Caveau de la Huchette

Want to see medieval Paris?
It’s all underground now.
Haussman made most of Paris look the way it does now, so if you want to look further into the past, and hear some great jazz music at the same time, head on over to Saint-​Michel and make your way past the sea of obnoxious Australian tourists.
Step into Caveau de la Huchette, then descend into the underground jazz cavern. It’s around 11 Euro entry and 9 with student ID.
The bar is upstairs, with plenty of seating and plenty of people smoking, drinking, and chatting it up.
Downstairs is the jazz cave.
There’s limited seating in the cavern so if you want to sit down, head there early, or really late.
If you like dancing, you’re in luck. There’s a big dance floor in front of the stage with seating behind and to the side. Parisian couples dance a variation of the jitterbug called «le rock» or «bebop» or something like that. So if you’ve brought your significant other to grab a dance after dinner, you’ll have a good time.
Also, this is the first place I’ve seen a guy dance with his girl while smoking a lit cigarette hanging out of his mouth.
I like to grab a seat in the small cave area facing the stage. It’s small but oh-​so-​cool. It’s the perfect place to bring your «petit chou» and snuggle up.
Music and acoustics are good, but the place can get a bit hot, so if it gets a bit sweaty, you can always go upstairs and chill out at the bar or step outside to cool down quickly.
Drinks are reasonably priced, and it’s my favorite spot to get away from the hussle and bussle of Saint-​Michel and experience truly old old Paris paired with my favorite kind of live music.
Full disclosure: I’ve played at the Caveau in 2003 and 2005 with a few local groups so my positive experience is partly from being up on stage and enjoying the interactions with the audience there.