PARGuide
The Best Wine Bars In Paris
photo credit: Marine Billet
Despite the name of this guide, you won’t really find a “wine bar” in the American sense in Paris. What you will find are a lot of different places where you can drink or buy wine, have some snacks, and, at some, a full meal.
Caves (pronounced “cah-ve”), which are essentially cellars that serve as bottle shops, are most prevalent. They’re extremely casual, and don’t really have any rules: You might sidle up to an oak barrel surrounded by cases of savagnin at one, or linger on the street with a citrusy chablis at another.
Then, there are spots where you can sit on a stool or an actual table and order from a bartender or server (and maybe off an actual menu). They’re sometimes more likely to require reservations, and often feel closer to a restaurant—which makes sense, since you’re legally required to order food if you want to drink at one of these places. Here are our favorite spots, ordered by what kind of experience they’re best for.
BEST FOR: HAVING A GLASS OR BUYING A BOTTLE
photo credit: Sara Lieberman
Technically, this place is named after all the 1.5-liter bottles they have on the menu, but they also go in hard on the ‘80s TV show of the same name. Despite all the posters of a mustachioed Tom Selleck, there’s nothing cheesy about this popular bar à vins just off rue de Rivoli in the Marais. The servers know their stuff and are happy to recommend something different and new, likely with lots of skin contact. There are a couple of tables outside where it gets really lively thanks to the other bars nearby, but inside has all the character. Did we mention the Tom Selleck photos?
photo credit: Sara Lieberman
It’s hard to be unassuming on this street overflowing with tourists in Saint Germain-des-Prés, but this spot manages to play it cool with both a nondescript facade and by being actually cool (it’s located in a 14th-century former wine cellar). Pick from a bottle along the wall and pay the €10 corkage fee, or ask for a glass of whatever’s open that day. That might be a mineral-y white from the Savoie—“natural, but not funky,” the owner may say—or an earthy Gamay from the Loire. Then, head downstairs to drink your wine like a Lannister in Game of Thrones.
photo credit: Ilya Kagan
The building that houses Delicatessen Place used to be a shoe repair shop, and with their “Cordonnerie Derby” sign and green facade, is almost impossible to miss. There’s a lot happening inside too, with exposed concrete, wooden walls, and Edison bulbs dangling over the counter. Get a glass of whatever red or white is open at the time—most likely it’ll be French and natural. For a bottle, pop next door into the wine shop, and they’ll help you pick one, cork it, and send you back to the bar or the sidewalk to enjoy it. The snacky food is displayed buffet-style, and served whenever the bartender has a moment to get to you.
photo credit: Le Barav
Short for “bar à vins” (you’re welcome!), Le Barav has been pouring glasses for first dates, coworkers, tour groups, and more for over 15 years. It’s a local, Cheers-like environment in a great location that caters to everyone, at any time. Fall into it after a long day of shopping the Marais, or use it as a meet-up spot for a first date with someone you’ll hopefully be attracted to long enough to withstand the wait to choose a bottle. Once you’ve done that, pick a spot on the big terrace and order a no-fuss snack of meats, cheeses, olives, or croques. There’s little over €12 and it’s all meant for sharing. So, again, bring someone you like.
photo credit: Pur Vin
This spot in the 12th arrondissement is a true cave à vins, so it opens early at 3pm, making it a great place for a break during Paris’ off-dining hours. By-the-glass options are displayed behind the bar and change every two days or so, and bottles are in a fridge in the back—after finishing one on-site, they’ll encourage you to write a message on it to be displayed as part of the decor. The focus here is definitely more on drinking, but they do have meats, cheeses, and a few seasonal dishes like zucchini strips topped with shredded smokey scamorza cheese, strawberries, and hazelnuts.
photo credit: Louis Boucharinc
This bar à vins just off rue des Martyrs is ideal for a tasting with the parents or hosting a big gathering in the downstairs cave. It’s not that things don’t get rowdy at 228 Liters, it’s just that they’ll usually only seat you if you have a reservation (even if there are several open tables). Glasses here are priced a bit higher than other places around town, and there’s a more unusual selection of bottles. The food menu is minimal, but features small helpings of whelk, bowls of hummus, and a plate of tomatoes and mozzarella.
photo credit: Sara Lieberman
This friendly neighborhood spot just off rue de Charonne in the 11th is open every day, and you’ll likely see the owner waving to passersby on the street as he chooses what to pour from a dozen or so tap wines. You can pick up a bottle to go, or enjoy it there for a €9 corkage fee. If you’re planning to hang around for a bit, grab a wooden stool and a spot at the communal table in the back beyond the bottles and order a few small snacks, like futomaki, inari, cecina, and oysters.
