The best wine bars in Paris serve ‘natural’ French wine along with food ranging from tasty snacks to chef-driven cuisine. They’re located in touristed areas as well as in more residential neighborhoods. Some are independent operations while others are part of successful restaurant groups.
What is Natural Wine?
The French call it biologique. We, as Americans, call it organic.
Natural wine has grown in stature throughout the oenological community in the last two decades and has become a prominent player in the Paris restaurant scene.
This type of wine is generally made with hand-picked grapes and indigenous yeast. Producers add very little, if any, sulfites to this product. Flavor profiles skew toward funky and grassy, but there are more rounded natural wines too.
Most natural wine producers are independent and their output is typically low. In other words, if a natural wine floats your boat – buy a bottle or two right away.
There’s no need to be parched in Paris whether you’re a wine connoisseur or simply in the mood for a fun night and cool vibes.
Read on to discover more than a dozen Paris wine bars fit for a pre-dinner drink, late-night sips or a sit-down meal.
1. Déviant
Jovial crowds of young French professionals vie for spots at Déviant’s horseshoe-shaped bar that opens up to quiet Rue de Petites Écuries in the 10th. And who can blame them? This marble bar provides a front-row view to culinary action that places the wine bar’s chefs center stage at this Paris gem.
Déviant is the lively, energetic sister of the dimly lit, gastronomic Vivant 2 located just down the street. The stylish Paris wine bar is a hub of activity as both locals and savvy tourists elbow to get a piece of the action.
Natural wine is available in all colors of the viniculture rainbow – white, rosé, orange and red – at this buzzing wine bar. Narrowing the options is a challenge for all who enter.
Led by Chef Pierre Touitou, Déviant’s talented chefs wield their knives, artfully preparing dishes like tongue tonatta with a luscious, creamy tuna sauce along with tender, fatty grilled octopus served with fresh favas and greens, for all to see.
Déviant’s octopus tasted as good as, if not better than, great versions of octo we’ve eaten in Portugal. Considering how great grilled octopus is in Portugal, that’s about as high a compliment that we can give.
As good as the tonatta and octopus were, our favorite bite at Deviant may have been the beignets de tartare. Those fried wontons stuffed with tartare and topped with wasabi sauce dollops were downright irresistible.
Pro Tip
Arrive early to snag a spot at the bar. Déviant does not take reservations.
Déviant is located at 39 Rue des Petites Ecuries, 75010 Paris, France.
2. Willi’s Wine Bar
Many of the best Paris wine bars are tiny and/or off the beaten path. Willi’s Wine Bar is neither of these things. Instead, the spacious stalwart has been easy to find in Paris’ first arrondissement since Mark Williamson first opened the doors in 1980.
Willi’s Wine Bar is a fine spot to tour France’s wine regions. Without leaving your chair or stool, you can sample wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone as well as wines from the Loire Valley and Languedoc.
During our visit, we drank glasses of Pouilly Fuissé produced by Burgundy’s Domaine Barraud and Gamay produced by Domaine des Huards in the Loire Valley. Meanwhile, our drinking companion Amanda sipped flutes of champagne poured from a magnum of ‘Cuvee Vive’ by Claude Cazals.
Willi’s Wine Bar offers a full food menu for those looking to spend the evening at one spot. Considering the colorful posters that line the walls and the bottles of wine that fill the shelves, we both understand and support this approach.
Pro Tip
Treat yourself to a glass or two of wine after a day of touring Paris’ best museums. Willi’s Wine Bar is just a seven minute walk from the Louvre.
Willi’s Wine Bar is located at 13 Rue des Petits Champs, 75001 Paris, France.
