Le Zygobar ★ 4.0
€OlivettesTue-Sat 18:00-02:00; closed Sun-Mon
Le Zygobar is the small live room of the Olivettes quarter in Nantes, with blues and soul gigs and open jam sessions against a beer-led bar list.
Tip: Gigs are usually free and the room is tiny, so arrive early on jam nights if you want to sit.
La Guinguette du Belvédère ★ 4.2
€€Île de NantesApr-Sep season: Mon-Fri 12:00-00:00; Sat-Sun 15:00-00:00; closed Oct-Mar
La Guinguette du Belvédère sits on the roof of the Terrasses du Port in Nantes, an open-air bar looking straight down the Loire from the Île de Nantes.
Tip: The season runs April to September only, and the kitchen changes its three plates and two desserts every week.
Prohibition ★ 3.9
€€BouffayTue-Thu 22:00-03:30; Fri-Sat 21:00-03:30; closed Sun-Mon
Prohibition hides a New York bootleg-era cellar under the Bouffay streets of Nantes, cocktails and beer with DJ sets running through until 03:30.
Tip: Doors are late even by Nantes standards, 22:00 midweek and 21:00 at the weekend, and the music starts at 23:00.
Bootlegger ★ 4.2
€€BouffayMon-Tue 18:00-00:00; Wed-Sat 18:00-02:00; closed Sun
Bootlegger works a prohibition theme on Rue Kervégan on the Île Feydeau in Nantes, the bar happy to build cocktails that are not on the card.
Tip: Ask for something off-menu rather than reading the list; happy hour runs 18:00 to 21:00 Monday to Saturday.
L'Univers ★ 3.9
€€GraslinTue-Thu 16:00-02:00; Fri-Sat 16:00-04:00; closed Sun-Mon
L'Univers keeps a speakeasy-styled room off Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau in Nantes, food and concerts early then drinking through to 04:00 at weekends.
Tip: It runs two hours later than most Graslin bars on Friday and Saturday, which makes it a useful second stop.
Le Montecito ★ 3.9
€€BouffayTue-Sun 16:00-02:00; closed Mon
Le Montecito is the gay cocktail bar of Nantes on Allée Duquesne, with drag shows and DJ nights on a programme that changes through the month.
Tip: Monday is the one dark night; it sits close enough to Bouffay to fold into a wider bar crawl.