A quote from Robert Louis Stevenson scrawled on the window front alludes to the Treasure Island feel of this 2nd district bar, deemed the thirteenth best bar in the world by Bartender Magazine.

It’s a fantastic cocktail bar (the only one in Paris not attached to a hotel) with a rustic-chic appeal owing a thing or two to New York: the snug one-room space, chunky zinc countertop, black leather banquettes and three Sander Mulder-designed ghost chandeliers.

Only open since 2007, Experimental regularly throws glammy masquerade bashes and bartenders shake out drinks like a muddled Mint Julep or the Old Fashioned (fresh orange, whiskey and bitters) while still managing to sacrifice a smile. An unnecessarily aggressive door policy may contribute to the success of the establishment, which also has a second, much larger bar called Curio Parlor on Rue des Bernardins.