What is the oldest bar in Paris?

Let抯 begin by wandering down rue Mazarine from the Od閛n square. Bingo? We almost immediately come on Le Procope, where a plaque affirms it is 搕he oldest caf?in the world?

It opened in 1686, mainly to offer coffee. This beverage抯 fashion had been recently imported from Austria - the Viennese got their caffeine zonks from the Turks during a lull in the Ottoman siege of their city ca. 1623.


Voltaire and... God

The Caf?Procope was an early favorite rendez-vous of actors from the Com閐ie Fran鏰ise - the national theatrical company, then situated nearby- and later, during the turbulent pre-Revolutionary mid-18th century, of Encylopaedists (such as Diderot and D扐lembert) and other non-conformist thinkers, who had ?this was still during the reign of Louis XV ?to be careful with what they spouted in public.
Voltaire recounts that one day, he and a host of like-minded philosophers wanted to discuss a very thorny issue around a cup of coffee at Le Procope: does God exist? They coded 揋od?into Monsieur N閍nt (揗ister Nothing? and the wrangling went on for several hours.
At a nearby table sat a gentleman who had time to read his newspaper several times over. Then, out of patience, he stood up and came over to the philosophers. 揈xcuse me, Messieurs, you have been discussing Monsieur N閍nt. Could you please relieve my curiosity and tell me who he is??According to Voltaire, the answer was shot back with no delay: 揧es, of course! He is a police spy ?DO YOU KNOW HIM??
There is a problem with the Le Procope抯 claim, however. The owner, Mr. Procope, born in Palermo under the name Procoppio dei Cotelli, had already worked as a waiter at another Parisian caf?before launching his own! The 揻irst in the world? Sorry... Unless we抮e talking about the earliest still extant.

But then there are other candidates.


Treasures of Paris islands

Another site to visit is Ile St-Louis, an island on the river Seine, which was built basically between 1613 and 1700.

Our first find is Les Anysetiers du Roy (The King抯 aniseed liqueur makers), a restaurant located at No. 61 rue St-Louis-en-l扞sle. Our second find is Le Franc-Pinot, a well-known jazz club located at No. 1 Quai de Bourbon.

Both are indeed Procope contemporaries, and have been serving eats and drinks since they were founded in the 17th century.

A thought nags the tavern researcher, however: none before the 17th century??? Impossible!!

Fifteenth century poet Fran鏾is Villon did indeed dedicate 搕out aux tavernes et aux filles?(揺verything to taverns and girls.?. And a listing of taverners dating from 1457 A.D. counts some 200 full-time professionals and another hundred occasionals.

A famous tavern of the time was the Pomme de Pin (Pinecone), on Ile de la Cit?(the second island in the center of Paris). It survived until the mid-1800s when Paris Prefect Haussmann razed it to make more room for the H魌el Dieu hospital adjacent to Notre Dame Cathedral (see: http://www.paris-eiffel-tower-news.com/paris-stories/paris-story-hotel-dieu-hospital.htm).


Remnants of the 19th Century

Hmm... Ancient Ile de la Cit?looks a good place for more fieldwork.

Systematic research reveals that today抯 taverns around Notre Dame all date from the 19th century period of Haussmann抯 urban cleanup.

Ah, but wait. Let抯 take a look down an authentically quaint sidestreet on Ile de la Cit? rue de la Colombe (The Dove street).

We come at No. 4 upon the R閟erve de Quasimodo, a wineshop-cum-eatery located in the old building already described in my piece titled What And Where Is The Oldest House in Paris?(see:http://www.paris-eiffel-tower-news.com/paris-stories/paris-story-oldest-house.htm)

The R閟erve de Quasimodo pretty much ignores (although not scorning) the tourist hordes around nearby Notre Dame Cathedral. Noon and night it serves scrumptious and affordable traditional French fares, accompanied by vintner-supplied wines. And it offers regular evening supper shows enlivened by oral culture (揙ld Paris Stories? 揟ales from Brittany?, magicians, a 損ocket theater?group, etc.
Prior to that, in 1950, it was bought by Austro-American illustrator Ludwig Bemelmens, best known for his cartoons in The New Yorker and his Madeline children抯 album series.

A photo from 1869 proves the place was then a wine-bar and wineshop.


A Foiled Suicide

Skipping back a century-and-a-half from then, right around 1719, we come to a legend about Cartouche, whose hangout here was the St Nicolas Tavern, a predecessor of today抯 R閟erve de Quasimodo. Cartouche was the ring-leader of a pickpocket gang ?that抯 documented, since he was executed in 1721.

The legend: Cartouche and gang were 搘orking?the popular and crowded Pont-Neuf bridge one day in 1719, when all of a sudden a well-dressed gentleman leapt up onto the Bridge抯 parapet.
揌ang on, there, Sir,?Cartouche is said to have shouted, pulling the fellow back down from a clear suicide attempt. 揥hat抯 this all about??The gentleman憇 response: 揑抦 an honest man, indeed an honorable man, and /sniff/ I owe several people much money that I抣l never be able to reimburse...The only honorable way out is to jump into the Seine.?Cartouche: 揘ow, now, you just give me a list of your creditors and the sums due.?
The 揼entleman bandit?invited said creditors to the St Nicholas Tavern at No. 4 rue de la Colombe, wined and dined them abundantly, paid off the suicide candidate抯 debts (obtaining receipts, of course) and ordered more and more wine. Then he pulled out his pocket watch, said 揝orry, gentlemen, I抳e got an appointment? and disappeared.
More librations ensued among the creditors, only too pleased to celebrate their unexpected windfall. When they staggered out onto rue de la Colombe, guess who was awaiting them. Yes, indeed: Cartouche抯 gang, who quickly divested them of the debt reimbursements.



And The Winner Is....

The St. Nicholas Tavern itself pre-dates Le Procope by a wide margin.

The tavern got its name from the patron saint to whom local clergymen had erected a statue in replacement of an earlier pagan statue nicknamed 揟he Man with Doves?

The statue of St. Nicholas was torn down in 1792 during the French revolution. It used to be affixed above the door of No. 4 rue de la Colombe.

The tavern itself is attested here in... 1240.

We got our winner.


(article written in collaboration with Arthur Gillette)