North of the Ecusson across the Boulevard Louis Blanc, a residential grid built around its own daily market square. Locals shop here rather than in the covered halls, and the bars stay neighbourhood-scaled.
L'Écailler des Beaux-Arts runs a fishmonger's counter and seafood kitchen on Rue de la Cavalerie in Montpellier, platters, grilled lobster and scallops.
Order: A shellfish platter of Thau oysters, clams and prawns
Tip: It works fishmonger hours, so an early seafood dinner beats arriving at 21:00; platters reward pre-ordering.
Ô Pain Délicieux has baked organic natural-leaven campagne, complet and olive breads on Rue Bernard Délicieux in the Beaux-Arts quarter since 2016.
Tip: It closes over lunch on weekdays, so time your visit for the afternoon bake from 16:00.
Worth the queue: Pain aux olives
Gabriel Créateur de Gourmandises works classic French pâtisserie on Boulevard Louis Blanc in Montpellier, tarts and entremets in short daily runs.
Tip: In January the frangipane galette is the reason locals queue here; Sunday mornings sell through fast all year.
Worth the queue: Galette frangipane in season
Le Parfum builds cocktails around lychee, jasmine tea and wasabi on Rue de la Cavalerie in Montpellier, with dim sum on the side until 01:00.
Signature drink: Floral and infusion cocktails
Food: Dim sum
Tip: The dim sum plus perfumed-cocktail pairing is the point; treat it as a late dinner-and-drinks stop in Beaux-Arts.
La Barbote brews and pours its own beer on Rue des Deux Ponts in the Beaux-Arts quarter, a microbrewery bar open every single evening until 01:00.
Signature drink: House-brewed beers
Tip: It opens seven nights, rare for a brewery bar; go early for a seat, the room is small and local.
L'Écailler des Beaux-Arts shucks through fishmonger hours on Rue de la Cavalerie in Montpellier, platters and grilled fish straight off the counter.
Try: Oysters and seafood platters
Tip: Come at fishmonger pace: early evening for a dozen oysters and a glass beats queuing for a full dinner table.
La Barbote brews in the middle of Montpellier and pours its beers across the bar on Rue des Deux Ponts every evening of the week until 01:00.
Tip: The rare city-centre brewery you can walk to after dinner; arrive before 21:00 for a table.
The Marché des Beaux-Arts is the small daily food market on its namesake square in Montpellier, a handful of stalls anchoring the village-like quarter.
Tip: Pair a morning shop with a coffee on the square; the quarter's bakeries and bistros sit within two streets.
La Barbote brews on site in the Beaux-Arts quarter and keeps the taps running to 01:00 every night, a neighbourhood brewpub rather than a centre-city bar.
Try: House-brewed beer and simple plates
Tip: It sits north of the boulevards near Place des Beaux-Arts, a ten-minute walk from Comedie.