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The Lowdown
Strasbourg, Capital of the Alsace, a bitterly fought over region of France, and you’ll find more than just a hint of Germany to the city’s architecture, whether that’s the Medieval timber-framed ensemble of Petite France to the grand Imperial projects around Place de la Republique. The similarity extends to its cuisine: hearty pork and sauerkraut dishes, and dry white wines. Don’t be fooled by anything called Bierstub or Winstub in the city centre, they have long ceased to be pubs and are simply restaurants by any measure. This is an more extreme progression than the Estaminets in Lille which demand you order food but feel otherwise very pubby.
Strasbourg’s nightlife is where things start feeling more French. Typically quirky café bars and use of additions to beer – Picon and Cynar are ubiquitous and telltale, while even the beer-focused venues do not have a hint of Germania about them.
The city centre is easily traversable on foot, although there are frequent trams if you want to make use of them, while cycling is common too – you won’t find much car traffic in the centre.
Lastly, Strasbourg is an affluent city and remains a relatively expensive option, so don’t expect too many bargains and it’s sensible to budget to be paying London city centre prices mostly everywhere you go.
The Route Map:
Across from the Medieval Grande-Île is our starting point near the Place de la Republique, a distinctly different district of Strasbourg. Wide boulevards, statement civic buildings of culture and administration. So jarring is it, it’s almost like being transported to another town. All those young academics working nearby need a bolthole to relax and socialise – and here is where we begin!
Stop #1 is La Taverne Française 🇫🇷
12 Av. de la Marseillaise
The name of this effortlessly stylish bar seems pointed in amongst the 19th century German architecture and the even older Germanic timber frame buildings of the city centre. Upon entering there can be no mistake that you’re in the realm of the French. A corner café with a liberal/left leaning, friendly, multi-cultural and social, with people playing games, or sat reading a book or enjoying a chat with drinks. It is most certainly a bar, however as the late opening times will attest to. Lived-in, personalised and beloved, you’ll find it is well-subscribed morning, afternoon and evening any day of the week. The drinks selection offers a broad enough range, with Cynar and Picon bottles standing ready to turn your beer into an Alsace speciality.
Exit left and take the next left across Pont de la Poste onto the Grande-Île, Strasbourg’s core. The Rue des Juif heading South west takes you to the Cathedral square, a good moment to take pictures and sightsee. The iconic picture down Rue Mercière looking back at the enormous façade is one of Europe’s greatest architectural spectacles.
Cross Place Gutenberg admiring the statue of one of Strasbourg’s famous sons (also claimed by several other towns), and not so much the car park exit they’ve decided should occupy it. You’re a short amble down a side street to our next destination.
Stop #2 is Brasserie de la Lanterne 🇫🇷
5 Rue de la Lanterne
Picture a Central European beer hall and it will probably be a huge cloistered banqueting venue with high ceilings, huge communal tables and platters the size of golf bunkers being ferried back and forth. Not so here, a cheerfully compact brewpub with a drinks and social focus. If you are interested in eating, their Tarte Flambée is an easy and cheap lunch, but otherwise grab a brew and sit among a venue that mixes modern and familiar charms effectively.
Exit the way you came but take the road west up the Grand Rue until you reach the canal. Cross the Pont National where you will see a café bar on the corner, our next stop.
Stop #3 is Kitsch’n 🇫🇷
8 Quai Charles Altorffer
An appropriate play-on-words, this bar is an eclectic celebration of retro domesticity, from a wall of clocks from the 50s through to the 80s to a ceiling exhibit full of ladles, tongs and other instruments that is downright bizarre. Kitsch certainly plays its part too, from the amusingly bad taste framed cross-stitch to stuffed animals. Colourful and quirky, but this isn’t the only string to its bow. A superior range of beers on tap offers an excuse for any beer lover to drop in, while it is also a good place to get some lunch if you fancy. Casual with a great atmosphere. Typically French, another good counterpoint to Strasbourg’s very Germanic exterior.
It’s a short walk back along Pont National and following the tram lines North East to Strasbourg’s epicurean highlight!
Stop #4 is Le Grincheux 🇫🇷
27 Rue du Vieux-Marché-aux-Vins
Beer geeks, whisky lovers, rum aficionados, stop, look and listen. Here is the place to go if you just want the best of those available. The pub is covered in blackboards listing each option and these start at pleasantly unusual to the very top of the line rare products. Whether it’s tap takeovers from unusual Czech breweries, 80 year old whiskies or obscure Rums, this is a paradise for people seeking something different and distinctive. The bar itself is a curio, the outdated frontage and automatic doors not the most auspicious start, but on entry you’ll find a wood-strip tavern and a casual atmosphere with darts, table football, pretzels served with the drinks and very down-to-earth service. It was one we found ourselves going back to time and again. Be sure not to arrive too early though as it opens only from late afternoon.
