Lille has an excellent bar scene anchored in Vieux-Lille and the student areas south of the city centre. The local drink is Jenever (Flemish gin) or one of the northern French craft beers from regional breweries — Trois Monts, Jenlain, and Ch'ti are the names to know. Café terraces on the Grand'Place are the expensive option; the smaller bars on Rue Royale, Rue Masséna, and around the Place du Lion d'Or are more local in character and significantly cheaper.
The student area near the universities south of the city is dense with bars targeting the substantial university population. Wazemmes has a separate nightlife of its own — several music bars and concert venues that programme West African, Maghrebi, and alternative French music rather than the chart-oriented clubs of the centre.