Anyone been to cool clubs/bars in Paris?
 

Hi, does anyone have any recommendations as far as clubs/bars go in Paris? What about Buddha Bar, or Le Nirvana Club?

In 2001 I stumbled across a Cuban style bar in the Marias district, but don't recall it's name. Live Cuban music, lots of dancing, mojitos, etc. It was a cool place, but not 'hip' in a high society style.

Buddah bar is very cool as is Barlotti. Is there a certain area you want to be in? There are tons of fun bars on Oberkamp, these are more casual than the Buddah Bar and Barlotti (chic, scene and be seen). One suggestion, we checked out Barfly or B*fly as it is sometimes called.... boring!!!!

There is a new place called La Suite that has had some good press, that's all I know about it though.

Hey, thanks for the sugggestions! We are staying in the Marais area, so we were looking for places to go around there...just so when we stubling around we would at least be stumbling around near our hotel!

www.worldsbestbars.com gives reviews of clubs/bars in many cities, including Paris.

Aduren- I'm so glad you asked this question! For me, the Buddha Bar is IT. It is a must-see, must-go to place. Very easy to find, go to Place de la Concorde-you'll see the American Embassy on your left, a small street, almost like an alley-I would call it a "petite rue" and the Hotel Crillon to the right. Buddha Bar is situated along this street, between these two buildings, behind the Hotel Crillon -Rue Boissy d'Anglas. The street is so narrow, you can practically touch the walls of the American Embassy when you walk out of the Bar. It was hard to tear myself away from the place at around 1:30am during the week when I was there last May- I understand it's very difficult to get into on week-ends-but I intend to make another go of it in July to catch that week-end scene. You know they put out their own CDs, which you can buy at any Borders Book, or music store? The music could fairly be characterized as world music, and as to the CDs, I think they were up to Buddha Bar 5 or 6 as of last year. The food in the restaurant is Pacific/ Asian fusion, but most people don't go for the food-but for the club scene. Being an Asiaphile myself, I LOVE the gigantic Buddha that reigns supreme over the place- I think it must be around 20-30 feet tall, and with that cool music playing, and some great drinks-it's the place to be in Par-ee (yeah, that was pretty corny!). Some people are so turned on by the music, that they just get up and start grooving to it at the dinner tables! During the day the B-Bar is a quite respectable place for French businessmen to take their lunch, and they hold fashion shows there regularly. One more point, I did not see anyone there that was not very easy on the eyes, male or female-which was a nice bonus.

It's been quite a long time since anyone has accused me of being "cool", but, if you find yourself in the 6th, there's a nice little, expensive jazz club called le bilboquet. Very smoky, no cover, and $18 drinks, no matter what you're drinking.

Hmmm...that brings up another point - how do we get into the tres chic bars in Paris? haha I have checked out worldsbestbars before - but I live in Boston and some of the ones recommended for here are NOT very cool.... Buddha Bar sounds like it's worth a shot! Too bad I'll be w/my boyfriend and can't pick up any cute Frenchies ;)

One more point-there does seem to be a preponderance of foreigners who frequent the Buddha Bar-actually a lot of very cute American men, the night I was there! As to getting in at the B-Bar on weekends, it helps if you make dinner reservations- then you can just move upstairs, and push your way through all the models, etc. that make up the weekend crowd. I'm quite sure you won't be disappointed-

2 words to remember... DRESS CODE. And this includes shoes. I had a friend who was denied access to a hip bar in Paris because he was still in his tennis shoes from sightseeing.

My friend just checked out Barrio Latina in the 12e and said it was quite a good spot too.

I thought the worldsbestbars.com was pretty accurate for Dublin. See the reviews and make your mind up about what type of scene you like.

The Marais is packed with bars. Try the Lizard Lounge on rue du Bourg Tibourg or les Etages on rue Vieille du Temple. Or head to the Sans Sens on rue du Faubourg St Antoine (Bastille) for good food or just drinks and dancing.
Another option is the Oberkampf area, eg. la Mercerie, Café Charbon, or super kitsch Favela Chic (complete with religious icons) all on rue Oberkampf.

Or try Somo on Rue Montmartre (Grands Boulevards) - cocktail happy hour is from 6 till 8.