Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [203]
LE ZÉRO DE CONDUITE Map Bar
01 46 34 26 35; www.zerodeconduite.fr, in French; 14 rue Jacob, 6e; 8.30pm-1.30am Tue-Thu, 6pm-2am Fri & Sat; Odéon
Originality if nothing else ensures that this bijou drinking hole, in the house where Richard Wagner lived briefly in the 1840s, gets a mention. Serving cocktails in biberons (baby bottles) and throwing concours de grimaces (face-pulling competitions), it goes all out to rekindle your infancy. Bizarre, yes, but obviously some enjoy sucking vodka and banana liqueur shaken with grenadine and orange juice through a teat. Board games, dice, cards and Trivial Pursuit complete the playful scene.
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top picks
DRINKS ’TIL DAWN
Serious night owls wanting to drink ’til dawn (most bars shut at 2am) should try these top picks; some open late only on weekends.
Café Charbon, 11e
Café Oz, 1er
Cubana Café, 6e
Harry’s New York Bar, 2e
Highlander, 6e
Iguana Café, 11e
Le Crocodile, 5e (opposite)
Le Tambour, 2e
Le Violon Dingue, 5e (left)
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CAFÉ DE FLORE Map Café
01 45 48 55 26; 172 blvd St-Germain, 6e; 7.30am-1.30am; St-Germain des Prés
The red upholstered benches, mirrors and marble walls at this Art Deco landmark haven’t changed much since the days when Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus and Pablo Picasso wagged their chins here. Its busy terrace draws in lunching ladies, posh business-folk and foreigners in search of the past.
LA PALETTE Map Café
01 43 26 68 15; 43 rue de Seine, 6e; 8am-2am Mon-Sat; Mabillon
In the heart of gallery land (boxed text), this fin-de-siècle café and erstwhile stomping ground of Paul Cézanne and Georges Braque attracts a grown-up set of fashion people and local art dealers. Its summer terrace is beautiful.
LES DEUX MAGOTS Map Café
01 45 48 55 25; 170 blvd St-Germain, 6e; 7am-1am; St-Germain des Prés
This erstwhile literary haunt dates from 1914 and is known as the favoured hang-out of Sartre, Hemingway and André Breton. Its name refers to the two magots (grotesque figurines) of Chinese dignitaries at the entrance. It’s touristy, but just once you can give in to the nostalgia and sit on this inimitable terrace where passing celebrities, retiring philosophers and remnants of noblesse sip its famous shop-made hot chocolate, served in porcelain jugs.
ALCAZAR Map Cocktail Bar
01 53 10 19 99; www.alcazar.fr; 62 rue Mazarine, 6e; noon-3pm & 7pm-2am; Odéon
Also known as ‘La Mezzanine’, this hip bar inside Alcazar has got Conran’s name all over it. Narcissistic but alluring, it’s a modern white-and-glass mezzanine overlooking the restaurant with fancy cocktails, nouvelle cuisine dinners and a fashionable supper-club clientele. Wednesday to Saturday, DJs ‘pass records’ in the corner – this place is famous for its excellent trip-hop/house/lounge music compilations. Next door is Conran’s club Le Wagg. Flyers for all three are posted at www.blogalcazar.fr.
HIGHLANDER Map Pub
01 43 26 54 20; 8 rue de Nevers, 6e; 5pm-5am Mon-Fri, noon-5am Sat; Odéon
Establishing a kind of love/hate relationship with its regulars, the jubilant Highlander scrapes up the after-hours remains of the Left Bank pub crowd. This mainly means French students, Anglophone lassies, rugby players, hobos and combinations thereof, all intent on drinking until dawn. Downstairs from the Scottish pub is a quasi dance floor, moved more by Long Island iced teas served in pint glasses than any kind of rhythm.
LE 10 Map Pub
01 43 26 66 83; 10 rue de l’Odéon, 6e; 5.30pm-2am; Odéon
A local institution, this cellar pub groans with students, smoky ambience and cheap sangria. Posters adorn the walls and an eclectic selection emerges from the jukebox – everything from jazz and the Doors to chanson française (‘French song’; traditional musical genre where lyrics are paramount). It’s