Squeezed in between a sex shop, a taqueria and two auto repair shops, this miraculous little bar has breathed life into a rather bolshy part of the main road where, let’s be honest, no one used to stop by for a drink. Running the show? Scot Megan Moore, whose fiery ginger tresses were once spotted at Livingston, and who now honors the memory of the late owner, Laurence, so faithfully that she’s barely changed a thing (faux leather banquette and booth seating, a plywood counter, La Marseillaise newspaper hot off the press, an open kitchen for chatting with the regulars, and pure Weegie-Provençal banter flying across the room). In short, it’s an authentic neighborhood dive, the kind where you squat the bar for a scalding hot espresso (€1.70), a carajillo (coffee with rum, €5) or a cheeky wee half-pint (Kohlneim lager from the Brasserie du Castellet, €3.50 for 330 ml), before heading to the back room for a game of pool or sticking around at the bar for a bottle of natural local wine (like Plan B, a white from Les Maoù, €29), paired with some tasty “scran” (focaccia, beef salami, sardines). Enjoy it all surrounded by a right motley crowd, from local mechanics to UK cool-kids. At lunch, the weekly menu excels in its simplicity: risotto on Monday, roast chicken on Tuesday and clams on Thursday… And the landlord’s smile? All day, every day. // Folayemi Abimbola