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Thu / Mar 4
Party Earth Review Rumors abound about Harry’s New York Bar, with regulars swearing it’s the oldest cocktail bar in Europe, and doing so with the kind of pronounced assuredness only a silver-foxed Frenchman can portend. The scuttlebutt is... ... read full review
5 Rue Daunou
75002 Paris
3, 7, 8 Lines: Opéra
01 42 61 71 14
Daily 10:30am–2am; Piano Bar Tu–F 10pm–2am, Sa 10pm–3am; Venue often stays open till 4am
Les Halles / Rivoli - 1er / 2eme, Paris –
Rumors abound about Harry’s New York Bar, with regulars swearing it’s the oldest cocktail bar in Europe, and doing so with the kind of pronounced assuredness only a silver-foxed Frenchman can portend.
The scuttlebutt is equally firm that the Bloody Mary, White Lady, and Sidecar were all invented behind the bar, much to the appreciation of former regulars Ernest Hemingway and Coco Chanel, though Hemingway was always more of a mojito guy.
Entering Harry’s is like stepping back into the Big Apple circa 1920, with its dapper crowd of sophisticated regulars, white-coated bartenders, and the soft tinkling of a piano streaming from the basement.
Swinging saloon doors, oak paneling, and vintage photos add to the effect, as do the faded American college pennants that hang near the pressed tin ceiling.
Midday brings in nearby office types looking for a stiff lunch-break drink, while creative young professionals and chic girlfriends mingle over martinis after work.
Before heading to the theater, dressed-up couples and tourists stop in to peruse the list of over three hundred whiskeys, though patrons looking for the full throwback effect make their way down to the Piano Bar, where plush red chairs provide space to settle in with a Manhattan and listen to some live jazz.
A cocktail lover’s paradise, Harry’s New York Bar is a chic and refined spot with a healthy helping of nostalgia on the side.
Expats, CEOs, bank and office workers, chic groups of girlfriends, sophisticated couples, and theater lovers, mid-20s to 40s+.
Ambient jazz piano music upstairs. Live jazz pianist in the downstairs Piano Bar five nights a week.
French/American food including hot dogs, croque monsieurs, club sandwiches, and chili.
Sandwiches €13.50+, hot dogs €6. Beer €6+, cocktails €12.50, champagne, €4–€15/glass glass or €80/bottle, coffee €2.80. Drink prices higher after 10pm.
Smart casual: button-downs and loosened ties, smart jeans, suit jackets, dresses, sandals, ballet pumps. Dress code: no shorts permitted.
Saturday nights for a crowded scene of tourists and younger locals, though reservations are strongly recommended.
Social Club (142 Rue Montmartre) features French indie bands and DJs spinning till dawn.
Harry's New York Bar User Reviews