Le Sous Bock

Le Sous BockLe Sous Bock
Le Sous BockLe Sous Bock
Bar, Eatery

49 Rue Saint Honoré
Paris, 75001
France

+33 1 40 26 46 61 | map
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.8
Reviews:
15
Ratings:
18
pDev:
15.53%
View: Place Reviews
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Ratings by PhillyStyle:
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Reviewed by PhillyStyle from Georgia

2.84/5  rDev -25.3%
vibe: 2.75 | quality: 3.25 | service: 2 | selection: 3.25
Visited December 2014:

Found this place on a rainy evening in the beer wasteland that is Paris. First thing I have to say is that I find it hard to really like a country that does not embrace beer and bars. Why, if I want to drink, do I have to sit outside with all of the smokers? Getting off track...so you have to walk through a wall of smoke to get inside. Upon entering, it is clear that the place does not pride itself on its cleanliness. It had a funk to it...we were going to order food too, but it took so long just to order beer that we decided against it. The vibe when I was there...must have been like a Wednesday or Thursday evening...not too late...but the vibe was pretty much that of a college bar...guys just in there getting hammered. Just not what I am looking for. The bottle selection of beers, was perhaps slightly better than average, with most being available to me in the US. The tap selection was not good, maybe 5-8 taps, but all of the macros that you can get anywhere in Paris. The service was not good, it took forever to order and to pay...although as we learned...this is typical is France. Overall, I would not go back.
Jan 21, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.36 by HopBelT from Belgium

Sep 10, 2017
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Reviewed by Shanex from France

3.14/5  rDev -17.4%
vibe: 2.75 | quality: 3.25 | service: 3.5 | selection: 2.75 | food: 3.25
Not a great selection of bottle and on tap, waiters aren't really friendly and there are better bars or store to visit in the city. I wouldn't recommend.
May 08, 2017
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Reviewed by Resa-Tay from Washington

2.45/5  rDev -35.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 1 | selection: 3
DO NOT go here if you are a tourist. I was interested in trying unique beer that I can't get in the United States, and was not impressed by their tap list. I asked to see their bottle list instead and ordered a Liefmans kriek. The bartender told me they had that on tap, which was surprising (since I had seen the taps), but I went along with it. They brought a kriek out in a Lindemans glass, so I told the waiter that was not the beer I ordered. He said that it was "actually the same thing." I knew that was incorrect, but didn't press the issue. I asked another waiter about it, and he told me THE SAME THING. I even noted that the bottle was more expensive and he said "yes, it's much more expensive in a bottle." I was speaking in French so know they understood me. At least they only charged me for what I drank, but what a joke. Whether it was because I was a woman or a tourist, I would not trust these people. Instead, go to La Cave à Bulles very close by and they will not lead you astray! They told me I was not the first person that happened to and recommended better beer bars (and as a bonus have a great selection of bottles).
Jul 22, 2016
 
Rated: 4.5 by 31Sam13 from New Hampshire

Mar 13, 2015
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Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev -3.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.25 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3
PhillyStyle - I really hope you re-evaluate, first, your profile on BA: "Philly" w/ an IU logo, living in Georgia?!?!... not that you don't bring up salient points about Paris being a "beer wasteland" and the service at Le Sous Bock being "not good". You're not too far off on either point.

I visited this place in mid-Feb 2015 and they had about 12 taps. I don't know what you were looking at to come up with "5-8" taps... The bottle selection is, by far, one of the more interesting for Paris. I had one beer, a bottle - Oladarki - a spiced beer from southern France. Never seen it before. Not too bad actually. And there was at least another half-dozen bottles I wanted to try but didn't have the time/money for.

Yes, the bartender was more interested in the rugby match than in entertaining me, but so what?

This bar has a dingy, dirty lull that makes you feel at ease. If you need your nuts powdered and you can't not stick a pinky out drinking a brew, don't fucking visit this place. Drink wine in Paris instead - it's fucking France for chrissakes!...

