The fact that they serve the best pint of Guinness in town would be reason alone to come to this pocket-sized Irish pub, right in view of the Canal Saint Martin. The warm, friendly atmosphere and genial welcome by Kevin, the owner, makes one want to come back again and again, as do the delicious toasties, jacket potatoes, and communicating shop, Scrumptious, full of British and Irish goodies. There's also darts, a book exchange and football nights. What more could you ask for? AM

The Robuchon empire just got another Left Bank outpost – this time in the form of a one-stop wine shop. With its moody black façade and minimalist shelving units, the newly opened Cave de Joël Robuchon, just a hop, skip and a jump from his trendy Atelier, is as slick as his other enterprises. Surprisingly friendly and knowledgeable staff make a welcome change from his curt employees over the way – but let’s face it, the place still exudes an air of oenological ostentiousness. Take a peek downstairs – although the law requires a member of staff to accompany you for security purposes – at a selection of over 6,000 wines. If you are after something with the gastronomic legend’s touch, look out for the sélectionné par… label on the Bordeaux wines. FU

A welcome addition to the trendifying Goncourt area is this new café/bar run by a multitalented trio. Frédéric painted the 60s-psychedelia influenced murals, Jean-Michel (alias DJ Choum) programs the music and Laurence looks after the food. Large, light and spacious, the place has a good energy with a host of activities possible and a local branché crowd. By day you can lunch on light and healthy plats such as millefeuille of aubergine and a smoked salmon assiette, or use one of three Internet posts or wi-fi (free with a drink). By night it has a lounge atmosphere and on certain days collectives are invited in to host evenings of music, art and video work. They also screen documentary films. On the night we visited a large English-speaking contingent was hanging out to experimental sounds and images – it had the atmosphere of a creative agency at work as the DJs and VJs worked from their laptops at the back and people networked for professional and personal gain. Alcohol is only served with food, but this is not a knockback as the non-alcoholic cocktails are simply heavenly – try the passionfruit and coconut Jazz Man (5.50€). The sunset behind the Hôpital St Louis is apparently lovely to behold, but maybe ‘santé’ is not the most appropriate toast. Bottoms up, perhaps?

The world’s fifth ice bar (yes, a bar built of solid ice!) materialising in La Chapelle sounded like some alien invasion, but this place looks set to turn the ultra-grunge quarter into the Hoxton of Paris. Located inside the new hotel, the Kube Rooms, you can get cosy on their faux-fur sofas before donning Quicksilver snowboarding gear in the red acclimatisation room. Inside the bar upbeat electro and bursts of Cossack music keep the trendy crowd moving as they down flavoured Grey Goose vodka shots from cube-shaped ice glasses. The atmosphere is very London with the rush of a limited time-span and the weird sensory perception in the –6ª chill.

This institution has been serving up cheap and cheerful drinks for years now to a colourful, local crowd. Its pink neon glow softens any of the grungier details, and gives licence to all manner of excesses. On the edge of Belleville’s Chinatown and open late, it’s a noisy pitstop for washing down a bowl of pho, or a plate of Singapore noodles from The President across the road. The basement, rechristened the Zorba Zoo (you’ll see why), has been hosting an eclectic, and essentially free, musical programme of audacious DJs, acoustic guitar fiddling and assorted warbling since September.

Sweaty, hardly anywhere to sit, one loo with the door breaking off... no one comes here for the decor. With a raucous rock atmosphere, this is the shabby-chic venue for impromptu gigs and a sly drink or two, and Herman Dune, Daniel Johnston, Jeffrey Lewis and others play here when they're in town. Popular with the quartier's hip, international crowd, you can order a pint here without getting a funny look. The number of shaggy haired types and little girls in leggings and second-hand shoes can get tiresome though, and during fashion week you'll find more beautiful faces per square metre than is right or good, as the male models' favourite hotel is just across the road. Otherwise, the Pop In rocks every night with an unpretentious, loyal following.