Paris Bastille

Nightlife in the 11ème has long consisted of Anglophones who drink too much and the Frenchies who hide from them. With a few exceptions, rue de Lappe and its neighbors offer a big, raucous night on the town dominated by expats and tourist-types, while rue Oberkampf, rue Amelot, and rue Thaillandiers are more eclectic, low-key, and local. Both streets are definitely worth your time, even if you have only one night in the area. Rue Faubourg St-Antoine is a world of its own, dominated by enormous nightclubs who only let in the well-dressed. Rue du Faubourg St-Antoine is the dividing line between the lively 11ème and the tamer 12th. The hotspots overflow into the streets, and you can hop from one club-lounge to another all night—but it won't be cheap.

Favela Chic, 18 rue du Faubourg du Temple (☎01 40 21 38 14; www.favelachic.com), A self-proclaimed Franco-Brazilian joint, this place is light on the Franco and heavy on the brassy Brazilian. Wildly popular with the locals, this restaurant-bar-club has an eclectic decor and equally colorful clients. Dinner in the restaurant segues into unbridled and energetic table-dancing to Latin beats. Exceedingly crowded with sweaty (in a hot way) gyrating bodies during the weekend and a long line snaking out the door. Regulars report that groups high on estrogen and ethnic diversity will get you in more easily. République. Walk down rue du Faubourg du Temple, turn right into the arch at no. 18; the club is to your left. Mixed drinks €9, made strong enough to justify the cost. F-Sa Cover €10, includes a drink. Open Tu-Th 8pm-2am, F-Sa 8pm-4am. Takes credit cards. Serves alcohol.
Zero Zero, 89 rue Amelot (☎06 68 84 28 57), A tiny, tiny bar covered from head to toe in stickers and graffiti, jammed with the artistic and the unpretentious. DJs spin hip-hop in the lowly-lit corner. The signature drink “Zero Zero”, whose size you should not let deceive you, is a dangerously potent mix of dark rum, ginger, and lime (€3). Saint Sebastien Froissart. Beer €2.80-4. Cocktails €6.50-8.50. Happy hour 6:30-8:30pm. Open daily 6pm-2am. Takes credit cards.
Le Pop-In, 105 rue Amelot (☎01 48 05 56 11; www.popin.fr), Leaning more towards”popping” than “pop-in,” this two-level bar/rock club/90s time warp boasts a basement that's a favorite all-night hangout for Paris's hipster crowd. Pop, rock, folk, and indie fold concerts almost nightly. St-Sebastien Froissart. Check website for concerts. Happy hour 6:30-9pm. Beer €2.80-5.50. Open daily 6:30pm-1:30am. Takes credit cards.
La Quille, 111 rue St-Maur (☎01 43 55 87 21; laquille.net), Knowing that Parisians were not going to bowl if they had to wear dumb shoes, this bar opted for a mini-version with no footwear specifications. Fashionable bowling and billiards complete with neon lights and a Top 40 playlist. Paramentier. Beer €2.20-3. Pint €4. Bowling €4 per person. Billards €13 per hr. Open daily 2pm-2am. Takes credit cards.
Le Mécanique (Ondulatoire), 8 passage Thière 01 43 55 16 74 Le Mécanique puts the booze back in bar, with over 90 kinds of whiskeys and 30 types of rum alone. A local hang out with a light-hearted sense of humor, pop-rocky vibe and rough-and-tumble aesthetic; a pair of skis, a gas pump, and a scooter are incorporated into the decor. Of course, rock is a religion here. Takes credit cards.
Les Disquaires, 6 rue des Taillandiers 01 40 21 94 60 (www.lesdisquaires.com), Another one of Bastille's famous music venues, with a more matured grunge feel and a less poppy crowd. Tables are coated over in pliable black wax for initial carving, so that someone will remember your name even if you blackout. Takes credit cards. Has internet. Serves alcohol. Has air conditioning.
Le Baron Rouge, 1 rue Théophile-Roussel 01 43 43 14 32 A lively wine bar whose selection is not only breathtaking, but “yes I'll have another glass” cheap. A laid-back but cool crowd mingles around enormous wine barrels that double as tables, sipping steadily on the boisterous bartender's suggestions. Takes credit cards. Serves alcohol.
