The bar that proved Paris could compete with London and New York for cocktail culture, opened in 2007 by three friends who understood that the city lacked a serious, speakeasy-inspired drinks programme. The ECC occupies a narrow townhouse on Rue Saint-Sauveur — the entrance is unmarked, the staircase leads up to multiple floors of candlelit rooms with exposed stone walls — and the cocktails are built on a foundation of classic technique with enough creativity to keep regulars interested over nearly two decades. The Experimental Group has since expanded into hotels (Grands Boulevards, Menorca, Verbier) and bars across Europe, but this is where it started, and the original room still carries the particular energy of a place that changed a city's relationship with drinking. The bar has trained a generation of Parisian bartenders who have gone on to open their own places, making ECC the unofficial academy of the Paris cocktail scene.
Location
2nd, Paris
Map
Insider Intel
The menu balances classics and house originals — both are executed with the precision of a bar that has been refining its programme for nearly twenty years. The seasonal specials are where the creativity lives; the classics are where the technique shows. Ask for a recommendation based on your spirit preference. The bartenders are alumni of one of the world's most influential training programmes and it shows in every glass.
Thursday through Saturday after 9pm for the full atmosphere — the candlelit rooms fill with a well-dressed crowd and the energy rises through the evening. Earlier on weeknights for a quieter experience where you can appreciate the room and have a conversation with the bartenders. The Sentier neighbourhood location means you can combine with dinner at Frenchie or on Rue du Nil.
The entrance is unmarked on Rue Saint-Sauveur — look for the small door and ring if needed. Multiple floors provide different atmospheres: ground floor is the bar, upstairs rooms are more intimate. Reservations recommended on weekends. Cocktails are €16-20. Near Sentier and Réaumur-Sébastopol métro. The Experimental Group's hotel (Grands Boulevards) is nearby if you want to extend the experience.