The L'Ecluse Cabaret Club

Sit down one evening at nightfall in the small lounge at L'Ecluse Grands Augustins, and let the charm work. Suddenly, you'll feel like you've lost all notion of time here, perceiving not only the authenticity of the decor, but also that unique atmosphere that can only be found in places steeped in history!

Yes, you're in the L'Ecluse cabaret club just as it was after the end of the war! And to get a better idea of what the cabaret club was like, Pierre Tchernia, an actor and a witness to this celebratory atmosphere and period of creative effervescence, will be our guide. Let's browse through the preface of the book “Mémoires d'un Cabaret”, by Marc Chevalier, who was one of the founders.

“ In 1943, Parisians took refuge in cellars from the nightly bombing raids. Two years later, in Saint-Germain des Prés, their incentive to visit the wine cellars was for the love of jazz music. Among all the wine cellars in St Germain, L'Ecluse stood out from the rest for two reasons: it was not in Saint Germain des Prés, and it was not a wine cellar. ”

The L'Ecluse diving suit

“ The diving suit that adorned the entrance of this long bargee's bistro seemed to cast an empty, cyclopean eye towards the "Quai des Orfèvres" and the Saint Michel Bridge...

On a stage the size of a table, L'Ecluse offered an extremely varied music-hall show: Marceau was a mime artist, Lavalette a cabaret singer and Noiret a comedy actor.

The singing acts and visual performances were evenly distributed throughout the evening in order to ensure a perfect cocktail of quality entertainment for a discerning audience.

One of the most important elements of L'Ecluse's resources was having young artists, or rather young people with aspirations to become artists, perform there.”

It was here that for 25 years, the greatest singing and cabaret names, such as Barbara, Brel, Ferré, Lama, Devos, Noiret and many others, first showcased their talents.

L'Ecluse today

A warm welcome, delicious food and an excellent selection of Bordeaux wines

Dominique Dhyser, the owner of the L'Ecluse restaurants is an enthusiastic man with a gregarious nature and considers wine as a way of life, or as we say in French, as an “art de vivre”.

Since acquiring L'Ecluse in 1995, his aim has been to create a friendly atmosphere and ensure a warm welcome at venues that are steeped in history.

He has developed a menu that offers seasonal cuisine with tastes created using authentic, regional products.

With the wine list, his aim was to offer an eclectic selection of Bordeaux wines, ranging from new finds to the most prestigious vintages.

This is how L'Ecluse became the ambassador for Bordeaux wines in Paris, with over 600,000 glasses of Bordeaux being consumed annually at our restaurants.

His overall philosophy can thus be defined as: “Ambition with respect for tradition ”.