Did not even glance at the food menu, but I would come back here to drink again and again. If you are a hardcore beer drinker and an open-minded world traveler that doesn't require a mouthgasm in every glass, definitely check this joint out. Don't be a bitch. You're in France - name 10 French beers... I'm waiting....
Feb 26, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by -NESTO- from New Jersey

Jun 14, 2014
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Reviewed by gos42 from New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev +9.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4
Visited 3/24/09

The atmosphere was a little dingy. I sat at the bar, but behind me was a booth or two that had obviously seen better days. PErhaps it was my vantage point at the bar, but there were tons of boxes and empties above the bar that were in plain view.

I was looking for drafts and was not disappointed. I had two drafts while there. First was the 1664 Blanc, which was light and crisp. There was a little bit of a clove right at the tip of the tongue, which was quite enjoyable.

I also enjoyed the Grimbergen, served in the proper glass.

Staff was friendly, but distracted. Perhaps it was just the day I was there, but I had the feeling that they were more interested in receiving stuff for the kitchen than the paying customers.

The location was great and if you can get it, enjoy the few tables outside.
May 06, 2009
Photo of dirtylou
Reviewed by dirtylou from Oklahoma

4.14/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
very easy to find at Pont Neuf and Re St Honore and just north of the Seine River - about a 5 minute walk from my hotel

atmosphere - visited mid-day after visits to the Picasso Museum, Dali exhibition, and Centre Pompidou. the inside was dark and had the standard aroma of Parisian urine. There were a number of tables outside that allowed for some nice people watching so i stuck to the outside.

quality: tons of beer, emphasis on strong european styles (belgian, french) with a menu organized by country

service: since it was pretty quiet i just ordered at the bar and used the little french that i knew. service was prompt but i dont speak enough french to carry on conversations about beer styles so who knows if they knew their stuff or not

selection: big. 200-300 beers i would estimate, organized by nation with a ton of French beers and twice as many belgian beers. There is some other stuff from other parts of the world but i dont remember any of it being worth mentioning. I went for Valdieu Trippel and something referred to as La Biere Du Demon, which was highly alcoholic and not very good (tis france). The belgian selection was strong and hit all the main trappist breweries that are accessible. I visited this after the Au Trappiste on Rue St. Denis and this place was far superior

Food: did not try

Value - very expensive, even for Paris. I didnt care but if i lived in Paris it would be hard to justify paying 7-8 euros for a beer (11-12 US dollars)
Jul 20, 2008
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Reviewed by Umbra from Maryland

4.03/5  rDev +6.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
First off, totally easy to find this place. It is north of Pont Neuf and south of Les Halles. Quite central. Thought it was closed, as the corner spot was dark and no one was outside. We were a big group, so we were stuffed into the rear of the place. Doors were closed and it got stuffy. Had a divey feel for Paris, complete with trough in the lew.

High quality brews from all over with a stout collection of French brews. Had a bunch of newbies on the trip, so made use of everything from German weiss to Duvel and back. Surprised that there was all Euro lager crap on tap and no Fantome.

Service was a mix, but overall very good. The bartender knew his stuff. Our waiter was fast, efficient and friendly (which one doesn't see very often in Paris) but I'm a bit shaky on his beer knowledge. When asked what he thought was the best French micro to try, his answer was 1664. I went against the curve and sampled Jenlain, Choulette, and a few others.

Food was quite good. Stuck with the gigantic order of mussels and fries. Very filling, affordable and worth the trip for something different (11 Euro).

Prices were high for most places in the US, but about average for what you'd expect in Paris. I wouldn't be surprised if a similar spot in NY would be pricier. Given the other locations we saw in Paris, this would be a well worthy sampler.
May 29, 2007
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Reviewed by Prufrock from Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3
Visited May '06.

Excellent selection of beers. Maybe 200 or so beers, with a good 40 French and at least 50 Belgian. Many other countries represented, with many German, one beer from Africa, and one from the US (Bud). I was focusing on the Belgian lambics; they had four gueuzes and one faro (Lindemans).

My wife had the pasta arrabiata, which was not very spicy, oddly sweet, and close to inedible. The duck confit with garlic potatoes, on the other hand, was great, so I'll average it out to a 3.

