Student-leaning, southerly Saint-Croix sits between the river and Gare Saint-Jean, with cheap bistros, late kebabs and the Cours de la Marne lined with quick eats.
La Zoologie in Bordeaux's Saint-Croix is the bistronomic hotel restaurant near Gare Saint-Jean, with a weekly market menu, a quiet leafy terrace and a tight.
Signature: Weekly market tasting, Aquitaine produce
Tip: The hotel courtyard terrace is the best summer table; the €32 lunch menu changes every Monday.
Point Rouge in Bordeaux's Saint-Croix is the cocktail bar and restaurant in a wing of Chateau Descas, with a menu of around 100 cocktails that walks.
Signature drink: House cocktails across 200 years of history
Food: Tapas and charcuterie
Tip: The lounge upstairs is the calmer drinking room; the kitchen of chef Christophe Girardot is the dinner-only sister.
Fiesta Latina in Bordeaux's Saint-Croix is the Quai de Paludate salsa club, with free salsa lessons before the floor opens and a regular Latin-American DJ.
Tip: Free salsa class from 21:00 every Friday; entry from 22:00, drinks from €8.
Rock School Barbey in Bordeaux's Saint-Croix is the 700-capacity standing-room venue on Cours Barbey that has booked touring rock, indie and electronic acts.
Tip: Tickets typically €18 to €35 on the venue site; the upper balcony is the easier sightline for tall bands.
Le Comptoir du Jazz in Bordeaux's Saint-Croix is the long-running live-music bar on Quai de Paludate, with nightly jazz sets from 21:30, a working dinner.
Tip: No cover most weeknights; the front stools fill by 21:00 for the first set so arrive early.