A famous cabaret in Montmartre, founded in November 1892 by Antonin Alexander. The Cabaret de L’Enfer was the counterpart to The Cabaret du Ciel, another cabaret which shared the same address on the Boulevard de Clichy. Antonin Alexander was the creator, director, and host of the twin ventures.
Situated at the foot of the hill of Montmartre, in the 18th arrondisement of Paris, The Cabaret de l’Enfer was a precursor to theme restaurants, whose ambience was its main attraction, and only occasionally hosted cafe singers.
They used the same illusionist tricks produced by combinations of mirrors and the play of light. An organ added mysterious music. The doorman of the cabaret of Hell, dressed as the Devil, greeted customers by telling them “Enter and be damned!”. Once inside, the patrons were served by waiters dressed in devil suits.
The famous cabaret demolished in 1950 to allow for the expansion of a supermarket. A few years after the Liberation of Paris, the Monoprix supermarket that had neighbored the Cabaret de L’Enfer since 1934 bought both café, gutted them, expanded, and replaced the two facades with their own front entrance. The Monoprix currently occupies the length of the ground floor between the corner with Rue Pierre-Fontaine and number 51. The entrance stands where the Cabaret de l’Enfer used to be.
