French it up!
DRINK DRINK
1
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U
U
French it up!
DRINK
6
FRENCH IT UP!
Paris is perhaps the most glamorous city in Europe. The most tangible and immediate pleasures of Paris are found in its street life and along the banks and bridges of the River Seine. Cafés, bars and restaurants line every street and boulevard, and the city’s compactness makes it possible to experience the individual feel of the different quartiers. You can move easily, even on foot, from the calm, almost small-town atmosphere of Montmatre and parts of the Quartier Latin to the busy commercial centres of the bourse and Opéra-Garnier. There are so many great places to enjoy the Parisian nightlife, each one more original than the other, and a new bar opens up every week it seems, but if you’re looking to unwind with a drink in Paris, you won’t have to look far.
DRINK
7
8
FRENCH IT UP!
Paris best bars! Le zéro de conduite 12–13 La lucha libre 16–17 La favela chic 20–21 L’urgence bar 24–25 Café bonnie 28–29 Speak up! 32–33 Notes 34–35 Map 36–37 DRINK9
9
Bars
Le zéro de conduite In the house where Richard Wagner lived briefly in the 1840s, Le Zéro De Conduite goes all out to rekindle your infancy, serving cocktails in biberons (baby bottles) and throwing concours de grimaces (face-pulling competitions), with cards, dice and board games. Combining board games, drawing, and trivia with a selection of tasty cocktails
12 FRENCH IT UP!
– all named after cartoon characters – Le Zéro de Conduite is a quirky bar that doesn’t take anything very seriously. Decorated with stuffed animals and Looney Tunes posters, the venue sports a childhood theme that’s evident throughout the tiny space, which serves as a festive haunt for groups of friends to gather and laugh off a week’s work.
DRINK 13
14 FRENCH IT UP!
A great place to grab a late night cocktail in a baby bottle. The owner is very friendly and accommodating (speaks good English too) and the bar has plenty of great games to play while you enjoy your drinks.
“
“
tips Credit Cards: Yes Price Range: €€ Good for Groups: Yes Outdoor Seating: No Music: Background Smoking: No Happy Hour: Yes Alcohol: Full Bar Coat Check: No Best Nights: Fri.
Address: 14 rue Jacob 6e Metro: Odéon Website: www.zerodeconduite.fr Phone: 01 46 34 26 35
Hours: Mon-Thu_8.30pm-1.30am Fri & Sat_6pm-2am, Sun_9pm-1am DRINK 15
La lucha libre Parisians may not have realized that they were missing a Mexican wrestling bar, but now that Lucha Libre is here it’s hard to imagine a time before it! High color bar in the basement with a real wrestling ring. Put the foam combination wrestler and go! In the ring they have two sumo suits available for the crowd to use, and that is how you’ll spend most of your night, watching people you don’t know bounce off everything - the ropes, the floor, each other etc. It’s sometimes mesmerizing, sometimes pathetic, usually pretty hilarious, it’s definitely a novel change to drunken entertainment.
“
16 FRENCH IT UP!
“
You will find a very ambient restaurrant with delightful staff and excellent food. When in Paris you must make this a feast to enjoy.
DRINK 17
18 FRENCH IT UP!
tips Credit Cards: Yes Price Range: €€ Good for Groups: Yes Outdoor Seating: No Music: Background Smoking: No Happy Hour: Yes Alcohol: Full Bar Coat Check: No Best Nights: Fri.
Address: 10 rue Montagne Ste Geneviève Metro: Cluny - La Sorbonne Website: www.laluchalibre.fr Phone: 01 43 29 59 86
The bar mostly stocks tequila and tequila flavoured cocktails, but you’re probably not here for that. You want to watch masked-marauders comically battle-itout in a bouncy roped-off square. Downstairs, that is where the action is.
