The Best Bars in Le Marais, Paris

Through the taqueria in the front — past the counter and through the door at the back — sits one of the best cocktail bars in Paris. Candelaria opened in 2011 and has been consistently cited as one of the most important bars in Europe since. The agave selection is serious, the cocktail menu is built with precision, and the room is just large enough for twenty people to be comfortable and no one else. The taqueria in front is the cover; the bar is the reason.

Order: The house margarita or a mezcal from the single-estate selection — ask what arrived most recently

An oyster bar and natural wine spot that the neighbourhood has adopted as its own since it opened. The wine list changes regularly and is built around small producers — the staff can tell you about all of them in the way that only happens when someone actually visits the wineries rather than reading the back label. The oysters are from Brittany and the pairing with a glass of Muscadet is one of the more reliable pleasures Le Marais offers. Arrive before 7pm or accept the wait.

Order: Oysters with a glass of Muscadet Sèvre et Maine — the correct combination here

The wine bar adjacent to Septime restaurant, stocking an extraordinary natural wine cellar from producers across France and beyond. You do not need a reservation for the cave, which is part of what makes it the most useful destination in the neighbourhood — walk in, ask the sommelier what is open and interesting tonight, and drink it standing at one of the barrels. The food is simple and chosen to accompany the wine rather than compete with it. One of the best wine experiences in Paris at any price.

Order: Ask the sommelier what they are personally excited about tonight — the answer will be correct

One of the most consistently cited cocktail bars in Europe, building each seasonal menu around a concept rather than a list of ingredients. The current menu changes annually and each edition operates as an editorial position on what cocktails should do. Little Red Door is the bar that Paris points to when it wants to demonstrate that the city's cocktail culture is serious. Book ahead; the room is small and the regulars are loyal.

Order: Whatever the current seasonal menu centrepiece is — read the description and order it

A classic Parisian wine bar operating on the model that the neighbourhood has been built around since the 19th century — wine from the barrel, oysters from the market downstairs, and the understanding that standing at the bar with strangers is the natural human condition. Le Baron Rouge fills up by 6pm on Friday and stays that way until midnight. The wine is inexpensive and honestly made. Come here before you go anywhere else to understand what Paris drinking looks like at its most honest.

Order: A glass of Côtes du Rhône from the barrel — ask which one arrived most recently

The bar that started the Parisian cocktail revival in 2007, operating in a narrow room in the 2nd arrondissement with a menu of pre-Prohibition classics made correctly. The Experimental Cocktail Club has been copied extensively but remains the original point of reference. The room is crowded on weekends but remains serious in the way that founding institutions tend to. Arrive early for a seat; arrive late to stand at the bar and join the conversation about what they are making.

Order: The house gin and tonic or a Sazerac — they do both with the attention they deserve

A classic café-bar with one of the best terraces on the Rue Vieille du Temple — the street that defines Le Marais's outdoor drinking culture from spring through autumn. Les Philosophes is not a cocktail destination; it is a place to drink a glass of wine or a simple beer on a warm evening and watch the neighbourhood pass by. The terrace fills up by 6pm and the light at 7pm in September is one of the better arguments for being in Paris. For the full picture on outdoor terrace drinking in the city, our guide to the best bars with terraces in Paris covers 12 more spots across the 10th, Montmartre, and Saint-Germain.

Order: Glass of Sancerre or a simple Kir — the classics are correct here

On the Place du Marché Sainte-Catherine — one of the quieter squares in Le Marais, slightly removed from the main tourist circuit. The bar serves simple drinks at honest prices to a mix of locals and the visitors who found it by walking rather than following a list. The square is genuinely quiet in the evenings and the seating spills out into it on warm nights. This is the Le Marais that exists when you are not looking for the Le Marais that everyone visits.

Order: Pastis with water or a simple wine — match the neighbourhood's pace

Named after the barrel used in Scotch whisky maturation, Sherry Butt is Le Marais's serious whisky bar — the one that the neighbourhood's drinkers use as a reference point when the subject comes up. The Scotch selection runs to several hundred bottles and is arranged by region in the way that a specialist's collection should be. The bar is small and low-lit and the music is kept at a volume that allows conversation. One of the best whisky bars in Paris without qualification.

Order: A Speyside single malt — ask the bartender what they recommend at the price point you want