There are bars you open because you have an opportunity. And then there are bars you open because you can no longer do otherwise. Superfine, tucked away in Paris's 11th arrondissement, clearly falls into the latter category.
Vincent Pinceloup and Etienne Gatti have known each other for eight years. It was Vincent who taught Etienne how to make cocktails, in another life, behind the bar at Monsieur Antoine. Since then, they've done event planning together, hospitality masterclasses, talked a lot, dreamed a lot. And then one day, the project stopped being a conversation and became something concrete. Superfine only opened its doors six months ago, yet it feels like it's always been here.
It's the kind of place that makes you want to order another drink. Not because it's beautiful (although it is). Not because the menu is impressive (although it is too). But because the atmosphere does exactly what its founders intended: it puts everyone at ease.
Superfine: The Antithesis of a Speakeasy
Even before pushing the door, you need to understand the philosophy of the place. Because Superfine is not just another cocktail bar in a city that already has many. It's a statement.
"It's a French-style dive bar," Etienne and Vincent summarize in unison. "The dive bar aspect is welcoming, everyone is invited, with an extensive drink selection. And the French side is about refinement, attention to detail."
The name itself carries the project's intention: "Super," for accessible, regressive, obvious. "Fine," for discreet refinement, underlying technique. Two words, two promises, one address.
In a Parisian landscape that has long flirted with speakeasy aesthetics, hidden doors, secret entrances, and a somewhat condescending atmosphere, Superfine takes the opposite path. Here, there's no secret handshake to know, no cultural code to master to earn a seat. The bar is circular, open, visible from everywhere. The large tables welcome both enlightened connoisseurs and complete novices. It's the avowed antithesis of a bar whose entrance you have to earn.
A place that had a soul even before it existed
The story of Superfine necessarily involves that of Le Motel, the venue that preceded it in this space on Passage Josset. Vincent had known the place for over ten years. When the people from Le Motel learned he was looking for a location, everything fell into place.
"I went back eight years and told myself this is absolutely the place, and the project must be done here," he recounts. "Everything we had written from the beginning was coherent with the location."
What was planned as a 60-square-meter space quickly took on another dimension. When they took over the Motel, they negotiated directly with the owner to merge the two lots, the old bar and the adjoining apartment. Result: 108 square meters, a proper kitchen possible, and the arrival of Delphine Laguerre to the project, a chef who had previously worked at Vocalé, Sando Club, and Kern Sandwich.
The renovations followed their own logic. The soundproofing planned for 40 square meters was extended to 110. Two months behind the initial schedule. Architectural choices to defend inch by inch. Notably, this central stainless steel bar.
"The architect initially insisted that we evolve this idea of a central bar," confides Vincent with a smile, "for space optimization reasons. And we saw a baby. Something that would take up space and importance and would be the heart of the place."
They were right to stand their ground.
The stainless steel bar: a unique piece around which everything is organized
This is probably the first thing that strikes you when you enter Superfine. This circular stainless steel counter stands at the center of the space like an art installation as much as a work tool. The shape comes from the Motel, it was one of the reasons for falling in love with it. The material, on the other hand, was born out of a constraint: it was impossible to keep the original counter for seating reasons. Rather than looking for a clumsy compromise, they decided to create a unique piece.
The result is functionally remarkable. The station is designed to be ambidextrous: left-handed and right-handed people can work there under the same conditions. The modules are interchangeable depending on the menus and teams. There is no dishwashing area at the bar: it has been moved behind doors, freeing up the visible workspace and reinforcing the impression of a clean, transparent, open bar.
"The idea is that a bartender never turns their back on the customers," explains Vincent. "There's a station opposite another, a bit mobile."
Three to four stations are possible, but in actual service, two are enough to manage the 70 seats and the 100 people standing that the venue can accommodate on more festive evenings. This capacity (100 people in 108 square meters) is possible because the central bar layout naturally creates spaces that feel lively even with low attendance. Even with five or six people, no one feels lost in a vast empty space.
The stainless steel also works with the rest: the adjacent, visible lab houses a large table designed like the chef's table. You can sit there, watch the preparations, and understand without being told. "You have the accessible side, but if you're curious, you have access to everything."
A menu that plays hide-and-seek with technique
This is where Superfine becomes truly interesting for those in the industry.
The menu is structured like an American diner menu: All Day Breakfast, Appetizers, Main Course, and Snacks, with suggested highballs for those who want to keep it simple. Thirteen cocktails in total, plus a Kids Menu section currently in development (four mini cocktails served together, an idea that's been brewing since day one).
On the surface, the names and categories are accessible, almost regressive. Milkshake, Float, Bloody Mary... One might think it's simple. But behind each cocktail, there's a technical consideration that many "craft"-stamped menus don't allow for.
Vincent's philosophy on this point is clear and documented: "On more or less every cocktail, we want to use different techniques." Crushed ice, cube-shaped ice, sorbet, shaker, stirred, blended, carbonation, clarification, fat wash, tap... Everything is there, scattered throughout a menu that doesn't flaunt it. The customer orders a cocktail. The bartender knows exactly why this technique and not another.
Batching is also present, but never to make life easier. Only when there is a flavor reason behind it. The Not a Bloody Mary is batched because clarification is what makes the cocktail possible. The New College is batched because it involves an olive fat wash and a fat infusion that take time. No cocktails on tap, with one exception: the Fortunella Spritz.
Not a Bloody Mary: the cocktail that sums it all up, already iconic.
If you had to order only one to understand what Superfine is, this would be it. It has been the bar's best-seller since its opening, for reasons that are as much about the concept as the recipe.
