The prices at The Hemingway Bar at The Ritz Hotel in Paris are staggeringly expensive; cocktails €30, a glass of champagne €27 and a bottle of beer €14. Ouch. In fairness the experience is well worth the money.
Ernest Hemingway liberated the Ritz Hotel Paris in August 1944. Legend suggests that he drank three bottles of champagne that day, at those prices hopefully it was ‘on the house’.
The Hemingway Bar is located at the back of the hotel and opens at 6.30 p.m. The walk down the lengthy elegant corridors from the Place de Vendôme entrance is an event itself, there are large luxuriant flower arrangements dotted along the route.
The bar is small and has an intimate clubby feel, with lots of leather armchairs, dark wood panelling and Hemingway memorabilia. The bar staff are friendly, the glasses of champagne are generous and you could eat yourself senseless on the nuts and the made in the Ritz kitchen crisps provided. The bowls put in front of you are constantly replenished.
The price of the drinks made the homemade mini-burgers on the Tapas Menu look like great value at €15 euro, so naturally I ordered some. I do love a bargain! I could of course have gone to McDonald’s but it wouldn’t have been the same. Would it?
UPDATE: The Ritz Paris is closed for renovations at the moment and is not due to reopen until some time in 2014.
Just Add Attitude 
But the flower they give you with the cocktail makes it all worth it! Er doesn’t it?
We seem to have been walking the same paths.
I didn’t get a flower with my glass of champagne! Next time I will order a cocktail to get a floral souvenir.