Le Pick Clops — Restaurant in Paris

HAPPY HOUR BILL SCAM - BEWARE!

My girlfriend and I went to this busy bar/restaurant in Le Marais for drinks last night. When I asked about the happy hour advertised on a board above the bar I was told the prices for beer and wine, around 4 euros each. My girlfriend was standing outside in front of the tables waiting for one about to become vacant. The bartender said happy hour only applies at the bar, not at the tables, gesturing to the outside tables where my girlfriend was clearly waiting.

OK fine, a bit strange I thought as everywhere in Paris has table service for the same price and not even with added service charge. After standing at the bar for a while, a table inside barely half a meter from the bar freed up and we sat down as the bar was crowded.

After asking at the bar for the bill they said they'd bring it over and instead brought another round of drinks. Not wanting to refuse this and actually as the beer was tasty and prices, we thought, were cheap on happy hour, we obliged the mistakenly poured drinks. When requesting the bill once again, we were presented with a large bill for 27 euros instead of under 16 for the 4 drinks! When we questioned this we were told it's because we had not stood at the bar the entire time! I responded that the bar man had said we could not use the outdoor tables, he replied no, it was every table inside and out.

I have never heard of such nonsense in Paris. This is maybe something you'd expect in Venice with their 'terrace charge' around the touristy squares, but not in Le Marais, Paris looking onto a very normal street. After us stating that it was a misunderstanding and we would not be paying the vastly inflated bill the bar man threatened to call the police!

After some negotiation we unfortunately felt obliged to pay; a slightly lesser bill, but still with the second beer being double the price of happy hour (8 euros!) and the horrible feeling of being ripped off in Paris! It really left a really sour taste in our mouths after the nice drinks and previously pleasant atmosphere.

Avoid this place, there are plenty of decent happy hour bars around which will very gladly let you sit down with paying...

Le Pick Clops is great. This is a short guide for Americans. My french is poor but I promise this works:

Sit outside. You do not need to find a waiter to seat you, just sit down. light cigarette, relax When a waiter comes by, depending on time of day, say 'Bonjour, un cafe noisette si vous plait' or 'Bonsoir, un verre vin rouge du maison si vous plait' light second cigarette, relax repeat steps 2 and 3 as needed. Attempt to talk to your neighbors. either catch eye of waiter, or if you're out of time just walk inside to the bar, and say 'l'addition, si vous plait' (you don't need to tip, unless you got just one coffee or drink, in which case just round up to nearest euro) say 'au revoir', depart

Service here isn't slow, it's relaxed, and it assumes that you've given yourself the time to actually sit and enjoy yourself. Every encounter I had here was extremely friendly and enjoyable, and it's a perfect corner for...

Welcome to one of the coziest, most casual and most colorful places to eat in the swanky Marais. Le Pick-Clops is an immensely popular venue. This bustling 1950s-style café comes with a perky rock ’n’ roll soundtrack, formica tables, pretty mosaics, concert posters, a popcorn machine and playful, multi-colored décor. The visual intensity of the place is nicely balanced by subdued lighting, and the restaurant is usually busy with diners and drinkers. The customers are as diverse as the décor: terminally hip Parisians (many of them local residents) mix easily with a broad selection of ordinary, unpretentious folk here just to have a few beers. One of the best dishes is the Norwegian salad they call the “Love Boat”. It’s a seafood delight: scallops, prawns and mussels piled high upon a beautifully made salad, there are also some exquisite, surprisingly inexpensive desserts to entice you, and the service is fast...