photo credit: Mikaël Bandassak
You’re probably not going to be able to get a table at Septime, but you can squeeze into its tiny wine bar around the corner with everyone else who had the same idea. Pick a bottle from the case along the wall and grab a stool at the bar, or settle into one of the few chairs along the window if you can snag one—most nights, it’s a standing-room-only type of situation. You'll find a short list of whites, oranges, and reds by the glass (with one or two rosés and pet nats for good measure) plus an even smaller list of snacks like olives, comté with fig chutney, and leeks in a mimosa vinaigrette.
photo credit: Sara Lieberman
Choosing between ice cream or a crispy pet-nat is hard. The team at Folderol knows this, and lets you have both in one place. This dessert spot and bar à vins in the 11th is just a couple hundred feet down from their sister restaurant, the Japanese-inspired Le Rigmarole, and has become increasingly popular since opening in early 2021 (there’s now a “NO TikTok” sign out front). Choose from flavors like strawberry shortcake or sesame brownie that are scribbled on the mirror, and pair them with a glass of something from small independent producers at the horseshoe-shaped bar. If you're hungry for something other than ice cream, you can snack on some olive oil-soaked focaccia.
BEST FOR: WINE & SMALL PLATES
photo credit: Ilya Kagan
There’s a reason why duck memorabilia (mugs, salt and pepper shakers, and more) is all over this corner café that’s not really a café: coin, pronounced “qua” in French, sounds exactly like what ducks say. It’s hard to tell whether this spot is more popular during lunch, where reservations are a must and they serve a €20 three-course meal of seasonal dishes, or at night when crowds spill out onto the corner, sipping €7 syrah-grenache blends and snacking on pizzettas. Show up alone and make a friend or two, or come with friends and make a dozen more.
photo credit: Jessica Vosges
Warning: This mainstay along popular Oberkampf might cause you to make a major life decision. It’s the kind of Parisian hangout where you’ll refill your glass so much that before calling it a night, you’ll declare on your socials that you’re moving to Paris. Loud, busy, and just the right amount of chaos, there are few frills, but lots of heart. It’s a bit more chill during the day when they’re open for lunch and serve an inexpensive prix-fixe meal. But mementos in the form of wine stains on the yellow formica tables remain (and proliferate!), as do overflowing ashtrays on the tables outside.
photo credit: Camille Fermon
Rive Gauche is generally known for being pretty touristy and old-school, but Chez Nous is anything but. The long, narrow space with exposed stone walls, sharp steel counters, and a wooden bar makes for a great place to go on a date, or with a group if you’re traveling with friends. The owners know their stuff and are happy to talk about the French-focused list that includes many by-the-glass options and a deep bottle selection. This is an excellent bar à vins for cheese or charcuterie, like thinly-shaved slices of truffle-inflected gouda.
photo credit: Marine Billet
This spot from the people behind the fun, small plate-focused restaurant Déviant is located in a large space in the Haute Marais. And when we say large, we mean it: there’s counter seating in the front for seafood snacks and tapas, a main dining room with a full menu where you’ll need a reservation, and a cave downstairs holding hundreds of bottles to browse through and cork on the spot. The restaurant serves classics like onion soup and pot au feu, but we much prefer the front section where you can get tastier small bites and the same wine selection without a reservation.
photo credit: Sara Lieberman
This is the most recent (and biggest) addition to the L’Avant Comptoir snack-and-sip family. The two other locations near Odeon are known for standing-room-only crowds, but this one has plenty of space and even some actual chairs. Come feeling decisive, because this isn’t the kind of place where the bartender will pour tasting after tasting, even if you speak perfect French. The small bowl of whipped tarama sprinkled with chives and basil pesto is the perfect late-afternoon snack after wandering aimlessly around St.-Germain-des-Prés, especially when paired with bread filled with flecks of sunflower seeds.
photo credit: Sara Lieberman
Unlike L’Avant Comptoir du Marché, Bar Etna encourages indecisiveness. There’s a small laminated menu with illustrations of snacks like truffle gorgonzola, sardines, burrata, and oysters, and instructions to “describe in your own words the wine you like.” And if words fail you, they’ll happily come over and pour you a taste or three of a Sardinian red using carignan grapes or a light Loire Valley chenin blanc. Get there before 7pm to grab one of the corduroy-covered stools at the four standalone wooden tables, Otherwise, join the crowd of young locals standing around the bar that looks like a giant, hollowed-out canoe.