Atmosphere was not great. The entire back area was under renovation and very dusty, but not covered up or separated from the rest of the restaurant. The interior was narrow and smoky, and even outside we seemed to be the only non-smoking table.

Overall, great selection of beers, a hit-or-miss menu, and not a great atmosphere. If I go back to Paris I'll probably go here just to sit outside and get a few beers.
May 15, 2006
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Reviewed by silenius from Illinois

3.44/5  rDev -9.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5
Rue Saint Honore is a strangely numbered street with the even numbered addresses not always corresponding to the odd numbers across the street. As a result, we missed this one the first time we tried to find it.

The bar is just off the corner of Rue Saint Honore and Pont Neuf off Place M. Quentin.

There are about 15 tables outside and a large neon sign with a moule and a frite driving a cartoon car made up of beer logs for wheels. The tables are of the sort that painfully remind me I am over 6' tall.

Service was a bit slow and the waiter spoke no English and had a hard time figuring out my asking what was on tap in broken French (the "pression" menu was at another table).

After our first beer we went inside and sat at the dark bar. The bartender spoke English very well and made it a point to tell us that despite what the guidebooks say, "service compris" meant that the bartenders didn't get any more cash than what came in the regular paycheck.

The taps were standard euro-lagers for the most part with some monthly specials including Chimay and Peach Lindemans. There is a nice amount of space inside with many tables, dance music blaring and a large screen TV.
May 22, 2005
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Reviewed by tomthumbsblues from Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +13.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Having read the reviews of Le Sous-Bock prior to my trip to Paris I decided to look up the place with girlfriend as the guide. As has been stated this place is not too far from the Louvre and is tucked into a nice little neighborhood with narrow streets and plenty of shopping around. There is an outdoor eating area in front of the restaurant, but since we went there during the last throes of the Paris winter, it was too cold to eat outside. We instead got a nice table by the window. Inside the restaurant is rustic and reminded me of some sports bars back home what with the flat screen tvs and soccer posters, but it was warmer and more inviting. There are coasters encased in glass above the bar probably from the 400 some beers this place offers.

We looked over the beer menu and decided to share a large bottle of Biere des Sans Culottes from France, but the beer menu covered the globe pretty much. I ordered the fish and chips and my companion ordered some muscles dish with fries. The fries were good and hot, but not salted. I decided not to ask for ketchup. We got our obligatory basket of sliced baguette along with our beer. The bread was good and crusty. The fish and chips were excellent and the muscles were good as well. The service wasn't exceptional, but was sufficient as is with most French restaurants. The bathrooms are all the way in the back, up some stairs and to the left. It is basically a long hallway which is divided between men and women. The men's is at the end of the hallway and was clean and suited me fine.

Overall, we both greatly enjoyed our experience at Le Sous-Bock and would definitely go back, say after a night at the Louvre.
Mar 09, 2005
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Reviewed by waughbrew from Massachusetts

3.94/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Just tucked around the corner from the Louvre. Dark wooden interior, medium-length bar and 20-odd tables. 3PM on a friday and the place was empty. Horse racing on the TV but it must have been a bad signal because every few seconds it would scramble. Seems like a relaxed sports-bar type vibe. My wife and I had a seat at the bar. Above the bar were racks and racks of special beer glasses hanging upside-down. A good sign. The bartender did not speak too much English and we did not speak too much French, but it all worked out.

The beer list seems to be about 200, with a focus on French and Belgian beers. Most beers cost Five euros but some a bit less and some more. I think there were about eight beers on draft, but nothing that inspired me to get it. The French beers were broken down by province. I did not recognize many of the names, so I asked the bartender for his favorite. L'Angelus from Brassee a Annoeullin. It was an awesome wheat beer spiced with corriander. Next he suggested some evil-sounding 12% beer that was very tempting but on an empty stomach and still recovering from a sickness, I decided to go with a Pelforth Brune instead. Bad move, as it turned out to be a boring brown ale. Oh well. Both beers were served in perfect glassware but definitely too cold.

One or two beers from a bunch of other countries, with the U.S. being represented by Budweiser and Miller Lite. Ouch.

