Clown-Bar, French restaurant near Cirque d'hiver, Paris, France

Clown-Bar is a restaurant in Paris's 11th arrondissement near Cirque d'hiver, notable for its historic ceramic wall panels. The surfaces display colorful painted clown and circus motifs from the 1920s, created by the Sarreguemines ceramics factory.

A bar has stood at 114 Rue Amelot since 1902, its name linked to the neighbouring Cirque d'hiver, whose clowns drank here between shows. In the 1920s the architect Jean-Baptiste Mêmery installed a Sarreguemines ceramic clown frieze and a ceiling of fixed-under-glass panels. Part of the ceramics was removed in the 1980s, leaving only the entrance section original; the pewter counter is a later work by the Nectoux firm. The interior and facade have been classified as monuments historiques since 1995.

The name comes from the clowns of the Cirque d'hiver two doors away, who could not remove their make-up between shows and drank in the neighbouring bistros. The ceramic frieze shows a clown parade in which every face is unsmiling except one, which visitors have to find.

The entrance is at 114 Rue Amelot, two doors from the Cirque d'hiver at number 110, in the 11th arrondissement. The interior is small, with dark wooden chairs and tables set close together, so booking ahead is sensible. The ceramic frieze and painted ceiling are best examined in the entrance area, the only part of the decor still in its original position.

Of all the clowns on the Sarreguemines ceramic frieze, only one appears to smile; visitors have to find it. The panels were assembled in the 1920s, and the interior decoration was installed by architect Jean-Baptiste Mêmery, active in Paris from 1909 to 1945.