The best bars and cafés Cherbourg-En-Cotentin

The place is impossible to miss, located right in the city centre. Café Pompon is certainly one of the best tea rooms in the city and also offers a very popular lunchtime catering service, mainly with quiches and salads: it's good, it's fresh and full of flavour. And if you see a lot of people coming and going during your time here, it's only natural, because Café Pompon also offers delicious pastries, including the famous "cake pompon": a lemon cake whose recipe is jealously guarded.

In the narrow, pedestrian Rue des Fossés, well known to night owls, lies this reggae, ragga and hip-hop-oriented venue, frequented by a clientele of regulars, many of them young! Atmosphere guaranteed, with tropical rums and beers at the heart of a well-thought-out, highly professional offering. The music is in tune with the atmosphere, and the place often hosts great painting exhibitions. There's no denying that this establishment has become one of Cherbourg's must-visit nightspots in just a few years!

More of a snack than a restaurant, the place offers hot or cold sandwiches, salads, croques, for modest prices. Most of the products are fresh and when they are frozen (which is the case for a very small part), we tell you: something rare enough to be noticed! In addition to the low prices, the welcome is energetic and efficient. And what a pleasure to have lunch on the terrace, in this car-free zone, enjoying the view of the city! Conclusion: a good plan, efficient, cheap and which will give you full satisfaction.

L'Eldorado is an innovative bar that brews its own beer, in a choice of blond, white or brown. The establishment offers a wide range of beers from all over the world, as well as numerous whiskies. It also has its own microbrewery. A must for all beer lovers. Last but not least, the place has billiards tables, which stretch along the vast bay window, and is very popular with the young people of Cherbourg. The atmosphere is lively, especially at weekends: not to be missed!

If the name is reminiscent of a famous film, the interior is quite different, except for a few subtle reminders. There's no cauldron here, just a vast choice of beers and drinks created on the premises - starting with some excellent arranged rums - in a very urban atmosphere, with warm red bricks and wood, right in the heart of downtown Cotentin. It's a lively, friendly place, and we heartily recommend a visit, preferably with friends!

It's the city's meeting place on the terrace. Of course, there are plenty of them in the city, but this one is special: on the corner of several pedestrian streets, it's the perfect vantage point from which to observe city life! The cosy interior is just as lively, with a wide range of cocktails (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), teas, freshly-squeezed fruit, aperitifs (which can also be served with a board), wines... For lunch, simple, effective dishes. Note that lunchtime priority is immediately given to those who are having lunch.

Far from the Montmartre hill, Chat Noir has nothing to do with some cabaret... If it is not perhaps the wink on the posters on the walls! Celebrate bar with rum in Cherbourg and especially popular, the atmosphere is friendly and warm. Many wines by the glass are offered as beers and other drinks... with or without alcohol! But pure or arranged, here, rum is king! Sit at the bar, restaurant or try part of darts at the foot of the bar! The curse of the Chat Noir will not take place tonight.

This brand-new bar is the latest addition to the Cherbourg nightlife scene. Its original name comes from the unshakeable friendship between nine young locals who decided to launch their own place. And what a place it is! The old establishment has been completely revamped, the whole place is brighter, and the different types of draught beer and other cocktails are not to blame for the promising crowds from the very first days of opening. Open in the evenings, the place also offers a few concerts, just to get the atmosphere going!

It's not to be missed, with its vast blue storefront, and it's one of Cherbourg's hottest spots! This Drifter is in fact a vast bar that opens directly onto the central square, and adapts its opening hours on Thursdays to allow those finishing the market to come in for a drink afterwards! On a more regular basis, the place is packed with entertainment: karaoke, concerts by small local bands, but also "Irish sessions": music and beers included! And don't forget that you can also have a snack on site!

A very nice place in the city centre, where the atmosphere is always present: the Black Dog Café is indeed one of the must-see places of the Cherbourg night. Here, we like to have fun, we like rock, and we proudly claim it! The music flows freely, as do the drinks, starting with the beers and whiskies which are offered in quantity. On match nights, whether it's football or rugby, the atmosphere goes up another level. Many people come here to have an aperitif with friends, with the excellent homemade terrines to nibble on.

