Paris Cigar Lounge Recommendations this Winter

[Monarch]

Happy new year FOTL!

Headed to Paris end of this month and looking for indoor smoking venues since it's still Winter, what places do you recommend? Any kind of venue (posh or dive bar) as long as it's decent, hopefully good atmosphere and not asking for any cover charges or minimum spend. BYO would be great. I suppose some hotel/bars will have outdoor areas with heatlamps?

It seems like they don't have cigar dedicated venues like London?

[Guest Nekhyludov]

Most cases have outdoor seating with heat lamps, and will gladly bring you an ashtray. They're very accommodating.

When I was last there, I sought out a few lounges. The Hemingway Bar at the Ritz doesn't allow smoking inside anymore. Only out on the patio, which will be closed in the winter.

I also went to Le Lounge Kleber at The Peninsula. It was the single shittiest experience I've ever had at a lounge. The cigars are all moldy, the room is stuffy and cold, and the serive was awful. I grabbed a CORO as a courtesy, since it was the only thing that didn't have mold on it. Then the snot-nosed little shit tried to change me 55€ for a Cohiba LE (which they didn't even have). My French isn't good enough to argue with him, so I paid it and resolved never to go back.

Avoid the Kleber, and I'm sure you'll have a great trip!

[Monarch]

12 hours ago, Nekhyludov said:

Most cases have outdoor seating with heat lamps, and will gladly bring you an ashtray. They're very accommodating.

When I was last there, I sought out a few lounges. The Hemingway Bar at the Ritz doesn't allow smoking inside anymore. Only out on the patio, which will be closed in the winter.

I also went to Le Lounge Kleber at The Peninsula. It was the single shittiest experience I've ever had at a lounge. The cigars are all moldy, the room is stuffy and cold, and the serive was awful. I grabbed a CORO as a courtesy, since it was the only thing that didn't have mold on it. Then the snot-nosed little shit tried to change me 55€ for a Cohiba LE (which they didn't even have). My French isn't good enough to argue with him, so I paid it and resolved never to go back.

Avoid the Kleber, and I'm sure you'll have a great trip!

Thanks for the Kleber warning and sorry to hear about your experience there! It's so easy to get pulled in by these luxury hotels, it can be a real anti climax sometimes. They have the license to smoke indoors, why not run it authentically.

[mt1]

I just tried and wasn't impressed with the selections, I ended up smoking outside at the cafes and brasseries, under heated lamps and it was fine.  It was cheaper, I brought my own, and nobody complained or batted an eye that I was smoking a cigar.

[hedgeybaby]

Don't forget your Hi-Vis jacket.

[SigmundChurchill]

I’m interested too.  I’ll be taking the family there in April.  Hopefully outdoors will be more of an option temperature-wise then, but I hear it rains a lot in April.

[Colt45]

19 minutes ago, SigmundChurchill said:

I’ll be taking the family there in April.  Hopefully outdoors will be more of an option temperature-wise then, but I hear it rains a lot in April.

I went for a week in April many years back, and had nice weather all week - sunny and mid / upper 50s F. As for smoking, I remember sitting outside at The Horse's Tavern and asking the waiter if it was OK if I smoked a cigar. Gave me a quick curious look, and said of course.

[Lomey]

When I was there last year I hadn't seen that many people smoking since I was a kid in the late 70's-early 80's. Didn't seem to be a problem. Beautiful city.

[SigmundChurchill]

1 hour ago, Colt45 said:

I went for a week in April many years back, and had nice weather all week - sunny and mid / upper 50s F. As for smoking, I remember sitting outside at The Horse's Tavern and asking the waiter if it was OK if I smoked a cigar. Gave me a quick curious look, and said of course.

Last time I was in Paris (mid 90s), you could smoke cigars in restaurants, department stores, and movie theaters.