Les Berthom

Most bars in Grande Île are perfectly content to pour a crisp local Pinot Gris or a standard draft and call it a night. Les Berthom takes a different angle entirely: a beer menu broad enough to spend a serious half-hour with, ranging from local Alsatian brews to imported stouts pushing 12% ABV — the so-called 'Motor Oil' being a reliable talking point. That range, kept genuinely fresh and curated rather than just voluminous, is what sets this spot apart from the brassieres and wine-forward bars scattered around Grande Île.

The address on rue des Tonneliers drops you onto a traffic-free square that, on a warm evening, becomes one of the better places to watch Grande Île do its thing — cathedral spire in the distance, a glass in hand, no particular rush. The outdoor terrace fills fast when the weather cooperates, so arriving early or nabbing a reservation saves the negotiation.

Victor, whose name appears across dozens of reviews with the kind of consistency that usually goes to landmarks rather than people, runs the floor with genuine warmth. He gives recommendations that actually account for what you tell him you like, and he doesn't rush the decision. For visitors navigating an unfamiliar beer list, that matters. For regulars who already know what they want, it still makes the room feel right.

A few honest notes: hours aren't always predictable, so building an entire evening around a reservation here carries some risk. Groups do better with advance planning. And if the terrace is your goal on a Friday in summer, don't show up at 8pm expecting a table to materialize.

For anyone who assumed a bar near la cathédrale Notre-Dame would default to tourist-adjacent pints and nothing more, Les Berthom is a pleasant correction.