Le Phare

Le Phare is where Geneva dabbles in LGBT counterculture. A young, alternative-ish clientele working a Brooklyn via Berlin vibe chat and chill in a casual urban café-lounge space that’s welcoming and stylish, in one of the last central areas to resist the homogenising hand of big-bucks gentrification. The scruffy, street art-adorned exterior is cool, drinks are reasonably priced – a rarity in this wallet-walloping city – and the bar’s rallying cry of ‘respect for everyone’ manifests in a truly mixed crowd who are as interested in swapping Fellini DVDs, art magazines and day-glo wigs as they are in flirting. The decent-sized terrace on the cute, pedestrian Rue Lissignol is a major bonus. The wild Le Phare Enchanté party nights rock the place but check venue for dates.