The booty-shaking Brazilian joint, which now has a London offshoot, is still going strong just north of République. In a long room decorated with Brazilian kitsch and recycled objects, a young crowd gathers nightly to join in the carnival. Shimmy past the tables where delicious waiters in singlets serve large plates of feijoada to get to the crammed dancefloor on which everyone gets down to an eclectic mix that ranges from French chanson to reggae to house. Strong mojitos flow from the bar and the night always ends with people dancing on the tables.

FOLIES PIGALLE

11 place Pigalle, 9th (www.folies-pigalle.com 01-48-785-525. Nearest Métro: Pigalle. Open nightly midnightdawn. After-parties Sat, Sun & Mon mornings 5am-noon. Entry €20 (including 1 drink)

In the heart of saucy Pigalle, this pink-neon-fronted club is a beacon of good times for party people of all persuasions. A weekly schedule of regular nights ranges from R&B on Mondays, to Thursday’s transvestite party, but it’s most famous for its flamboyant afters. Paris’s most beautiful drag queens push the punters off the podium to strut their stuff at intervals, while live drummers keep the tribal house funky. The place is cosy and full to the brim, but you can chill out in front of the air-conditioning machines on the balcony while surveying the scene.

MANDALA RAY

32-34 rue Marbeuf, 8th (www.mandalaray.com 01-56-883-636). Nearest Métro: Franklin D. Roosevelt. Open daily 6pm-2am. Clubbing Fri & Sat midnight-dawn. Entry free (cocktails €12)

A former Art Deco cinema off the Champs-Elysées is the location for this fantastical creation that pays vague homage to the surrealist photographer Man Ray with its stained-glass verrière, gold statues and mosaics. In the mould of Buddha Bar, but still attracting a classy, dressed-up crowd, it has a mezzanine cocktail lounge to start the evening with smooth lounge sounds. At weekends the restaurant tables are cleared at midnight to make way for club nights with their resident DJs. Saturday’s Liquid boasts 128 bpm, while Subliminal Fridays are more laid-back with Pacha DJs among the line-up.

LE PARIS PARIS

5 av de l’Opéra, 2nd (www.leparisparis.com). Nearest Métro: Pyramides. Open Tues-Sat midnight-dawn; closed Sun & Mon. Entry free (drinks €20)

A former hostess club in the centre of town has been converted into this delicious space that hosts a spill-over crowd from the hot but exclusive Le Baron. A fibreoptic-lit stairway descends to the spacious dancefloor surrounded by slinky leather seating. Live rock concerts, electro and up-and-coming DJs are part of the scene, and arty acolytes from the concept shop Colette, independent record labels and the fashion world let their hair down — as far as French people can do, that is: watching Parisians move an eyebrow to Motörhead provides endless amusement.

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