drinks at Paris Ritz...help!
 

WIll be in Paris first week of March and want to take a friend to see the opulence of the Ritz. We are two girls with a tight budget. Just want to stop in for hot chocolate or something light to eat. Please advise on which room, (bar?)what to order so as not to waste time of the staff. Thanks!

Go for the Hemingway Bar. It's just inside the front door to the left.

Just make sure you dress all in black, look slightly bored, and act like you are part owner of the place. Keep your fannypack under your red satin cloak.

be prepared to spend 50 euro, easy.

The amount you will end up spending will not make the visit worthwhile, in my opinion. I found the lobby of the Ritz quite underwhelming.

If you're dressed up, they probably won't stop you from popping in. Once you've had your look around, head up the street to Laduree on the Rue Royale. Ask to be seated upstairs and have your hot chocolate there. Better surroundings, less stuffy, and lots cheaper.

At those prices, I'd like to just poke my head in for a quick look around and then find some place else for the drinks.

Possible? Too many icy stares from the staff?

Thanks Cimbrone, we posted at the same time.

Thanks to all..LOL! I agree, maybe I can pull off the slightly bored all black thing(thanks Degas) and take a peek and then head elsewhere ( she also wants to go to the Angelina) Laduree is a good one as well Cimbrone. Merci beaucoup!

I have been in Paris in December..did some wandering around, and have stopped into the Ritz for a coffee warmup. Pleasant atmosphere in every way....

We went for a drink on a Sunday afternoon, and the Hemingway Bar was closed. Tea was, however, being served.

I may not remember correctly, but I think the Hemingway Bar was not the room to the left, but down the hall and to the right. But it could be that I am thinking of some other spiffy place.

The staff was very cordial, and seemed pleased to allow us to look around.

By the way, the ladies' room is lovely.

Byrd

The Café de la Paix on the Opéra (part of the Grand Intercontinental) is another fabulous spot for a drink, and possibly less expensive than the Ritz.

That's our favorite thing to do in Paris. The Hemingway Bar is the firt room to the left.

ok, we could feasibly show up for JUST hot chocolate and not be ousted as heathens?? Are any desserts available as well? I know the Hemingway is closed during the day hours. This appears to be more of an afternoon request to me...so as not to interfere with more serious diners in the evening.

I have been in the Hemingway Bar in the morning for coffee..a chilly morning.........

artlvr,

This might be a good place for a nightcap.

If you go anywhere in the evening you should order a cocktail, or something with a little alcohol in it. A hot chocolate isn't really the thing.

As for a "light bite" expect to part with 100EUR for two.

"If you go anywhere in the evening you should order a cocktail, or something with a little alcohol in it. A hot chocolate isn't really the thing.'

M_2, how's the liver transplant working out for you?

The ritz did not strike me as a dessert and hot drinks type of place. Paris is famous for its tea salons which are made for just that sort of thing. As you know, there's Laduree, Angelina's. There's also A Priori The and others.

I'd say that if you want some place over the top, go to Le Train Bleu in the Gare du Nord and have a drink at the bar there one evening. Or, as someone suggested, the Cafe de la Paix.

The last place I want to drop 50 to 100 euros is the kind of place where, if I don't drop 50 to 100 euros, they act like I have no business being there. Why subject yourself to something like that?

Sometimes the IDEA of something is much better than the reality. There are much more impressive and welcoming places for what you're looking for.

I have had afternoon tea at the
Ritz a few times, and I really enjoy it, especially if I am not in a rush.
There are a few options for a set menu for tea, or you can order hot beverages and pastries or snacks a la carte. I've had this in the Bar Vendome. It makes a nice break if you're going to have a late dinner.
There is also a Sunday brunch in the Ritz Salon.

www.ritzparis.com

Thank you all for your input. I agree with the general view of just taking in the Ritz visually. I will spend my money elsewhere! Maybe even Mariage Freres..??

Big Ben is the bar at Train Bleu but not attractive, like the restaurant and it's on another level. (IMHO!)

Another suggestion:
I dined the Closerie des Lilas, a famous Hemingway spot. The people at the bar looked like they were having alot of fun.
171 bd. du Montparnasse, 6e

My own experience at the Ritz was late November and they couldn't have been nicer! My mother is a huge Paris Ritz fan and actually gave my husband and me $100 to go have a drink (we needed most of it!) before dinner on our last night, around 7:00 pm. We used the Place Vendome entrance (is this not the front entrance of the hotel?) and did not try to enter the lounge directly inside the door because it seemed like a private party was going on - many large men in suits and earphones keeping guard made it a bit intimidating. We just kept strolling along down the corridor that has many displays from the high-end boutiques. We eventually found the Hemingway Bar in a very quiet end of the building. The sign said "Jackets required, no photographs." My husband did not have a jacket, just a button-down shirt and nice slacks. We were not turned away, but warmly welcomed and offered a table. There were just two other occupied tables anyway. It's a much smaller space than I imagined. I chose a champagne cocktail and my husband had scotch, which ran up the bill, but hell, we were at the Ritz! We enjoyed looking at all the memorabilia on the walls and went through our drinks fairly quickly. Our waiter was right out of Central Casting and was charming and spoke many languages perfectly, from what I overheard. I asked if I might have a small souvenir for my mother; he returned in a few moments with a Ritz BAG filled with coasters, stationary, even little jars of jam

My own experience at the Ritz was late November and they couldn't have been nicer! My mother is a huge Paris Ritz fan and actually gave my husband and me $100 to go have a drink (we needed most of it!) before dinner on our last night, around 7:00 pm. We used the Place Vendome entrance (is this not the front entrance of the hotel?) and did not try to enter the lounge directly inside the door because it seemed like a private party was going on - many large men in suits and earphones keeping guard made it a bit intimidating. We just kept strolling along down the corridor that has many displays from the high-end boutiques. We eventually found the Hemingway Bar in a very quiet end of the building. The sign said "Jackets required, no photographs." My husband did not have a jacket, just a button-down shirt and nice slacks. We were not turned away, but warmly welcomed and offered a table. There were just two other occupied tables anyway. It's a much smaller space than I imagined. I chose a champagne cocktail and my husband had scotch, which ran up the bill, but hell, we were at the Ritz! We enjoyed looking at all the memorabilia on the walls and went through our drinks fairly quickly. Our waiter was right out of Central Casting and was charming and spoke many languages perfectly, from what I overheard. I asked if I might have a small souvenir for my mother; he returned in a few moments with a Ritz BAG filled with coasters, stationary, even little jars of jam! How could that have been nicer? We wandered around the empty corridors a bit before we left, marveling at the exquisite furniture and decor! It's an experience that everyone should have, even if it's just a coffee! Marvelous place, and maybe someday we can afford to stay there!

Did you know??---that Ernest Hemingway walked into the Ritz bar during the liberation of Paris in Ausgust, 1944, and ordered seventy (70) martinis--for himself and his company of Free French liberators.

Cheers,

Jinx Hoover