Le Bar à Vins du Cinéma des Cinéastes is located just off the Place de Clichy; not really a hot spot on the tourists’ “must see” lists, but a place that is always hopping both day and night. Tour buses pass by constantly on their way to and from Montmartre or the Moulin Rouge, but not many of them stop in this area.

The first time I met friends at this bar/restaurant/movie theater for dinner, I wasn’t sure it was going to be a great experience. Afterall, our reason for going… it was still a place where you could smoke and that was reason enough for some of us! (Hmm, it’s going to take time for Parisians to stop smoking, you know that!)

The cinéma theater on the ground floor hides the restaurant located on the first floor and may very well be the reason why not everyone knows about this place. They cater more to the Independent film industry and is owned and operated by filmmakers. For this reason many in “the business” do stop by to the delight of the other patrons.

The atmosphere is very layed back, yet intimate and warm, decorated with posters of old and new films being shown. People come and go depending on those going to see a film or just coming out of a seance. The barmen, waiters, and patrons are all friendly, where everyone interacts with everyone else. The whole ambiance is animated and very quickly you feel like this has been your hangout for years.

The first Sunday of each month becomes a sort of rendez-vous for music lovers with “La Séance Musicale” starting at 6 p.m. The style of music varies from Jazz, French tunes, Flamenco, etc., depending on the night you go.

There’s a good selection of wines at reasonable prices.  The menu is somewhat small and limited, but there’s something to please every palate. The portions, however, are quite copious and everything I tried on my plate, and my friends’, were all delicious.

I had the Danish Smoked Salmon with Blinis for 17 €. The cheese and charcuteries platters were also excellent. We later learned that the cheeses come from la Maison Alléosse which is the only cheesemaker to have their own underground cellars in Paris for aging cheese. As for the master-charcutier Joël Meurdesoif, he selects only the best ingredients offered in France to create his famous sausages, patés and terrines. (No wonder why everything tasted so good!)

Le Bar à Vins du Cinéma des Cinéastes website is being renovated, but I’ll give it to you all the same for future reference. If you’d like to view the menu and wine list, be sure to see it all, it’s not always evident that there are two pages to the menu and two pages to the wine list.  For a little tour of great photos of this unique cinéma/restaurant, and to hear a little of the music played at their sessions click here at My Space Music, you’ll love it!

Bon Appetit and enjoy the show, but shh, don’t forget….it’s our secret!

Le Bar à Vins du Cinéma des Cinéastes
7 Avenue de Clichy
Paris, 75017
Tel: 01-53-42-40-34
15-30 € per person.
Métro: Place de Clichy
Open from 17h30 until 00h30 everyday. 
Closed Mondays
Wheelchair accessible

Photo Credits: Flickr

Post from: The Paris Traveler