Bars in the Marais

Why are Parisians so enchanted by this Brazilian bar? Perhaps because they can come to wake up here with a coffee, or at midday to choose from its delightful lunch menu, or in the evening to enjoy a good cocktail at happy hour (5pm-8pm) with friends. Wake Up Paris has another important asset: they make excellent caipirinhas prepared with rare cachaças – pair with a burger or a wonderful prawn risotto. In the evenings, DJs play sets of latino, funk and house music inside the light-filled space situated between Bastille and the Marais with its naturally elegant décor.

Just in front of the Pompidou Centre, the very pretty Café Beaubourg makes the most of its lovely terrace on the corner in this animated pedestrian area. The clientele is a mix of bright young things and tourists who come to enjoy the sun-filled location on fine days and evenings. Founded by the Costes brothers, this is a very chic little establishment. The décor is all white and red and the sofas are very comfortable (even the outdoor ones). The bar-restaurants is a success, even though the service can be disappointingly impersonal and some days, plain bad. The prices here are high for what is essentially well-executed but not excellent french cuisine. Probably best to stick to a nice drink in the sunshine.

The Café Charlot is one of the most lovely old-school cafés in the Marais, thanks to its magnificent old-fashioned bakery shop front with intact wrought iron and its retro ambiance, which has seduced the local hipsters who come to sun themselves on its lovely terrace on the corner just opposite the Enfants Rouges market. Inside, large round leather benches match the old fashioned counter, while wooden paneling and wine bottles in perfect alignment give it an authentic air. Tartare, entrecôte, salads and sandwiches are all on offer but what stands out are the brasserie-style dishes, like the filet de Saint-Pierre au curry, a snip at €19.The house cheeseburger and fries for €17 euros is less appealing, and the omelette for €12.50 less still. Best perhaps to comme here for a coffee (€1.10 at any hour of the day) or a beer: a demi is €2,60  all day (€3.20 in the evening). We recommend happy hour for the delicious cocktails from only €6.50, but come early to have a place on the terrace – it's very sought after.

Here is an address that we would really prefer to keep to ourselves. This friendly micro bar in the heart of the Marais has a house specialty of ti-punch served in 50cl bottles for €23 euros, enough to knock out a small army. From 6pm-9pm a pint of Melbrau is €3.50, a Leffe €4 and Guinness €4.50 euros. The tiny counter faces a few computers available to hire (€1 for 30 minutes); the bar is only two small rooms lodged between two thick walls and gets crammed full in the post-work peak time: get here early if you want a table. The clientele is well-heeled but unpretentious, and that's what we love about it.

With its terrace overlooking the Stravinsky fountain next to the Centre Pompidou, Dame Tartine is a pleasant surprise in the busy Marais. After a visit to the museum, come here to relax in the calm and the sunshine and enjoy much more reasonable prices than other bars in the area, plus friednly efficient waiters, a rarity in this very touristy area. This bistro-restaurant offers a varied menu of huge warm or cold sandwiches for €10 – try, for example, the tartine with magrets de canard fumés and goat's cheese, or roasted vegetables, tapenade and Comté – in total more than ten appetising options. It could be hard to choose between these and the dishes of the day – when we visited, salmon with coconut sauce and marinated courgettes, chicken with morille mushrooms, and salmon tartare with ginger. To wash it all down, a very solid wine list (the Tariquet is particularly good).

Located in the heart of the Marais not far from the Cirque d'Hiver, the restaurant in the famous Hotel Murano is painfully cool and trendy, with ultra 'design' furniture, all-white décor, a virtual chimney and 'stalactites' that continually change colour hanging from the 5 metre high ceiling. Frequented by clients of the hotel and a few well to do Parisians who enjoy the high-life, it pays to be impeccably dressed if you want to be let in here, and naturally every dish on the excellent menu costs the earth.The bar is more of a 'lounge' and again, no sneakers allowed. Here everything is bright and colourful: the walls are padded with coloured cubes and the multi-coloured bubble chairs are lit up by fluorescent neon lights. The atmosphere is jazzy-soul and house, with three resident Djs. An impressive menu of 180 vodkas will give you pause for thought, and the Sunday brunch is very popular among Paris's bright young things.

This rustic tavern on the rue Quincampoix runs counter to all current trends – no electro-house or sophisticated design here, but a down-to-earth, hippyish vibe, with plain tables in a narrow room done out in wood, stone and iron. Cheerful waiters maintain their smiles even during the rammed happy hour, and prices are low (Pastis and Amstel at €2.50) – very rare in this neighbourhood, which is why the crowds keep on cramming in. French pop and rock and Balkan folk maintain the bohemian vibe, as well as paintings by young artists decorating the walls, which change up every month...

The Pearl achieves a rare balance between all-day and late-night venue, and has a good gay? straight? whatever vibe. In the morning, it draws early risers; lunchtime is for a business crowd; the afternoon reels in retired locals, and in the evening, screenwriters rub elbows with young dandies, keeping one eye on the mirror and an ear on the electrorock. The menu runs from omelettes to salade marine. Expect a DJ later on...

Andy Wahloo is a hip little bar that channels the king of pop art, Andy Warhol, through a Moroccan village (wahloo meaning ‘I have nothing’ in Arabic). In a pretty private building in the Marais owned by the Mazouz brothers, this kitsch alternative bar fits in nicely with its trendy neighbouring restaurants Le Derrière and Le 404. It’s decorated with kitchen supplies from 70s Moroccan homes – paint pots as poufs, washing powder packets papering the walls – and there’s a lovely tree-lined courtyard. During the day, stretch out here on cushions for a mint tea, in the calm, with mezze on hand (aubergine caviar, hummus)...

A welcome compromise between Saint-Germain’s pullulating cocktail bars and the ultra-cool hipster hangouts of Bastille. Behind a discreet façade on a little Marais side street, Sherry Butt (whose young owners Amaury and Cathleen previously worked at Prescription Cocktails Club and Curio Parlour) hides two spacious long rooms filled with studded leather couches, huge mirrors and dim lighting. The space echoes the simultaneously relaxed and classy atmosphere of the best New York bars. Come here for top cocktails mixed by expert hands, and a distinguished selection of whiskies from all over the world...