Grenoble
Evoking an old-timey train station, complete with looming clock and retro tiled floor, Le Zinc is a favourite among local wine lovers. The owners are…
Must-see nightlife in France
Bordeaux
'Delicate music, drinks and food' is the driver of this chic retro-styled cafe, named after New Yorker DJ David Mancuso who made The Loft private parties…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Dedicated to the seventh art, this street-level cafe adjoining concept store Merci is graced with retro film posters and projects vintage films on one…
Chamonix
This Canadian-run microbrewery is one of Chamonix' most unpretentious and gregarious watering holes, pouring its own locally made blonde, stout, pale ale,…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
If the name isn't a clue, the decor certainly is: its bordello-like leopard-print lounges, red-velour drapes and a pole in the centre of the bar reflect…
Bordeaux
Every fashionable city street has to have one – a new-generation coffee shop, that is – and on rue du Palais Gallien it's Le Monologue. Green-floral…
Savoie
There's no escaping La Folie Douce. These piste-side après-ski bars are notorious for building nightclub atmosphere in broad daylight. Around 2pm, follow…
Annecy
This handsome salon de thé has a master chocolatier staining his apron out back, as he hand-dips squares of ganache into chocolate, dices nougat and rolls…
Paris
Legendary French chef Alain Ducasse's ongoing expansion of his empire includes this 2019-launched coffee roastery, using beans sourced from his travels to…
Besançon
Formerly trading heavily on an Irish pub theme, these days the Green Man is a genteel, convivial place for coffee or an aperitif, decorated with musical…
Paris
Tucked away in the 13e, Simone La Cave lures a loyal wine-loving set keen to try its latest outstanding natural and biodynamic wine selection. Planches …
Paris
With a history dating back to 1672, this tea specialist off place Vendôme still owns the rights to harvest essential oils, flowers and fruit from Le…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
This sleek cocktail bar's floor-to-ceiling windows, polished pale-wood decor and glistening copper fixtures and fittings inject a generous dose of design…
Chamonix
This British-owned après-ski mainstay has a split personality: upstairs the 'Jekyll' has really good pub food (from seafood tapas and sweet and sour duck…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
An atrium-style covered timber deck strewn with plants and comfy sofas marks the entrance to La Commune. Like its 10e sibling Le Syndicat, cocktails made…
St-Germain & Les Invalides
For a serious noisette, cortado or double crème made from coffee beans roasted in Berlin by 5 Elephant, duck into the Left Bank offspring of Le Marais's…
Toulouse
This unashamedly retro bar-brasserie in maroon and gold trim has been here since 1889. The left-hand entrance panel reads ‘vin blanc’; the right, ‘vin…
St-Germain & Les Invalides
Named for former regular, entertainer and French Resistance activist Josephine Baker, glamorous Bar Joséphine is within the grand 1910-built Hôtel Lutetia…
Dijon
Tucked behind a half-timbered façade in Dijon's pedestrian zone, this eclectically decorated cafe is beloved for its multipage list of teas and its…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
From the industrial grinder to elaborate tasting notes, this coffee house and roastery is serious. Grab a seat, and pick your bean, filtration method …
Bordeaux
A more refined, fashionable crowd sips craft cocktails at this stylish cocktail bar, decked out 1920s style with vintage armchairs, tassel-fringed…
Bordeaux
Craft-beer lovers will be in heaven in this cavernous beer bar, an urban-smart place to kick back beneath gold-stone vaults over one of 100 bottled beers…
Latin Quarter
Beans from Parisian roastery L'Arbre à Café and Lyon's Mokxa roastery underpin the success of this sunlit corner cafe, strewn with an eclectic mix of…
Paris
Hidden off ritzy rue du Faubourg St-Honoré in a courtyard adjoining fashion house Comme des Garçons is this opaque-plastic-sheltered black-and-white…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Behind an inconspicuous timber façade, a tiny crimson doorway is the illusionary portal to this low-lit, bare-brick drinking den filled with flickering…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
A cool new headquarters for devotees of both vin (wine) and vinyls, Bambino mixes music with an outstanding wine list packed with natural wines. Linger by…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Named for the sherry-seasoned oak casks used to age whisky, this dimly lit, stone-walled bar is one for serious cocktail connoisseurs. Seasonal menus…
Nice
Way back before Le Port-Garibaldi became so trendy, Rosalina was the neighbourhood's nightlife pioneer. A decade later, it's still an inviting, friendly…
Grenoble
Ten or more beers on tap, an industrial feel, and a mixed crowd of students and seasoned hop-heads: lively Les BerThom is beer heaven. Glug a Grisette for…
Paris
Beans from France's best micro-roasteries are expertly brewed at this small, two-level space with tables and light fittings made from recycled timber and…
Paris
Run by Michelin-starred Septime, this rustic wine bar is an atmospheric spot to linger over an apéro while waiting for a table at one of the hip dining…
Lille
Adorned with art nouveau woodwork and changing exhibits by local painters, this laid-back bar attracts artists, musicians, budding intellectuals and…
Champagne
Squirrelled away deep in the forest of the Parc Naturel Régional de la Montagne de Reims, this slick, Nordic-cool treehouse commands broad views over…
Paris
While not exactly a secret, Danico still feels like one – first you'll need to find the hidden, candlelit backroom in Daroco before you get to treat…
Normandy
Equal parts gallery, wine bar and taxidermy shop, this bohemian outpost near the waterfront embodies Cherbourg's most creative side. Stop in for a look at…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Paris' original rooftop bar, run by the talented mixologists behind Le Perchoir in 11e, is a trendy sky deck languishing atop department store BHV. Seine…
Paris
Watch the brewing in action while you try Fauve's permanent range, such as Bon Esprit (pilsner), Force Majeure (raspberry stout) and Coup d'Éclat (IPA),…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Born in a former cobblers' shop, bijou Boot is a fashionable spot to grab a quality coffee and an accompanying sweet morsel. Colombian beans are roasted…
St-Germain & Les Invalides
With bowler and flat-top hats as lampshades and a 1930s speakeasy New York air to the place, this cocktail club – run by the same mega-successful team as…
Paris
Part of the Paul Bert empire, this bijou wine bar has eight wines by the glass (predominantly French), and cheeses, charcuterie, anchovies etc to nibble…
