EBG Rating: 7.5/10

Choice/Quality of Drinks:
❤️❤️❤️❤️

Style/Décor:
❤️❤️❤️

Atmosphere/Character:
❤️❤️❤️❤️

Amenities/Events:
❤️❤️❤️❤️

Value For Money:
❤️❤️❤️

Description:
The district of La Guillotiere is one of Lyon’s bar areas, with a series of streets between Jean-Mace and Gambetta metro stations dotted with eateries and watering holes.

L’Atenium is one of the most successful and renowned bar-a-jeux venues, a craze which swept through France in the late 00s onwards. Yes, it’s a board games bar, where the format reaches over from being a bar with some games on a shelf to an organised, specific meeting place for that.

You shouldn’t feel like you can’t arrive for a drink and a chat – you absolutely can, but board games are encouraged and you do feel a little out on a limb if you’re solo or not partaking, which in my view is a slight detraction from the casual nature of the pub which should at all times be fostered above niche interests.

Nevertheless, with a decent choice of drinks, a pleasant environment and vibrant crowd, L’Atenium is a worthy addition and a fine example of what is an undeniable craze sweeping the nation of an intensity and coverage unparalleled around Europe.

Added March 2026