Connolly's Corner (CLOSED)

This is one of Time Out's 100 best bars in Paris. Click here to see the full list.

The oldest Irish pub on the left bank, and one of the three oldest in Paris. Unlike many of its blander contemporaries, Connolly’s Corner could almost be mistaken for an authentic Dublin tavern. It’s squirrelled away on the Rue Mouffetard, an area that counts plenty of soulless pubs, so happy are those who find it, for it’s said to serve the best Guinness in Paris. There are also innumerable excellent whiskies decorating the shelf behind the bar.

No one wears their Sunday best here. It’s just the regulars, a few passing students, and connoisseurs who know that the venue hosts darts tournaments and concerts and, what’s more, a magnificent collection of ties. This is thanks to the tradition (now abandoned) requiring anyone wearing a tie to cut it off and offer it up to the proprietor. Happy hour runs from 4pm to 8pm, which gives you time for multiple pints of Guinness, thoroughly testing that ‘best in town’ claim.