Geneva

Alhambar

A swanky cocktail bar above the Alhambra Theater. Pretty people in a pretty room, usually with a DJ. A small tapas menu early in the evening and a nice brunch on weekends until 14:00.

Mon 12:00-14:00, Tue-Fri 12:00-14:00 and 18:00-02:00, Sat 17:00-02:00, Sun 11:00-00:00

Boréal Coffee Shop

This cozy coffee shop is in the bank district. Espressos, Cappuccinos, Lattes, Renversés, Macchiatos, Mochacinos, ice coffees and teas can be consumed there or take-away. The coffee is great, there is a free WIFI connection. This is the kind of places where you feel like staying hours, lovely!

Bypass

One of the most modern clubs in Geneva, the Bypass is, for lack of a better word, bling-bling. The dance floor swarms with young professionals and, on occasion, corporate parties and the rooms pound with clean house music, hip-hop and R'n'B. This club is not near the city centre, but still just a short taxi ride from it.

Café Demi-Lune

Located in a small street connecting to Place du Bourg-de-Four (Old town), this little café has a very charming attitude and atmosphere. A good place for after dinner drinks with good friends.

Mon-Wed 08:45-16:00, Thu Fri 08:45AM-02:00, Sat Sun 16:00-02:00

Café de la Gare

Of the two restaurants attached to the Hotel Montbrillant this is the pick. The beautifully decorated but unpretentious Café de la Gare captures the laid-back feel of some of the best sidewalk cafés in Paris. It's a great place for dinner as well, with excellent Swiss, French, and Italian offerings.

Open until 23:00 daily·Beer and wine: Fr. 3-4

Grand Duke Pub

One of the oldest English pubs in Geneva. Live sports, wide selection of draught and bottled beers, ciders. More than 5 big television screens are there to watch different sports as well as a good area to play darts. You can enjoy watching sports such as NFL, NBA, Masters Tennis, Football League, Boxing, MLB, NHL, Premier League, and International Rugby union. Also serves lunch specials, burgers, steaks, salads and chips.

Open now · closes 2 am tomorrow

L'Etabli

L'Etabli is a great place to go when the Ferblanterie is packed, or perhaps it's the other way around. This super-friendly little café/bar/wine bar is a great place to meet grad students to help with your French, or to help with their English, or just to argue politics or whatever.

Fr. 3/6 draft/bottle beers. A glass of wine is about the same.

La Clémence

This cozy little bar on the central square of Geneva's old town more than quintuples in size from April until October when it is able to use a huge swath of the place as its terrace. During warm weather it's packed, but is such a lovely and central stopping point that it's worth the wait for a table - check out the gallery on their website. In the winter they have the best vin chaud in town.

11:00-00:00, every day

Le Ferblanterie

The Ferblanterie, or Tinsmith would be one of the coolest bars in just about any town, and it happens to be on a street loaded with cool bars. This is very much a student haunt, and a grungy one in all the right ways. Some of the CDs in the rack above the CD player are by Paulo Conté, Tom Waits, Fugazi, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and Charles Mingus, if that tells you anything.

Fr. 3/6 draft/bottle beers. A glass of wine is about the same

Les Brasseurs

One of the few brew pubs in Geneva, Les Brass serves three flavours of home brew in the usual half pints, pints, and litre glasses or you can go for one of the giant plastic tubes filled with three to five litres. A small menu of pub food and a full restaurant in the back makes it a good spot to waste an evening.

Tue to Sat until 02:00, Sun and Mon until 00:00·Beer: Fr. 3.40-7.40

Les Enfants Terribles

A café bar bicycle-workshop hair salon and wine shop, with a nice lunch tapas buffet and Thursday night jazz in a beautiful post-industrial space with atrium roofs and an olive tree. What is there not to like?

Mulligans Irish Pub

You will be guaranteed a great time at this centrally located pub. Good music most nights. Bands often play on Thursday and Friday evenings. A good lively crowd who know how to party. Guinness, Bulmers, Staropramen, Boddingtons, spirits, shots.

Open now · closes 2 am tomorrow

Pickwicks

One of the half-dozen or so British pubs, Pickwicks claims to be the largest pub in Switzerland. Usually full of football watching expats eating fish and chips while sipping Guinness. Friday and Saturday night usually features live music. A laid-back, friendly spot. One of the best in Geneva for burgers and a dozen draft beers!

Wed-Sat until 02:00, Sun-Tue until 00:00

Remor

Really the best Parisien-style grande café in Geneva. Artwork by University Students and sometimes the Proprietor hang on the wall. They also offer two salads of the day, and a range of ice-cream treats. They screen the best of Swiss film, for free. Fr. 3.50/5.00 draft/bottle beers. Free Wi-fi available.

Saveurs & Couleurs Café

The Grottes neighbourhood of Geneva has long been a centre for creative types, many of whom can be found of an evening enjoying a glass of wine at this comfy little bistro.

Shakers

This club is known for the wild nights within, thanks to its very strong cocktails served in shaker glasses. The dance floor is imposing, but once on it, well known for romantic encounters. Very popular with English speakers.

Weetamix

Although it's not the easiest place to get to, Weetamix is able to attract good, mostly local crowds by consistently booking some of the best cutting-edge talent in electronic music from France, Britain, and the U.S..

Java Club

Inside the Grand Hotel Kempinski

The Zoo at l'Usine

See Moloko Bar under Drink or their homepage.