Hours: Tue-Thu_5pm-1.30am Fri & Sat_6pm-2.30am, Sun_5pm-1am DRINK 19
La favela chic Like a reflection of Brazilian architecture, the Favela Chic is made up of a joyous and colourful patchwork. The decor, spread over 300m², can be summed up as large wooden tables, a dance floor and interior design which is both kitsch chic and offbeat. The menu includes caipirinha, mojito, batida, cassava tapas, fruit juices with cachaça rum and Brazilian themed dishes. But Favela Chic is above all known for its supercharged ambiance not to be found anywhere else. DJ’s from every corner of the globe mixing Latin, Brazilan and South American sounds as well as funk, reggae, jazz, electro fire up the dance floor. The crowd squeezes in to bop amid this blissful chaos. The atmosphere heats up to a fever pitch as the evening progresses. Three words say it all: an unbeat-able night!
20 FRENCH IT UP!
“
This Brazilian-themed bar and restaurant will whisk patrons away to what feels like another place. The cocktails are top-notch!
“
DRINK 21
22 FRENCH IT UP!
An abundance of green plants, statuettes of the Virgin Mary and warm, vibrant colors are all part of the charm of the capital’s best Brazilian bar and restaurant. It starts as a chic, convivial restaurant (open for lunch and dinner to 11pm) and gives way to caipirinha- and mojito-fuelled bumping, grinding, flirting and dancing (mostly on the long tables). The music is traditionally bossa nova, samba, baile (dance), funk and Brazilian pop, and it can get very crowded and hot. A great time is all but guaranteed!
Address: 18 rue du Faubourg du Temple 11e Metro: République Website: www.favelachic.com Phone: 01 40 21 38 14
tips Credit Cards: Yes Price Range: €€ Good for Groups: Yes Outdoor Seating: No Music: DJ Smoking: Yes Happy Hour: No Alcohol: Full Bar Coat Check: Yes Best Nights: Fri, Sat.
Hours: Mon-Thu_7.30pm-2.30am Fri & Sat_8pm-3am, Sun_7pm-1am
DRINK 23
L’urgence bar L’Urgence Bar is a medical themed bar which serves its drinks in tumblers and test tubes. Located in the 6th arrondissement, the novely of drinking a selection of multicoloured shots in a row of test tubes doesn’t wear off. The neon lights and hospital themed décor make it a cool and classy spot. Will you take an Electro Shock? Or a good laxative? In this bar the hospitable atmosphere, they drink cocktails with names in baby bottles. Add to this the flair and magic, enjoying the great music and voilá!
24 FRENCH IT UP!
DRINK 25
tips Credit Cards: Yes Price Range: €€ Good for Groups: Yes Outdoor Seating: No Music: DJ Smoking: No Happy Hour: Yes Alcohol: Full Bar Coat Check: No Best Nights: Thu, Fri. 26 FRENCH IT UP!
At this medical-themed ‘emergency room’ just south of the École de Médecine, the future doctors of France imbibe luridly coloured liquor from babies’ bottles and test tubes, loosen their stethoscopes and point to the ‘X-ray art’ ! And the best part is that this bar is perfect to have a drink and talk with friends. It has good music and you can still maintains a conversation. A good option for a diferent night.
“
Very funny as a concept, all names of cocktails have a wacky hospital name, the decoration is very funny, in accordance with the name of the bar. The toilets are clinically insane aswell. I’ll let you find out for yourself!
“
Address: 45 rue Monsieur le Prince Metro: Odéon Website: www.urgencebar.com Phone: 01 43 26 45 69
Hours: Tue-Thu_8.30pm-2.30am Fri & Sat_8pm-4am, Sun_7pm-2am
DRINK 27
Café bonnie Old things are made new again in an electric way in the 10th Arrondissement at Café Bonnie. This little bar pays homage to the glamorous Hollywood starlets of days gone by. Upon entering the bar you are greeted by blue walls and pink neon lights. The décor is a marriage of Art Nouveau and Pop Art – almost as if you are stepping into a small bar that was dreamed into existence by an artist like Andy Warhol.
tips Credit Cards: Yes Price Range: €€ Good for Groups: Yes Outdoor Seating: No Music: DJ Smoking: No Happy Hour: Yes Alcohol: Full Bar Coat Check: No Best Nights: Fri. 28 FRENCH IT UP!
