Livingston ★ 4.2
€€€Cours Julien (6e)Wed-Sun 19:15-23:30, closed Mon-Tue
Livingston in Marseille's 6e off the Cours Julien is the orange-wine bistro and vinyl bar with a tight natural-wine list, small-plate counter and a turntable that runs jazz, soul and tropicalia through the room from 19:15.
Tip: Glasses €5-9, tapas €9-16; the counter takes walk-ins, the dining bench is reservation only.
Au Petit Nice ★ 4.2
€La PlaineMon-Sat 08:00-02:00, closed Sun
Au Petit Nice on Place Jean Jaurès in Marseille's 1er La Plaine is the institution-of-the-square dive run by former European boxing champion Richard Caramanolis, with a constantly packed terrace, wooden interior and pints under €5.
Tip: Pastis €2.50, pints €4.50; the terrace is the move from 18:00 onwards. Cash preferred for small rounds.
Bar de la Marine ★ 4.1
€€Vieux Port (7e)Daily 07:00-02:00
Bar de la Marine on the Quai de Rive Neuve in Marseille's 7e is the 1929 Vieux Port institution that doubled as Marcel Pagnol's Marius bar, with a 1930s interior of Marseille frescoes and model ships, open from breakfast to 02:00.
Tip: Order a mauresque on the terrace at sunset; the back room with the Pagnol fresco is the rainy-night option.
Bar des 13 Coins ★ 3.9
€Le Panier (2e)Daily 08:00-01:00
Bar des 13 Coins in Marseille's 2e Le Panier is the old quarter dive on Rue Sainte-Françoise with a pavement terrace under the pastel facades, cheap pastis and rolling-shutter regulars who carry the room past midnight.
Tip: Pastis €3, plat-du-jour at lunch under €15; the pavement tables are the move on warm nights, cash preferred.
Cabaret Aléatoire ★ 4.6
€€3eConcert and club nights, programming varies week to week
Cabaret Aléatoire in Marseille's 3e is the SMAC-labelled concert hall and club nested inside La Friche Belle de Mai, a 45,000m2 former tobacco factory turned cultural complex, and the city's industrial-techno benchmark.
Tip: Tickets on Shotgun or the venue site, €15-25 most club nights; entry via the Friche through Rue Jobin or Rue François Simon.
Le Trolleybus ★ 4.2
€€Vieux Port (7e)Thu-Sat 00:00-06:00
Le Trolleybus on the Vieux Port in Marseille's 7e is the 900-capacity vaulted-stone club inside a 17th-century galley arsenal, with three rooms: La Dame Noire for pop-rock, Le Whisky Bar for house, La Marquise upstairs.
Tip: Doors midnight Thu-Sat, busiest from 01:30. Cash or card accepted; the La Marquise room is the easier seating room of the three.