Au Petit Fer à Cheval

Great to sit at the horseshoe bar with a beer or a glass of wine.

One of our favorite bars in the Marais. The name (Little Horseshoe Bar in English) comes from the shape of the bar and the size of the place. They have eight cramped seats outside, but the best place to sit is at the Parisian retro bar. They also serve food in the tiny restaurant in back, but we have never eaten here. The wine list is good, if not great, our "usual" being a bottle of the house Morgon.

The last time we were here, on a bitterly cold night in late December, the song "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley came on the radio. The bartender cranked up the volume, and the mostly French clientele burst out singing along at the tops of their lungs. It was a show of sponteneity you don't normally expect to see in Paris.

A fun, friendly, very crowded place.

Part of a great night in the Marais - aperitif here and later dinner at Robert et Louise nearby.

tiny bar with a small terace and lots of charm, great for a coffee break

The decor is delighfully retro without and very arty feel. The venue is tiny- mostly accommodating customers outside. It oozes character and the atmosphere is great. It is in the Marais area which is bang in the centre of Paris and the main feature is the horse shoe shaped bar (which gives it its name) where you will find the Parisians sipping a coffee and watching the world go by. You can eat at any time of the day pretty much- we had dinner there at about 11pm- a great platter of hams and cheeses served with yummy bread and local wine!