Red Poppy — Restaurant in Paris

What a wonderful mix of European and Asian in one cocktail bar!

The welcome is European with a Basque boss who is the epitome of south European charm, humour, friendliness, and joviality. The decor is East Asian, with reds and blacks to go with its name. The background music the evening we were there was 60s, 70s and unobtrusive; a perfect volume to allow conversation and an enjoyable evening. It's not cramped, but quite busy at times so you may have to sit at the bar to wait for more permanent seating.

We tried three of the superbly creative cocktails, all of which are named to fit in with a Chinese legend (eg. the archer who shot down nine of the original ten suns to leave the one we have) and often use East Asian ingredients, from lapsang souchong tea and salted plums to Baijiu spirit, as well as the more European elements like Campari, whisky, and absinthe. The Phoenix, a sort of Baijiu-based negroni with a whole chilli pepper in it was fabulous!

They also do some generous portions of small dishes which run the gamut from Cantonese Siau Mai to Pimientos del padron via crispy pork belly. We had the last two named here, and they were so good we had a second helping!

A totally innovative but comforting and relaxing way to pass a few very pleasant hours in the 13th. We'll...

Such a shame because the cocktails were pretty good, but the overall experience was very disappointing.

We were a party of two and arrived just before 7 PM. The bar was quiet, only 8-10 customers, yet it took the staff 20 minutes to take our order and another 15 minutes to bring the drinks to our table, without any acknowledgment of the subpar service.

Other negatives are more subjective: no coasters for €16 cocktails, uncomfortable wooden stools, harsh overhead lighting, and the bar was virtually unheated in the freezing weather. All of this would be fine in a cheaper bar, but at this price point in a bar that clearly is positioning itself as a more premium experience, it’s...

Je n'avais pas fait de commentaire à ma visite du lieu, il y a plusieurs mois et je rattrape donc cette erreur pour soutenir l'initiative des propriétaires que d'oser installer un lieu dédié à la mixologie dans le no man's land coquetelier du Paris Sud/Sud Est.

L'endroit est charmant, mais il faut s'éloigner un peu des tables devant le bar pour apprécier l'effort de déco, et ne pas hésiter à visiter le sous-sol qui vous projette en quelques marches dans une ambiance rétro, quelque part derrière le Bund à Shanghai au temps des colonies, ou entre deux hutongs de Pékin.

L'atmosphère chinoise s'importe jusque dans les verres avec une carte osée reposant sur les alcools de l'empire du milieu. Pour les novices, les préparations peuvent être déroutantes, pour les amateurs de cocktails, c'est un voyage-découverte garanti, mais il y a des propositions sages ou plus faciles pour satisfaire des palais moins enhardis.

Les grignottages sont bons, le service est accueillant et attentif. J'ai apprécié la mixité de la clientèle, ni trop "my little paris tendance hipster", ni trop bcbg.

Un lieu à refaire pour vérifier l'évolution de la carte et la stabilité du service. Dans tous les cas, dans le quartier, c'est inédit et je remercie encore les créateurs pour leur aventure, en espérant qu'ils...