Unmissable in the city, it overlooks the Place du Théâtre - also called Place du Général de Gaulle - which it adjoins. The Café du Théâtre is obviously a nice restaurant, a beautiful delicatessen, but also a bar and tea room in which you will take the time for a nice interlude. You can sit down here, in this very cosy place, and let yourself go to the discussion or to the contemplation. The vast choice of ice creams (there are about forty of them) and small sweet flavours will be just the right thing to accompany your moment.

A well-known establishment here, which has a few decades on the clock, and which remains one of the best places to have a cheap lunch. Le Moderne, it's a daily lunch menu, prepared on the spot with good products, a meat or a fish, and for a really cheap price. The service is very fast, nice, and benefits from one of the most beautiful sunny terraces, facing the theatre on this huge square. Be careful with the crowd, because if the employees do their best to find you a place, at lunchtime it's very crowded!

This nice little bar located in front of the harbour was taken over by Camille and Maxime at the end of 2022, and the Narval quickly found a large clientele! Aperitifs are organised, a brewery service - to be tested - has been added, the decoration has been redone, and this tobacconist's stays open late! Many are the night smokers who come to refuel there: be careful not to park in double line on the quay, estimating that the purchase of a pack of cigarettes will only take a few seconds: the police are watching!

You didn't dare to sing in karaoke for fear of performing in public? That excuse is now over! Because Raccoon Karaoke, which opened its doors here a few months ago, is a new kind of karaoke, whose concept has proven itself in many cities! Here, you reserve a room that you and your friends will enter, and you'll be isolated from other aspiring singers so you can sing without worrying about the rest! The place also offers drinks: ideal for a convivial evening.

This Cherbourg nightlife institution is one of the city's must-sees, tucked away in a little alleyway near the outer harbor. The venue prides itself on offering frequent events, such as blind tests, open mic sessions and evenings dedicated to improvisational theater. Many people also come here for the many concerts, most of which are rock concerts. The venue, which is vast and can be partly privatized, continues to be popular and successful. You can't miss this venue on your festive tour of the city.

If bars in station areas aren't always to be recommended, here's one that makes a difference! Skøll, which opened its doors a few months ago, is a lively little spot. At the helm is Levent, who fell under the city's spell and, when the opportunity arose, didn't hesitate for a moment to take over an old establishment and carry out extensive renovations, now offering games, themed evenings, and a great brasserie service with good value for money.

The successor to 5bis, Le Bohème is set to make its mark on Cherbourg evenings. Le Bohème was inaugurated with great fanfare at the beginning of April, giving us reason to believe that the place should indeed quickly find a young, festive and good-natured clientele. In this magnificent, totally redecorated place, with its mismatched furniture creating a unique atmosphere, you come here to have a drink, listen to good music, enjoy an atmosphere that often promises to be festive - in short, to have fun. We quickly recommend that you head for Rue Christine.

As work on the Place du Général de Gaulle (known here as the Place du Théâtre) draws to a close, as the Petit Futé team completes this guide, a new café has been added to the range. And not just any café! After 17 years under the well-known name of Scapin, the place has become Café Belleplace! Under the leadership of two friends, who took the opportunity to paint the pretty shopfront blue, the place remains a must for a drink and, in fine weather, to enjoy the beautiful terrace!

Easy to find, the Playground has taken over from the venerable Solier, an institution of Cherbourg nightlife for decades. With a new look and new offerings, the place has changed, but retains the friendly spirit that has long characterised it. Customers can enjoy delicious platters with a drink at the end of the day, the cocktails are good and fresh, and on match nights, the place comes alive to the rhythm of sports broadcasts. A successful gamble, then, for a place we've been missing for a long time!

A bar by day, the place was taken over a few months ago by a dynamic couple who have kept the fundamentals while adding their own touch. Come here for a drink or one of the marvellous pastries served during the day, or enjoy a slice of pizza (presented in a colourful display case), which you can take away. All day long, from Tuesday to Saturday, the place never gets empty, and the terrace is very popular in summer on this busy street in downtown Cherbourg.