Cloak yourself in darkness at the goth-punk staple of the Quartier Latin. A strung out clientele of mixed ages watches the generations of posters peeling off the walls. … Le Piano Vache is a good place to meet your clandestine fuck buddy and down a few glasses of cheap wine before you head out to pursue tainted love.[link]

A Science Po (Parisian grande école of political science) and Commerce (business school) crowd cuts itself loose from stressful schedules by downing pint after … pint like it's their job. We're not quite sure if the posters of dated rock stars in the cozy cave are meant to be ironic or not. But don't let that stop you from shaking your hips to grimly chosen tunes and picking up the less than attractive boys and girls with albeit prosperous futures.[link]

The ultimate Parisian fashionista bar is no secret but certainly needs to be included among any list of dives. Be prepared to get thoroughly ignored and thoroughly … mistreated by the thoroughly rude staff. Lines to the bathroom are usually long, and the place is more often than not crowded beyond capacity, but the mediocre drinks are cheap and the people are beautiful. What else could you want?[link]

High schoolers and fresh college students crowd in with dubious groups of middle-aged men in crumpled suits, bumping elbows on sticky tables. The atmosphere is rowdy as … the kids enjoy their first taste of freedom, well on their merry way to crushing hangovers.[link]

Just off the place du Panthéon, the well-located Bombardier is an Anglophone expat staple. Excellent tap beer can be had for cheap during a generous happy hour. The … décor is reminiscent of your grandma's basement in the Midwest -- trying to be classy but forever stuck in the bad taste of yesteryear. A small sidewalk terrace makes the whole thing a lot more palatable.[link]

Located on a side street of rue du Faubourg du Temple, the 9 Billiards is an old PMU cum hipster dive which enjoyed its heyday of fame a few years ago. Offering a monthly … rotation of funk/soul, electro rock, and hip hop nights as well as occasional short film screenings and dance classes, the 9B provides a pleasing variety of entertainment to keep the hip kids happy. Half pints and glasses of wine are around €2.50, the crowd is easy, and bathroom hookups are common. On Sunday nights, you can even play a tranquil round of pool.[link]