The 10 Best Date Night Bars in Paris

Why it's here: The Ritz's book-lined snug — the most famous small bar in the world, at 4.5 stars across 700+ Google reviews, and still the city's definitive grand gesture. What's good: A martini or the Serendipity, with the rose ritual for the table; arrive at opening to claim seats without a wait. Who should go: Anniversaries and proposals — it's a splurge, and it lands every time.

Why it's here: Behind a façade of layered posters, a bar that serves French spirits only — and made that constraint the most exciting list in Paris, at 4.5 across 1,700+ Google reviews. What's good: Cognac and calvados doing things their grandparents wouldn't recognise; trust the seasonal menu's strangest line. Who should go: Dates who want a story — the room is loud enough to lean in, which is the point.

Why it's here: Whisky-minded, candle-lit and quietly excellent for over a decade — 4.6 across 700+ Google reviews, the highest of any cocktail room on this list. What's good: Cask-influenced cocktails and a real whisky page; the sofas at the back are the seats to wait for. Who should go: Second dates — calm enough to talk, serious enough to impress.

Why it's here: A World's 50 Best fixture hidden behind its namesake door — plush, conspiratorial, and small enough that every visit feels private. What's good: The ingredient-led menu gives you something to talk about; the loveseats against the wall are the target. Who should go: Dates past the small-talk stage — go on a weeknight when the room murmurs.

Why it's here: The cocktail bar of the Hôtel Particulier, at the end of a hidden lane off the Butte — a walled garden and velvet salon that feel like a film set because they've been one. What's good: A coupe in the garden in summer, the red salon in winter; DJ sets on weekends shift it from whisper to glow. Who should go: The grandest-gesture evening on this list after the Ritz — book, and keep the address to yourselves.

Why it's here: The taqueria with the unmarked white door at the back — Paris's original modern speakeasy, still warm where its imitators went cold. What's good: Mezcal and tequila cocktails in the candle-lit stone room; tacos first at the counter, obviously. Who should go: First dates — the reveal of the back room does your icebreaking for you.

Why it's here: The rue Saint-Sauveur original that launched a global group — exposed stone, low velvet, and a 4.4 across 1,700+ Google reviews fifteen years on. What's good: Seasonal signatures done with house polish; weeknights keep the room intimate, weekends bring the scene. Who should go: Couples who want classic Paris-speakeasy atmosphere with zero risk of a dud drink.

Why it's here: A shoebox cave à manger that critics across Paris and New York have called the most charming wine room in the city. What's good: Natural wine by the glass, the burrata and whatever's chalked up; it's tiny, so go early or late. Who should go: Low-key dates that are secretly the most romantic kind — shoulder to shoulder by necessity.

Why it's here: Le Meurice's wood-panelled salon — live jazz most evenings and hotel-bar service from another century, in the best sense. What's good: A classic from the trolley during the jazz set; the armchairs by the fireplace are the winter seats. Who should go: Dress-up dates and nightcaps after dinner on the Rivoli side of town.

Why it's here: Through the cold-room door of a pizzeria — a Prohibition-styled whiskey den that stayed a neighbourhood secret by being good rather than loud. What's good: Rye-forward classics and a deep American whiskey shelf; the pizza out front is the correct dinner. Who should go: Late-evening dates — it pours past most kitchens' bedtime, and the entrance never stops being fun.