“
I remember being immediately intoxicated by its charm. If there was ever a place to get together with the girls for a relaxing night out, Café Bonnie is it!
“
Address: 9 rue Récollets Metro: Gare de l’Est Website: www.zerodeconduite.fr Phone: 01 40 35 54 51
Hours: Tue-Thu_7pm-1.30am Fri & Sat_5pm-2am, Sun_5pm-1am
DRINK 29
Café Bonnie is just a short walk from the Gare de l’Est metro stop, on rue des Récollets. Perfect for a Happy Hour that happens daily from 18h-21h. During Happy Hour all of the drinks on their cocktail menu are between 5€-8,50€ (with deluxe cocktails from 10€) and they have a limited selection of food available. Café Bonnie also features guest DJs on weekends (information and schedules can be found on their myspace page). The music is as diverse as the decorations; they played everything from “Thriller” to “Dancing Queen” and our group took full advantage, even staking out our own personal dance floor. 30 FRENCH IT UP!
DRINK 31
32 FRENCH IT UP!
DRINK 33
Speak up! French can be a deceptively familiar language because of the number of words and structures it shares with English. Despite this, it’s far from easy, though the bare essentials are not difficult to master and can make all the difference. Even just saying “Bonjour Madame/Monsieur” and then gesticulating will often get you a smile and helpful service. Hi Good night Goodbye Thank you Pleawse Sorry Excuse me Yes No Ok/Agreed Help! This one That one Open Closed Big 34 FRENCH IT UP!
Salut! Bonne nuit Au revoir Merci S’il vou plaît pardon excusez-moi oui non d’accord au secours! ceci celà ouvert fermé grand
Small More Less A little A lot Inexpensive Expensive Good Bad Hot Cold With Without Entrance Exit Beer
petit plus moins au peu beaucoup pas cher cher bon mauvais chaud froid avec sans entrée sortie Biére
Can you tell me... ? Do you want..? What is that? How much does it cost? Where is ... ? What do you want to drink? I want... Nothing for me, thanks I’m gonna pay with cash. I’m gonna pay with credit card. Can you call a taxi?
One easy rule to remember is that consonants at the ends of words are usually silent: the most obvious example is Paris, pronounced “Paree”, while the phrase pas plus tard (not later) sounds like “pa-plustarr”. The exception is when the following word begins with a vowel, in which case you generally run the two together: pas après (not after) becomes “pazaprey). Otherwise, consonants are much the same as in English, except that: ch is always “sh”, c is “s”, h is silent, th is the same as “t”, and r is growled (or rolled).
Pouvez-vou me dire...? Est-ce que vous voulez...? Qu’est-ce que c’est? Combien ça coûte? Où est le/la...? Qu’est-ce que vous voulez boire? Je voudrais un/une... Rien pour moi, merci. Je payerai comptant. Je payerai avec une carte de crédit. Pouvez-vous m’appeler un taxi?
té! n a S
BARS
Notes
36 FRENCH IT UP!
DRINK 37
Le zéro de conduite
38 FRENCH IT UP!
L’urgence bar
La lucha
CafĂŠ bonnie
La favela chic
DRINK 39
k
This book was set in Didot, a type family by Firmin Didot, and Arsenal, a type family by Andrij Shevchenko. Book design by Julliane Alberigi
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U U
U
U
French it up! Who said the French don’t like a drink as much as the British? Paris is filled with fun and quirky bars. Drinks are pricey in the capital, so visiting somewhere a bit different will make the bill worth it. This is a guide with the best bars for you to hang out when you are in Paris. Don't miss it!
44 FRENCH IT UP!