Spring is arguably the best time to be in Paris. The city softens, terraces fill up again, and the pace shifts just enough to remind you why walking is still the best way to experience it. In Le Marais, that feeling is even more pronounced. The neighborhood invites you to wander without a plan, moving from café to boutique, from croissant to escargot, and eventually, from one bar to another.
Words By: Eleni Nikoloulia
In Paris there are always new places worth discovering. The bar scene here is layered, constantly evolving, and full of personality. But there are also places I return to deliberately simply because they’ve become favorites and they continue to deliver. Two of them sit just a short walk apart in the Marais: Little Red Door and The Cambridge Public House.
The connection between them runs deeper than proximity. The team behind Cambridge acquired Little Red Door a few years ago, and instead of redefining it, they refined it. Small interior updates, sharper details, but full respect for what was already there. The identity remained intact and that is something not every group manages when taking over a bar of that stature.
Little Red Door is, quite literally, one of the most recognizable bars in the world thanks to its iconic entrance: a simple little red door that has become a symbol in global bar culture. Inside, the space is warm, minimal, and intentional and nothing feels excessive.
Consistently ranked among The World’s 50 Best Bars, peaking at No.5 in 2022, Little Red Door continues to push one of the most concept driven approaches in the industry. Its current “Agri/Culture” menu is not about ingredients alone, but about the systems behind them. Each cocktail translates a farming method into flavor, structure, and texture.
This is where things get interesting. Carbone is a study in depth and umami: beetroot, black garlic, smoked gin, and Armagnac working together in a way that feels grounded and layered. Régénératrice leans darker, with chicory and barley creating a roasted, almost coffee-like bitterness, balanced with Dolin Bitter.
Then you move into brighter territory. Aquaponie is clean and lifted: basil, citrus, floral notes, and vodka, built with precision and clarity. Précision, built around strawberry and gentian, is sharper and more elegant, showing how controlled bitterness can elevate fruit rather than mask it. On the more savory side, Aquaculture introduces sea lettuce and marine notes through a saline, almost coastal profile, while Urbaine dives into umami with shiitake, coffee, malt and whisky. What Little Red Door does exceptionally well is this: high concept drinks that remain easy to drink. That’s not easy to execute.
A few streets away, The Cambridge Public House shifts the focus entirely. Opened in 2019 by Hyacinthe Lescoët and Hugo Gallou, it takes the structure of a British pub and elevates it through a cocktail-first approach.
The space is key to understanding it. Large windows open fully onto the street in spring and summer, creating that seamless Parisian indoor-outdoor flow. Inside, it’s relaxed, unfussy, but still sharp. A place where you can drop in for one drink or beer and easily stay for five.
Ranked No.19 in The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024 and awarded the Highest Climber, The Cambridge has built its reputation on consistency. The drinks are rooted in classics, but rarely left untouched.
The Pimm’s (now in its sixth version) is a benchmark for how to evolve a classic without losing its identity. Bright, slightly bitter, lightly sparkling, and built for session drinking. Cigarette After Sex sits at the other end: smoky, slightly tart, with hibiscus, sloe gin and mezcal creating something more contemplative and late night appropriate. Seasonally, you’ll also find clean highballs, aperitivo style serves, and balanced spritz variations, alongside the ever changing “Cocktail of the Week,” where the team experiments often using leftover ingredients as part of their sustainability philosophy.
The food plays a crucial role here too. British pub classics done properly: sausage rolls, including a vegetarian version, chicken or veggie pies and of course cheese (because… Paris), all of them are simple, precise, and exactly what you want alongside a drink.
And then there are the people. Bartenders like Thomas Lopez shape the experience, bringing a special rhythm that you feel the moment you sit at the bar.
And one thing is non-negotiable: you don’t leave Cambridge without having an Irish Coffee. It’s easily one of the best executions you’ll find anywhere. But more importantly, Irish Coffee is like pizza and if you don’t like it, we probably don’t have much to talk about.
What makes these two bars worth visiting in the same walk is not similarity, but contrast. One is conceptual, structured, almost academic in its thinking. The other is instinctive, social, and built around comfort.
Both, however, understand something fundamental: a great bar is not just about what’s in the glass, but how it fits into the moment.
Little Red Door, 60 Rue Charlot, 75003 Paris, France
The Cambridge Public House, 8 Rue de Poitou, 75003, Paris, France