Angers Nightlife

The cozy little Irish pub is as authentic as it gets, right down to the Irish barman. A little hard to find unless you know where it is. Great mix of locals and internationals. Brand new beer garden for the smokers with plenty of seating and heaters. Back of the bar has a dart board where a lot of euros have been lost on bets! Televisions with all the best matches on. Live Irish music some Fridays. Fantastic beer selection and a tight group of bar regulars. Don't be worried that you won't be accepted though. Walk right up to the bar and strike up a conversation with Pat (the barman)! Home away from home for any english speakers in Angers.

We got talked into going to a nightclub one night.
We all gathered at the Place de Ralliement and got picked up by the club's bus. 20 minutes later we were there, a little place way outside the city.
The place wasn't bad but we realized too late that we were locked in and had no way to get back til the buses started running again at 4-5 a.m.
Heather and I were the first ones on the first bus back.
What a night!
Just beware when you take a bus to a bar/nightclub! You may not be able to get back out!!!

The trend for 'Irish' themed bars has very much reached Angers. You will find a selection of them in various parts of the city.
On Boulevard Foch, there is Matt Murphy's, which is impossible to miss with its green painted front, situated beside Casa de Cuba. I have to be honest, not much is Irish about this pub (although they make a good effort by playing plenty of U2!), but it has a good food menu, and being quite big, it usually has a busy atmosphere. A good place to watch sports matches in the afternoon, but pretty ordinary at night.
At the bottom end of Boulevard Foch - head in the opposite direction from the train station, and it's facing the Mercure hotel and the Jardin des plants - there is the James Joyce. Like Falstaff, the James Joyce is popular with international students, and if the weather is good you can enjoy a drink on the outdoor decking. The bar's interior is spacious and high-ceilinged, with plenty of seating situated around the edges of the large, central bar. Live music is a speciality (there was of course, a U2 tribute band on St Patrick's Day when I was there!), and they also play a lot of Irish music, mixed in with popular tunes of the day. The James Joyce has a great atmosphere on most nights of the week, and also gets very lively during sports matches on the big screen!
Billed - accurately - 'the only real Irish bar in Angers', the Inishmore is just off Rue Bressigny, on a wee dark street called Rue Chateaugontier - about half way down, where you might miss it if you weren't looking for it. The bar's patron is Irish, so you can't get more authentic than that, and the bar is popular both with locals and internationals. It is quite small inside, with much of the back area of the pub usually taken up by locals playing darts (it gets very intense!), but the music is great and there are occasionally live bands playing traditional Irish music. Sports matches are also shown here, including the Superbowl, so it is very popular with visiting Americans. Also one of the few places in Angers to have Stella on tap haha! A lively wee pub all in all. Word of warning to the girls though, be wary of staying too late and being plied with free drinks, as certain parties have been known to try to take advantage. Don't let this put you off completely though, because this is true of most places, and the Inish is worth a visit.
Another Irish pub I've been to is quite simply titled: 'L'irlandais'. Once again, there isn't much Irish about this pub, but the crowd is usually young and a range of cocktails are available.
Apologies if I have missed any Irish bars out, there may be some I didn't find!

La Plage is a nightclub situated just below street level, with an unusual facade. Inside, it is quite small, and the dancefloor can get very cramped and hot, but on nights when it's not ridiculously busy, it can be really fun. On my visits to the club, I heard a good mix of French, British and American music, with styles varying from R&B, and pop to salsa.
I had some fantastic nights in La Plage, but I should warn that the drinks can be pricey, and the doorstaff seem to operate a VIP/regulars only policy at times (I have noticed that large groups with more males than females seem to get turned away most often). Staff are also very strict about use of their cloakroom, eg handbags are not allowed on the floor, but this is understandable when the club is very busy. A big plus is that it's free to get in, so if you're on a budget, you could perhaps enjoy your drinks elsewhere before turning up.

Dress Code: Usual nightclub attire, but probably err on the side of smart.

Salsa dancing is hugely popular in Angers, and many of the bars have salsa nights (usually a Thursday) where you can turn up and join in! Some of the nights are frequented by experts, for example Soft Bar on Rue Bressigny, so it can be quite intimidating if you are a beginner, but some bars such as Casa de Cuba on Boulevard Foch offer informal, free lessons at the start of each salsa night.

Dress Code: Clothes you can dance in!

The best place for foreigners is Falstaff, a jumping international bar festooned with flags, where you can order your drink in English (if necessary) and still share in the drunken exuberance of a French crowd! Needless to say, Falstaff is hugely popular with international students, and it's open late. The music is mainly whatever is in the charts at the time, but sometimes there are bands too, and the dancefloor is usually heaving either way.

Dress Code: No dress code.

This is a cozy bar on Rue St. Laud really close to la Place du Ralliement. A great atmosphere for just lounging and drinking. They have their own specialty called, not surprisingly, "the sunset" which is a mixture of some citrus juices and probably rum, I dunno. Pretty good and one of the cheapest drinks on the menu. It's also a great place to meet the locals and for foreign students to socialize. There's probably still a short goofy guy named Rafael that works there. Tell him I said Hi. Indoor and outdoor seating is plentiful.

Dress Code: come as you are...

Le Snooker is a billiard type game that involves all solid color balls and a table much like that of a pool table. I don't remember the rules really but we had a Frenchman explain the rules and we played a couple of games. I think we only returned once but the establishment itself was very nice. They had a bar inside with the usuals on tap, Kronenburg, Bruges and Pelforth, the front room had a few couches even, a nice area to chill out. I definitely recommend it for a relaxed night out.

Dress Code: come as you are...