Galerie Vivienne, 2nd arrondissement
Glasses, plus any shelf bottle for a small corkage
Off-the-shelf bottles, light bites
Our Take on Caves Legrand
Caves Legrand, or Legrand Filles et Fils, has stood under the glass roof of Galerie Vivienne since 1880, and Paris by Mouth calls it an institution without hesitation. It is a wine shop first, its old wooden shelves and tiled floor intact, and a bar second, with tables that spill out into the covered arcade.
The arrangement is the appeal. You drink by the glass from a rotating list, or you pull any bottle off the shop shelf and the staff open it at your table for a small corkage fee. That turns the whole inventory of a serious caviste into a wine list, which is a far deeper pour than a normal bar can offer.
The setting is one of the prettiest places to drink in central Paris. Galerie Vivienne is a restored 19th-century passage near the Bourse, and Legrand's frontage of bottles and old shop fittings is part of why visitors photograph it as much as drink in it. The crowd is a mix of trade, locals and in-the-know visitors.
The pours lean French and classic, with light bites, charcuterie and cheese to go alongside, plus a small adjoining restaurant for a fuller sit-down. Hours are shop hours, closed Sundays and ending in the early evening, so this is a daytime and aperitif stop rather than a late-night bar.
Come for a glass in one of the loveliest rooms in the city, or to drink a shop bottle at cost plus corkage. For more in Paris, see our Paris wine bars guide, the best wine bars in Paris, and the best wine bars worldwide.
The Move at Caves Legrand
The Word on Galerie Vivienne
- Paris by Mouth calls Legrand an institution and highlights the shelf-bottle-plus-corkage system as the reason to drink in rather than buy and go.
- Urbansider and other Paris guides point to the Galerie Vivienne setting, one of the city's restored 19th-century passages, as half the draw.
- The recurring note is depth. Because the shop is the list, the by-the-bottle range dwarfs a standard wine bar's.
Read the Room
- A glass in one of Paris' prettiest rooms
- Drinking a shop bottle at near-retail with corkage
- Skip it for a late night, this keeps shop hours
When To Visit Caves Legrand
Daytime and early evening are the window, since Legrand closes around 7:30pm and all day Sunday. A weekday afternoon in the quiet arcade is the calmest sit.
The passage draws photographers, so the frontage can get busy at peak tourist hours. Aim for late morning or just after lunch for a table with room to taste.
Inside Caves Legrand
