Inside Paris’s 3.50 € Pint Culture
The sound of glasses clinking, students outside smoking cigarettes, a small sign that says “Pinte 3,50” glowing under a red neon sign. This is the scene at Le Chateau d’Eau, a small bar located in the 10th arrondissement. In a city where people are ordering coffees for over eight euros, how are some bars still pouring pints for less?
Many of the cheapest beers in the city are located in student areas of the city. Take Le Nouvel Institut, where not only can you get a cheap pint but also cheap French classics such as a Cuisse de Poulet for 9 euros. This bar is located in the 5th arrondissement, in between some of the most prestigious universities in Paris. Having a cheap spot for students can be a blessing for a bar. Students are more often to drink in groups, and they are also more likely to form habits. Once they find that one spot where the drinks are cheap and the atmosphere is lively, they will keep coming back and bring their friends along with them. The loyalty derived from affordability creates a word of mouth buzz that creates a community amongst students.
For other cheap spots, they are placed in neighborhoods that are outside the tourist/student area and home to more Parisian locals. These establishments make their money off of the loyalty of locals residents. Sciences Po student Kiana Papin says “I feel like places international students frequent are trendy and pricey." She tends to go to bars that are outside the international student/upper class areas such as the Belleville, Canal Saint-Martin or Strasbourg-Saint-Denis. Sometimes the areas that are marketed too much towards students, such as Rue Princess or Rue Moufftard, can have beers priced at 8-10 euros because they know students will come regardless.
Take Le Chateau d'Eau for example. Located right off the Chateau D’eau metro stop, there is no university to market their cheap prices to. This is a working class neighborhood; a bar built on locals. I have been visiting this bar since 2018, and have become friends with not only the bar staff but also the other regulars. Surrounded by dozens of other bars, Le Chateau always tends to stand out. There is nothing special about the bar: it has no pool table, it does not sell food, and it is very tiny. Yet, any night of the week you will see the bar overcrowding onto the streets of Rue St. Denis.
For an after class pint, there is L'Atelier Suffren, which is located in the 15th arrondissement, just a 15 minute walk from La Tour Maubourg. This bar has become a staple in the AUP community amongst students to find 3.5 euro pints during happy hour, which eventually turns to 5 euro pints after 20h, which in that area is still considered reasonable. Almost strictly patronized by upper class workers and students, L’Atelier Suffren is truly a diamond in the rough. I always tended to avoid all bars within a 20 min radius of AUP due to the excessive price for food and drinks, until I found this spot.
To find other bars in Paris that are low in price, I recommend using the app MisterGoodBeer. On the app you will see a map with all the beer prices in Paris. You can filter by maximum price or neighborhood. Who knows, you may find the local Parisian watering hole that you have been looking for. For some of these cheap spots in Paris they do not want to be found by visitors. This highlights the divide of Paris; Paris for visitors versus Paris for Parisians.
