Since 24 July 1852
The Story of Nantes' Oldest Cocktail Bar
L'Univers is the oldest cocktail bar in Nantes. An address that crosses the eras without losing what makes it itself: a place for meetings, for the night, and a piece of European musical history.
24 July 1852
Birth of Nantes' oldest cocktail bar
L'Univers Café opens its doors steps from Place Graslin, in the heart of cultured 19th-century Nantes. It quickly becomes a meeting point for artists, travellers and theatre-goers. The oldest cocktail bar in Nantes, it is also the first venue to host live jazz in Europe, in February 1918.
1900
The golden age of Café Graslin
During the Belle Époque, L'Univers shines in the Graslin district. Its terrace, shows and society gatherings make it a landmark of Nantes nightlife , an embodiment of local elegance and the art of conversation over a drink.
February 1918
Europe's first notes of Jazz
An American soldier and musician with the US Navy band drops by L'Univers after a concert at Place Graslin and plays what are said to be the very first notes of jazz ever heard in Europe , written into our walls.
1933
American Prohibition inspires Europe
While the United States lives through Prohibition, European bars adopt its codes: discretion, crafted cocktails, a curated clientele. L'Univers Café, already known for its Nantes elegance, naturally embraces this tradition.
Today
Heritage in speakeasy form
L'Univers carries the story on as an American-style 1920s cocktail bar, with signature evenings and a hushed décor true to the spirit of the place , chic, different, historic.
Velvet, woodwork and low light: today's speakeasy decor extends the spirit of the place without betraying its history.
Did you know?
Recommended by Nantes hotels and restaurants
For decades, L'Univers Café has been the address that Nantes concierges and restaurateurs recommend to their high-end clientele. English-speaking, Spanish and cocktail lovers from around the world come to experience a unique moment in the heart of the Graslin district.
Did you know?
The European cradle of Jazz
In February 1918, an American soldier , a musician in the US Navy band , walked into L'Univers after a concert on Place Graslin and played what are considered the very first notes of Jazz ever played in Europe. Before Paris, before London, it was here in Nantes that this music first laid its brass on the Old Continent.
Few places in Nantes carry such a continuous story. L'Univers has watched generations, fashions and nights go by. Our time extends that narrative: a cocktail bar that owns its heritage as much as its present. On Place Graslin, a stone's throw from the theatre, the venue remains what it has always been , a Nantes meeting point.
Step into the story
A Nantes institution that is as much lived as it is told. Push the door of L'Univers Café: rediscover classic cocktails, take part in our immersive evenings or simply enjoy a drink in a place that has crossed nearly two centuries.