Bar Hemingway

Bar Hemingway is the kind of place where you come for the cocktails and stay for the atmosphere. The space is tiny but packed with character—no corner is left bare of memorabilia, and the tufted leather banquettes feel like they've been sitting in this room since Hemingway himself walked through the door. The cocktails are genuinely excellent, especially the Clean Dirty Martini with its frozen olive juice cube and the Ritz Pimms that somehow manages to be both familiar and surprising. What really sets it apart though is the attention to detail: waiters refill your bowls of warm almonds without asking, every drink comes with a plush rose for the ladies, and your water glass is never empty.

The crowd is a mix of well-dressed tourists grabbing their pre-nightout cocktail and regulars who've made this their evening ritual. Former U.S. ambassadors even have their own signature cocktails listed on the menu, which says something about the bar's prestige. The mini hotdogs are decent bar food if you need something to soak up the drinks, though they're hardly the best you'll find outside a ballpark. Open daily from 5 p.m. to midnight, it's the perfect spot to ease into your evening in Paris, though expect to pay hotel-bar prices for the privilege of sitting in this historic space.