Authenticity can be a hard thing to come by these days, unless you happen to stroll past 8, rue Laplace. A motley mix of music (both live and spun from the decks), reasonably priced drinks and genuinely nice bartenders puts this Latin Quarter stalwart one rebellious streak ahead of more image-conscious bars in Paris. Some of the décor looks produced from a drunken rock star’s hotel room party (broken televisions!) and the walls choke on old celebrity photos and tattered music posters.

Like any true delinquent, this place refuses to be typecast. The weekly live music and DJ schedule rotates between gothic, jazz, rock and classic ‘80s and a raucous, pint-sipping, student crowd mingles with a more tranquil thirty-something following. And if all this doesn’t tempt you along, perhaps the possible sighting of Johnny Depp sipping an Amstel will.