I could not stay for too long but I have heard good things about the food, so I would like to go back and give it a try. With a convenient location and a good selection of French beers, I will absolutely go back next time I am in Paris.
Mar 01, 2005
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Reviewed by euskera from North Carolina

4.59/5  rDev +20.8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
Had the pleasure of having a drink here last week. Right around the corner from the Pompidou Centre at the end of the Rue St Honore. Loved the atmosphere. Lots of beer paraphernalia without being cheesy. Amazing selection, although they didn't have the first thing I ordered (figures). Great and extensive list of French brews, which I focused on. Had lambics on tap which made my wife happy. Service was friendly and not overbearing. This is absolutely a place I will frequent on my subsequent trips to Paris. Highly recommended.
Oct 14, 2004
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Reviewed by tjd25 from France

4.2/5  rDev +10.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
Located in the heart of Paris, le Sous-Bock is definitely a place to go for any beer lover. A pretty terrace gives the bar a pleasing rustic character. Inside, the atmosphere is cozy and comfortable. The decoration is beer-related, but not corny, it looks quite good. They were repainting the place when I went, and I liked the red color of the walls. The bar is long and lets you see their amazing selection of glasses.
The selection of beer is comprehensive, they say they have 400 beers. As always, you don't always get your first picks, but that's ok. About 10 or 12 beers on tap, but only a few of them are really interesting (you don't want kronenbourg, 1664, etc.) The bottled selection is great, especially for Belgian beers. Some German beers (maybe 15), but as always in France, British beers are neglected.Some "beers of the world" for those who think it's fancy to drink a beer from an exotic country, and a large selection of Frenc micros (the largest I've seen so far in a bar), classified by regions. One exception: Alsace, the region where I'm from...
Nothing to complain about the service. Maybe my first beer was just served too cold, that's a complaint.
What I appreciated was that prices were decent, which means they would have been acceptable in other parts of France. Unlike Falstaff for example, who sells pints on tap for 7 euros or more, le Sous Bock has pints for 5 euros, and 33cl bottles generally cost 5.4 euros, which isn't cheap, but which is ok, since nobody else carries all their beers. The price of food seemed decent too.
Sep 24, 2004
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Reviewed by Crosling from Colorado

4.45/5  rDev +17.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Fantastic. Really. Go here. I came here a few times in June 2004 and then came back again in late July of 2004.

This place is located very close to the Louvre in a fairly discrete location. Interestingly enough, it was fairly easily to "accidently" stumble upon.

I enjoyed the atmosphere. For seating, you can sit at the large and comfortable booths inside or the patio outside. Different and unique "beery" things cover most of the wall space and some nice paintings as well.

The staff was always very friendly. The prices were expensive as hell but the cheapest in the city and slightly cheaper than the other great beer bar: Taverne Saint Germain.

The selection was phenomenal, about 300-400. My only complaint was the lack of good lambics. While the Taverne Saint Germain had different Cantillon and Boon lambics, the only lambics available here were the cheap (possibly blended with cheap lager or ale) sweetened fake lambics. While I was here I concentrated on the French brews.

Hit this place.
Jul 23, 2004
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Reviewed by Andreji from Texas

4.14/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
I went back in january 2006 after about a year and a half of not going.

to be fairly honest- while I still retain a lot of love for the place i used to spend my nights at when living there- it disappointed me and a friend who was backpacking with me.

they restructured the atmosphere to make it less pubbish and more parisian chic, the menu looks too much like that of a lounge bar, the beers are crammed and not the top attraction any more (even if they retain a good 200+ selection).

we really didn't hang out there for long. loud people with a focus on anything else were having shots and making the atmosphere a bit unbearable.

but to be honest, the biggest reason was that, as students, we would have to dig deep into our pockets here. they've raised prices in a grotesque fashion, and this can only hold out for industrialised world tourism. it used to be pricey, but not expensive.

I think I might avoid the place next time and steer back to other places like the taverne st.-germain or the academie. but i won't drop its marks too much. it still lives in remembrance.
Sep 23, 2003
Le Sous Bock in Paris, France
Place rating: 3.8 out of 5 with 18 ratings