Mélac, 42 rue Léon Frot 01 43 70 59 27 (www.melac.fr), A cozy, family-owned wine bar and bistro in the business of getting people tipsy since 1938. The menu features 35 wines, at least two of which are made in the vineyards of M. Mélac, a jovial Frenchie with an impressively upturned moustache. Mid-Sept., he lets children harvest, tread upon, and extract wine from grapes growing in the bar's storefront. Takes credit cards. Serves alcohol. Has outdoor seating.
Wax, 15 rue Daval 01 40 21 16 16 (www.lewax.fr), A rare Parisian miracle—a place that is actually fun to dance in and almost free (you have to buy at least one drink to stay, though). Set up in a concrete bunker with retro orange, red, yellow, and white couches, this mod dance club is packed with a mix of locals and tourists recreating the disco days. No cover. Mandatory coat check on weekends. W and Su disco/funk, Th R&B, Sa-Su house. Takes credit cards.
Le Bar Sans Nom, 49 rue de Lappe 01 48 05 59 36 Le Bar Sans Nom and the people sitting there, may not look like much at first glance, but this quiet bar serves some of the best mixed drinks (€9-10) around. The dim, seductive lounge area's tall ceilings and huge, Bohemian wall hangings makes the slightly older clientele look cooler. Takes credit cards. Serves alcohol.
Le Kitch, 10 rue Oberkampf 01 40 21 94 14 This might be the most random collections of objects that we've ever seen hung on a wall—we're talking rainbow broomsticks, marble mosaics, fish nets. Well, this is Le Kitch, after all. Priding itself on the nonsense factor, this kitschy bar named its signature drink, a mojito-come-slushy, Shrek (€7.50). Laid-back atmosphere and welcoming weirdos, the loveable kind. Takes credit cards.
Sanz Sans, 49 rue du Faubourg St-Antoine 01 44 75 78 78 (www.sanzsans.com), A popular bar/restaurant/club that takes classy and brings it down to earth. The red interior is decked out in velvet, with chandeliers and knock-offs of famous paintings. For the voyeuristic, narcissistic or prowlistic, a baroque-framed screen projects scenes from the bar like a black-and-white movie. Takes credit cards.
Le Bar à Nenette, 26bis rue de Lappe 01 48 07 08 18 A bistrot-like bar with a wooden facade, wall-sized mirrors, and a cool casual vibe. It's happy hour keeps going and going (cocktails €5). Friendly owner and pretty bartenders complement the welcoming atmosphere. Takes credit cards. Serves alcohol.
Barrio Latino, 46/48 rue du Faubourg St-Antoine 01 55 78 84 75 Barrio Latino is bigger up close than you'd expect. With an impressive 5 floors, the richly decorated bar/restaurant/night club is stylish, sexy and warm. Enthusiastic and aspiring salsa dancers shake it like a polaroid picture in various corners, well into their third, slightly overpriced drink. The giant dance floor heats up around 11pm. Dress to get laid. Come to dance. Takes credit cards. Has internet. Serves alcohol.
China Club, 50 rue Charenton 01 43 46 08 09 (www.lechina.eu), Squeezing class out of fake bamboo, all three levels of this bar/club/restaurant drip with elegance. The first and second floors feature a restaurant/piano bar/smoking lounge vibe, with high ceilings, marble floors, oriental carpets, and luxurious lounge chairs; downstairs in Club Chin Chin, things get more intimate, but stay classy, with red velvet and dimmed lights. Beware that being sophisticated is expensive (mixed drinks €10-15). Serves alcohol. Has air conditioning.
Nouveau Casino, 109 rue Oberkampf 01 43 57 57 40 (www.nouveaucasino.net), The party center of the uber-hip countercultural scene that most of the young people along rue Oberkampf buy into. The old movie-theater-turned-concert-venue and club only tolerates underground music, ranging from electropop to hip-hop to pop to rock. The crowd spills into the attached Café Charbon to liquor up before and after events or chills near the bar designed to look like an iceberg. Does not take credit cards.