Montpellier's year-round vitality supports a variety of restaurants and bars to suit all budgets and tastes. Cafés line every square while some of the more expensive restaurants use the city's ancient interiors to stunning effect. And Montpellier's youthful population ensures an energetic bar and nightclub scene right through to the early hours.There's always plenty of drinking activity in the place de la Comédie, place du Marché-aux-Fleurs and place Jean-Jaurès, and good options are O'Carolans Irish pub, south of rue Foch at 5 rue du Petit-Scel, and Antidote, a snappy bar on place de la Canourgue, which attracts the arty set. The Café de la Mer, at 5 place de Marché-aux-Fleurs, is a popular, gay-friendly establishment with a busy terrace. Still the old perennial for late-night dancing and live gigs is the Rockstore near the station at 20 rue de Verdun (tel 04.67.58.70.10), while Le Crypt, on place Jean-Jaurès, and Cargo, on place St-Denis, offer techno and blues respectively. In addition to clubs and bars, Montpellier has a very lively theatre and music scene, as well as a tradition of engaging café-littéraires on a variety of themes; Le César at 17 place Nombre d'Or (tel 04.67.20.27.02) hosts two such cafés, the café des femmes and the café des arts, held 6.30–8.30pm on the first and third Monday of each month, respectively. For what's on at the various venues, look for posters around town or check the free weekly Listings magazines, Le Sortir and Olé.
Pages in section ‘Restaurants’: Restaurants and cafés.
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