Le Duplex in Paris's 3e Marais is one of the oldest gay bars on Rue Michel le Comte, now into its 38th year, with a mixed crowd that comes for new wave, disco and conversation rather than a dance floor.
Tip: Quieter than the Rue des Archives strip; arrive before 22:00 for a stool. The smoking terrace is the meeting spot.
Address: 25 Rue Michel le Comte, 75003 Paris
Le Lipstick in Paris's 9e Pigalle is the former hostess bar on Rue Frochot reborn as a cocktail venue with a lesbian-and-queer crowd, vintage furniture and themed weekend DJ nights.
Tip: Thursday is the easier walk-in; Friday-Saturday tables are tight from 22:00. Cocktails €13-15.
Listener in Paris's 2e is the Thomas de Coninck and Jérôme Thomas listening room on Rue Vivienne, with a high-fidelity main room, individual music-nap booths and a wine bar that takes over by evening.
Tip: Book a listening booth 24 hours ahead; the main room is walk-in. Coffee by day shifts to natural-wine pours after 18:00.
Bambino in Paris's 11e is the Fabien Lombardi jazz-kissa listening bar and charcoal-grill tapas room on Rue Saint-Sébastien, with an audiophile system and a neon-lit late-night dance floor after 23:00.
Tip: Dinner seating 19:30-22:30 books out; after 23:00 the tables fold and the room becomes a 60-cap club.
Fréquence in Paris's 11e Bastille is the Matthieu Biron and Guillaume Quenza vinyl-only cocktail bar on Rue Keller, with 1980s funk-and-disco crates and a Japanese-inflected drinks list since 2018.
Tip: Cocktails €13-15; Friday-Saturday DJ sets run to 04:00. The four bar stools at the back are the listening spot.
Le Carmen in Paris's 9e Pigalle is the salons-and-alcoves cocktail bar in the 19th-century Bizet residence on Rue Duperré, with caryatid columns, DJ nights and acoustic sessions until 06:00.
Tip: Closed Sun-Mon; the first salon to the left is the calmer one. Cocktails €14-18.
Le P'tit Garage in Paris's 11e Folie-Méricourt is the petrol-station-themed rock dive on Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, with vintage moto memorabilia, €3 happy-hour pints and a regular gig calendar.
Tip: Happy hour 18:00-21:00, pints €3; live bands most Thursday-Saturday nights from 21:00.