Our next walk takes us through what is possibly Strasbourg’s most famous district, Petite France. Heading south to the waterside you will suddenly be met by a large ensemble of tall timber frame houses and cobbled streets, with the iconic towers of Strasbourg on the bridge to the West. It’s a beautiful place to take photos and have a romantic evening stroll, if that’s your thing. The former Vauban dam has a roof terrace that remains open until 8pm which has some great views. After that, wander through the alleys of Petite France to our next venue.
Stop #5 is LAÀB – L’Amer À Boire 🇫🇷
1 Rue du Bain Finkwiller
Balancing old town charm, folk traditions and relevant contemporary culture, this bar with its unusually fiddly name gets fiddly inside with regular live music performances and events. The get-togethers can be very informal (as so often works the best) and won’t impinge on your socialising. A spacious yet cosy and convivial cabin interior with some very interesting beer options from small, independent regional breweries. Gathering some of the best from old and new, with helpful friendly service, and a sense of local life, there is a lot to recommend about this place.
As the evening lengthens, it’s time to step up the pace for the final few venues, and we’re heading along the canal back into the old town. On the corner of the Place des Tripiers is our next and final beer related stop.
Stop #6 is Les Berthom 🇫🇷
18 Rue des Tonneliers
A successful chain that came to prominence in the middle of the last decade, focusing on evening socialising, good beer selection and an intimate environment. A lot of chains would work towards opening out more space, adding food and driving down choice, but this has proven a successful format. Lively and a little towny without becoming obnoxious, you can feel among the city centre crowd here while enjoying their selection of Belgian beers on tap.
Only a hop, skip & jump away from our penultimate stop. Walk through the archway on the far side of the square to Rue du Vieil-Hôpital and turn left. Push the button for entry when you arrive.
Stop #7 is Code Bar 🇫🇷
39 Rue du Vieil-Hôpital
Somewhat of a feather in Strasbourg’s cap, Code Bar is an award-winning Manhattan dive bar wannabe with an energetic and very atmospheric bar area – unfortunately also one that is very small. If you’re determined to get a chair at the bar then we advise turning up promptly at opening time, even if that messes up this route. It is the place to be with a sense of theatre and performance in front of you and a characterful interior that does add Gallic flair to what is otherwise an often hard-nosed or austere format.
Stop #8 is Aedaen Speakeasy 🇫🇷
4 Rue des Aveugles, 67000 Strasbourg, France
And finally! If you’ve made it this far, well done! This is a hidden bar, so read the following carefully. Enter a pizza bar next to Aedaen Place, walk through and to the back where you will see a doorframe with a ledge and small bookshelf. This disguises the entrance to this hidden cocktail bar. Pull the shelf and enter through a hatch into this retrofitted space of plush furnishings, giant moose heads and Alice In Wonderland cocktails. Trout eggs, roast chicken? Don’t be surprised to see these featuring in your drinks. Expensive? Sure, but as a treat or a one-off, you won’t forget it.
Should any of the above 8 venues be closed or full we have a series of recommended backup venues for you!
Other recommendations:
La Perestroïka 🇫🇷 Retro Soviet chic, friendly service, more democratic prices and a multicultural crowd in this lived-in, if sometimes edgy bar.
Royal 26 🇫🇷 Cosy, twinkly modern wine bar with an interesting selection and personal service.
Brasserie La Schloss 🇫🇷 Rebooted Bierstub which remains pubby while taking on some more modern elements.
L’Alchimiste 🇫🇷 Ramshackle, unpretentious Druid-themed cocktail bar with some amusing and typically French touches.
Jeannette et les Cycleux 🇫🇷 – Friendly, come-one-come-all colourful café bar with retro cycling theme, a good broad drinks selection and handy location.
La Mandragore 🇫🇷 A top tip that was closed on our visit. Eclectica, taxidermy, beer and cocktails in a distinctive small bar.
Le Local 🇫🇷 Steampunk influenced bar with a fun energy and good selection of French craft beers.
Maison Citoyenne 🇫🇷 Based in Neudorf district, easy to reach by tram, this cultural centre is ad hoc, independent and volunteer-led with a personalised flavour and alternative crowd.
Interested in more French bars?
Head over to our France 🇫🇷 page!