Lost in Translation, deleted scene: an audiophile bar, two sakes, and the B-side. On Rue de Saintonge, Mesures brings the spirit of Japanese jazz kissas to Paris. Analog hi-fi, handpicked vinyl, cocktails, and sake.
Before Mesures, Guillaume Castaignet knew exactly what kind of bar he wanted to open one day: a place where he could pour cocktails while spinning records and playing jazz. Alongside musician Benoît de Bonnefamille, he found his blueprint in Japan’s jazz kissa—those intimate cafés where listening to music is an experience in its own right. Mesures opened on Rue de Saintonge in 2024, somewhere between a Parisian cocktail den and a Tokyo listening room.
An all-analog hi-fi system carries a soundtrack that might begin with jazz, Japanese or otherwise, before drifting into soul, funk, or disco as the night deepens. Behind the bar, cocktails sit alongside a selection of some twenty sakes, served by the glass, carafe, or bottle.
By 2026, Mesures ranked 5th among the best bars in France, voted by 549 industry professionals.
Yet Guillaume’s journey into cocktails began almost by chance. Entering the trade with little knowledge of the craft, he learned from his first employers, who bought him books and took him out for drinks after service. Years later, some of those very mentors would help fund Mesures: a beautiful way to come full circle.
Taste
Lost in Translation · Tokyo after dark · Jazz kissa · Listening bars · Rue de Saintonge · Japanese jazz · Analog sound · Vinyl only
