This was one of the first hip joints to hit the Canal de l'Ourcq, with an embankment broad enough to accommodate pétanque games (ask at the bar) and a cluster of deckchairs....

A spanking new hybrid venue that triples as a restaurant, bar and DJ lounge for an übercool, bobo clientele. Friday nights are for resident DJs, and Saturdays bring live bands...

A popular DJ bar, especially in summer, when fashionistas flock to the terrace. Cool live music is played from Thursdays to Saturdays after 10pm. Expect anything from DJ Jet...

Just below Montmartre, but away from the seedy Pigalle drag, this new arrival serves decent French cuisine and cocktails by the bucket-load. As the last dinner plates are...

Dubbed the 'African Bar' by regulars, this wannabe-hip spot hams up the colonial with zebra skins, masks and a throne hewn from a tree trunk. Beer, wine, tea and standard...

The 'Grocery Store' is rue Jean-Pierre-Timbaud's answer to La Mercerie: it, too, is a big old space filled with junk. Cupboards of kitsch china and lampshades made from kitchen...

Late opening and Eric Perier's diverse range of nightly entertainment - DJs (weekends), videos, live acts (Tuesday to Thursdays) and the odd open mic event - are the...

La Fourmi was a precursor to the industrial-design, informal, music-led bars that have sprung up around Paris - and it's still very much a style leader, attracting everyone...

Set inside a former bordello, the Jungle runs a programme of live afro-jazz on Wednesdays and Fridays (€2 extra on drinks), DJs on Saturdays, and jazz and blues on Sundays....

Opposite the landmark Charbon and infinitely more grungy, the spacious Mercerie has bare walls (bare everything, in fact) and room for the usual Oberkampf shenanigans of...

With an old locomotive over the bar and sleek rows of grey chairs, the Pearl achieves a rare balance between all-day and late-night venue, and also has a good hetero/homo mix....

A convivial place where beautiful women go to have a drink, meet other women and listen to good music. There's a small dance space in the basement, and a number of theme nights...

Le Cabaret Sauvage is a stylish, big top-shaped venue that's taken over by outside promoters for occasional club nights. In the old days this often contained a world music...