The starting point: Raphaël Blanc, who assisted the team with the opening, suggests working pineapple and celery together. The idea of a Bloody Mary without tomato emerges. The rest is built through reasoned substitution:
- Pineapple replaces tomato (same clarification capacity with a tea filter, sweetness that we will work to reduce)
- Mezcal instead of vodka (for depth and character)
- Harissa instead of Tabasco (enhances the whole, triggering element according to Vincent)
- Dashi and soy juice instead of Worcestershire sauce (for umami texture, silky feel)
- Celery leaves remain, as they were in the original, serving as both garnish and salt
Clarification does the rest: the cocktail is served in a frosted coupe, with an accompaniment to eat rather than to put in the glass. The presentation turns the garnish into a snack. The visual has nothing in common with a Bloody Mary anymore. Yet, the markers are there for those who seek them.
"There are many people who don't like Bloody Mary who enjoy this cocktail. And at the same time, people who like Bloody Mary still find it familiar."
It all started with a collective work session, an idea slipped in between two attempts, and a successful test. Only one test. The kind of result that rarely happens, and only when the initial intention is solid enough.
Superfine: The Unabashed Mojito and Other Nostalgic Tributes
It took some courage to put a Mojito on the menu in 2026. Etienne and Vincent did it, and they fully stand by it. "We freed ourselves from all those myths that told us to stop serving Mojitos."
But of course, it's not just any Mojito. A Havana base is complemented by a touch of Clairin, which adds length and a real rum flavor to the finish. Simple in appearance, precise in execution.
The same philosophy permeates the references to American dive bars that dot the menu. The Float, a sophisticated version of a soda-sorbet, plays on vinegary acidity, the complexity of genmaicha, and elderflower. The Jelly Shot & Beer transforms an American frat party classic into something unexpected: a cherry Margarita (Codigo tequila) served as an edible jelly shot, accompanied by a Bud as a chaser. There's even a nod to Jurassic Park, according to Vincent, the kind of detail that says it all about the establishment's mindset.
"We used all the techniques we learned, all the knowledge, the culture of classics, all the modern techniques from molecular gastronomy, and we brought it to cocktails that are hyper-regressive."
Perhaps that's Superfine's real triumph: making the technical complexity invisible so that the experience remains fluid and joyful.
Alcohol-free integrated, not tolerated
One point that deserves to be highlighted: non-alcoholic cocktails at Superfine are not a separate section, stuck at the end of the menu for designated drivers. They are integrated into each category of the menu.
The All Day Breakfast cocktail is non-alcoholic. The most bitter cocktail (Appetizers) is too. The Cosmo from the menu, non-alcoholic. And the melting cocktail, the one with sorbets and ice creams, also. Non-alcoholic drinks thus represent a significant portion of the menu, treated with the same technical rigor as the rest.
This is an approach that appeals to brands as much as to customers: non-alcoholic spirits are treated seriously, not superficially.
Guinness, New England IPA, and Natural Wine: The Full Bar
For those who might come with friends who aren't necessarily into cocktails, Superfine has thought of them too. Two beers on tap (a Guinness and a New England IPA) served from a system refrigerated with nitrogen and CO2. The Guinness is not there by chance: it embodies the same project as the rest. A product that can be poorly served (and is often poorly served), which has a bad reputation as a result, and which reveals something unexpected when treated correctly.
"My father used to tell me he hated Guinness. He came to the opening, he tasted it and said 'but it's very light, it's very pleasant, it has a hint of cocoa'." Etienne specifies.
It's a beautiful metaphor for the entire bar.
Canned craft beers, non-alcoholic fermented drinks in bottles as an alternative to wine, and a curated selection of wines by the glass (and by the bottle) complete the offering. Wine isn't what sells the most, the founders admit, but it's there so that no one is excluded. "You can come with 15 people to drink wine, or you can come to eat and drink water if you want, there's no problem."
Delphine's Kitchen, or How to Fully Embrace the Concept
Delphine Laguerre found her place in the project as a matter of course; it's the word Vincent and Etienne use most often. Her world: elevated global street food, with unapologetic fusion inspirations. These terms resonate perfectly with Superfine's DNA.
The puff pizza (a very airy fried pizza with harissa topping, echoing what Vincent works with in his cocktails), the vegetarian katsu burger with eggplant, the superdog with its Guinness and onion gravy, the Italian-New York-style ragu pasta... The guiding principle is global bar culture. Irish pubs, Japanese izakayas, American diners, New York street food. All of this without ever losing the thread of gustatory coherence.
The large table in the lab, set up next to the bar, is also the chef's table. You eat there while watching the work. You understand the connections between what's on the plate and in the glass. It's a transparent scenography that doesn't need a paragraph on the menu to explain itself.
What Monsieur Antoine Learned at Superfine
Nine years at the helm of Monsieur Antoine was a difficult school to match. Vincent took away a lot from it: the conviviality, the easygoing "tu" (informal "you"), the attentive service that doesn't take itself too seriously. But he also kept the less glorious lessons, those that only experience can teach.
The size of the place, first of all. Mr. Antoine was small, overflowing when things were going well, with no space to isolate himself. Here, 108 square meters, 70 seats, a thoughtful consideration of flows.
What's next
Superfine is six months old. The concept is established, the team is in place, habits are starting to form. The next menu arrives in mid-April: Kids Menu, seasonal cocktails, some evolutions. Iconic cocktails like the Not a Bloody Mary are not leaving, they are now part of the DNA.
In the longer term, there will be the Sunday Boozy Brunch, extended hours, opening 7/7, the team growing. Vincent is looking to tomorrow, that's what he says, with a smile. But that tomorrow is clearly built on foundations that you don't improvise.
Superfine
Wed–Fri 6pm–2am
Sat 4pm–2am
Sun 4pm–12:30am
8 passage Josset, Paris, France 75011
