. The cocktail list rotates through British references built with French produce, so ask what is on this week rather than chasing a fixed menu. Pair a drink with a meat or veggie pie from the snack list, which the kitchen prepares with local ingredients. Prices land in the $$$ range, fair for a top-20 bar.
The crowd and best time to go
Industry regulars, Marais locals, and visiting bartenders fill the room, and it gets full fast after work. Early evening is the calm window for a seat at the bar, while later it turns into a standing crowd two deep. Weeknights are easier than weekends if conversation matters, and a midweek visit before eight is the insider move.
What regulars say
Across Tripadvisor and the trade press the refrain is consistent: a genuine pub feel with cocktails that earn a best-bars listing. Sortiraparis has written it up as one of the world's finest bars sitting on an unassuming Marais corner. In July 2024 it became the first independent bar to earn B Corp status, a sustainability credential the team backs with composting and local partnerships rather than marketing copy.
Who it is for
This suits the cocktail enthusiast who still wants a pint and a room with a pulse. Skip it if the plan is a silent, seated tasting menu. For more of the city, see our guide to Paris cocktail bars and the wider Paris bar guide.
The verdict
The Cambridge wins because it refuses to choose between pub and cocktail bar and does both at a high level. Come early, take a stool, and order a Guinness with whatever British classic is on the board. For more Paris drinking, compare the agave focus at Candelaria, the spirit-forward builds at Le Syndicat, and the hotel polish of Bar Hemingway at The Ritz. Our best cocktail bars in Paris guide rounds out the night.
