Les Ambassadeurs — Restaurant in Paris

Unreached expectations. For a relatively newly refurbished hotel charging 27 euros for a cocktail, the expectations are quite high, but unfortunately the place fell short to deliver a 5* experience. In our visit to the Crillon we weren not impressed. With a limited cocktail menu and an extremely sad list of house cocktails including a bramble and a parisian mule XD ( basically a moscow mule with a fren named swedish vodka omg🤦‍♂️), the ambassadors bar is the last place I would recommend for a getting a decent drink.The decor has a tacky taste with a sense of "trying to hard" to fuse with the original marble fitings whilst keeping it modern and trendy. The ambiance is classic hotel bar lounge with nothing special, closer to an ibis hotel bar than to the American Bar at the Savoy. A poor music selection with big influence in french Rap, far from what you would expect from an international crowd lounge and more of a cheap st-denis bar. The sound system is however quite enjoyable, with a series of 20 elipson speakers that deliver an outstanding surround sound experience, probably a bit overcrowded in the hardware but they blend nicely in the room and do not feel overwhelming. My order was a vieux carre delivered in a nice glass with a good size ice block marked with the hotel logo whoch seemd like a nice detail, the drink however felt a bit watery, probably due to the cube beeing too wet. We were offered some olives and nuts which were above average salty, this tacky old trick to make people thirsty and induce them to order more drinks is something you should not expect to see in an establishment such as the great...

I had been to Les Ambassadeurs a couple of times over the last 2 years and enjoyed its service and cocktails. However just not tonight.

Fronting lady host with a great smile greeted my party of 2 and said it’s currently full and will be complicated to get a table. But if I could wait for 20mins, a possible table could open up. 20mins became another additional 20 mins with the same great smile, “it’s complicated, but another 20mins should be done. Her 20 mins became 1 hour, and not a courtesy gesture from her to inform us it wasn’t a complication but an impossibility. We were sitting in the lobby and she knew that.

Finally, went to check on what’s the issue, she said, my manager refused to open the table of party of 4? For a party of 2, even though I mentioned I would just be taking drinks there. There were minimal 3 empty tables and she said the terrace was full too. Hmm. This could be mentioned right at the beginning and waste nobody’s time and life.

Never again.

There are better cocktail bars in Paris which are more hospitable. The Little Red Door (No.6 of 50 Best Bars 2023) which I went the previous evening, scored full points for service, hospitality and tasty cocktails....

Bar Ambassadeurs at the Crillon is an exceptional Parisian gem and may well be my favorite bar in the city. The Crillon itself is a classic icon, and the kindness and attentiveness of the staff truly set it apart. Coordinating access during the Tour de France, despite road closures, was seamless and effortless thanks to their professionalism.

The bar is arguably the coziest and most beautiful I’ve visited, even with strong competition both in Paris and other major capitals. The high ceilings, elegant lighting, and inviting atmosphere create a space that feels both luxurious and welcoming. The staff strike a perfect balance—warm and accommodating, occasionally leaning toward casual, which I much prefer over the overly formal service typical of some other Parisian palaces.

Drinks are expertly prepared, and the selection of snacks and food is excellent. Bar Ambassadeurs stands among the very best in the city, and I will certainly return whenever I’m in Paris. I’m also excited to see how the new London Rosewood Chancery will compare...