photo credit: Jessica Vosges
This casual, drink-focused cave à manger from the Brutos team has a similar crowd to what you’ll find at the restaurant next door: families with young kids when they open at 5pm, and chain-smoking twenty-somethings later in the evening, all chatting at tiny round cabaret tables on the sidewalk. The menu has things like the tapioca cheeseballs that were a hit at Brutos, and buttery but crispy gnocchi with peas and pesto. And while the wine list is predominantly French, there are a few international hits on it as well, like a €39 liter of Grüner from the Czech Republic that goes down like water.
photo credit: Le 18
This bar à vins feels a bit more polished than other spots on this guide, with a wooden counter and high-back leather seats, and a focus on more traditional wines, like Rhone Valley Marsanne. But the abstract art on the wall, black-and-white photo of the owner’s grandmother, and Stevie Wonder-heavy soundtrack keep things feeling cool. On weekdays they offer a superb lunch menu, where you can order a tartine (we like the Syrah with fresh goat cheese and fig jam) and a glass of wine for €15. Or, stop by on a Wednesday night for live jazz.
BEST FOR: WINE & A FULL MEAL
photo credit: Alejandra Hauser
The area near the Pompidou is mostly packed with takeout joints, sports cafes, and karaoke bars, so Donna is a welcome alternative. Come to shimmy, socialize, and sip on natural wines like the “Hobo” red blend from Languedoc-Roussillon that’ll likely be suggested by at least one of the young and eager sommeliers in matching tees. Pair it with some tuna tartare topped with simple herbs and berries, or a heaping bowl of spaghetti with clams slathered in a tart grapefruit sauce. At night, the chef running the bar and open kitchen hangs up his apron, and the DJ takes over.
photo credit: Camille Fermon
Everything about this place screams classic wine bar: an oval-shaped, open-kitchen bar, wine glasses hanging upside down from a rack above, and bottles-as-decoration along shelves in the back. You should make a reservation, and while they won’t turn you away if there’s an open seat between bookings, you probably won’t be able to linger. Plan ahead and enjoy a crisp crément from the Loire, plus plates like fresh tuna tartare with a kick, thanks to some jalapeños, and a creamy lasagna you won’t want to share. This is a great spot for a date or a meal with a friend or two, but it’s not the best for groups, since seating is side-by-side only.
photo credit: Jessica Vosges
Technically, they’re calling this place a taqueria. But we’re still in France, where wine rules all and, until recently, quality Mexican food very much did not, so this new spot from the popular Chambre Noire group makes the cut. If the floor-to-ceiling windows that open to the sidewalk and the Manu Chao songs playing from the sound system don’t lure you in, the scent of slow-roasted pork and fresh-pressed corn tortillas definitely will. Choose from six tacos (three are vegetarian) and your preferred €7 glass or €35-40 bottle of wine. Plan to linger outside with the rest of the crowd that’s spilled onto the sidewalk to drink and smoke.
You can’t get more centrally located than Nellu, located a block from the Seine and Ile Saint-Louis. Arrive after 5pm for wine and light snacks, or come later on for larger dishes like an al dente spelt risotto with mussels and bonito flakes. Wash it all down with something crisp and natural, like a weißburgunder, a German pinot blanc, or a sauvignon from independent (and beloved) Loire Valley producer Noella Morantin. The shared plates change up every month or so, and while the wine list has options from the Czech Republic to Croatia, just tell the somm what you’re after and they’ll make recommendations.
photo credit: Geraldine Martens
The small seasonal plates are the star of the show at this vinyl-themed cave à manger in SoPi. Come with a group of friends so you can share a bunch of things, and ask for extra bread to sop up plates like mussels with thai basil in a yellow curry sauce. If you want to sit inside among the dripping candlesticks, whitewashed and exposed stone walls, and turntables spinning records from the bar’s collection, you’ll need to book ahead. The extensive wine list covers a bunch of regions with fun descriptions, so you’ll find a Tuscan pinot grigio listed as “punky and aromatic—it changes!" and a Vieux gamay described as “a crush—like an explosion of cherries.”
Bambino has an energetic and friendly atmosphere, plus a giant wall of records they spin on a player behind the bar, so it’s an ideal place to drink really tasty natural wines while listening to great music. The fact that they also serve really great bar food, like a rotisserie chicken sandwich dripping in jus, spinach-stuffed calzones, and grilled corn covered in pecorino cheese and crushed hazelnuts, is a bonus. Their wine selection is extensive, but don’t bother with the list: Just tell the somm what you’re after and they’ll make a solid suggestion. The kitchen closes at 11pm, but they keep pouring wine until 2am.
