La Bodega

Where to find it

La Bodega is a popular Erasmus and local student bar located in Reims. To get to Reims city, you’ll need to grab a train or bus from Paris. You could choose to take a bus with either Flixbus or ouibus and it will take you eastwards towards Reims. The whole trip lasts about an hour and fifty minutes. If you decide to take the train, then you will need to grab a TGV which will only take forty minutes although it costs almost triple the price.

Reims itself is a small city with multiple universities. Its a student and family city. The most popular Erasmus destination in this city is the Sciences Po Reims Campus. As this is a small city it’ll be easy to pick out the best bars relatively quickly. One of the top bars of my exchange group had been the Bodega.

What it has to offer

The Bodega is located in Place d’erlon, which is Reims liveliest pub and restaurant area. It is placed just north of the Ernest Hemingway which is another critically acclaimed bar between students and locals alike. It is famed for its drink deals and also its decent sized dancefloor.

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The Bodega has a large outdoor area where you are able to buy different types of drinks ranging from beers, wines and spirits. They offer many different local wines which I highly recommend you experiment with. There are also several large tables which allow you to invite many of your mates for a night out.

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The indoor downstairs area is divided into two parts. The main part is the classy looking bar which hosts several bartenders due to how busy this bar gets. The area in front of it often turns into a dancefloor as the night progresses. There’s a little booth where the DJs play out their tunes. They’re situated in a very accessible area so it is easy to ask for song requests. The DJs here are usually inclined to accept song suggestions.

This area also has a few tables against the windows if you’re looking to sit down and have a chit chat. The second part of the groundloor has several tables set up where most of the drinking and chit chatting occurs. This place tends to get full quite quickly. It's a comfortable area with a cozy feel. The decor is very elegant and it makes the place feel quite homey.

The top floor is where most of the dancing occurs. This area has a couple of tables on the side but it's mostly an open area. It's also where the bathrooms are located. There is a section on the side which allows for large speakers and the DJ to perform his music. The music usually varies between the top and bottom floor DJs. The top area also offers a spectacular view of the surrounding area as the wall facing the street is predominantly made of windows. So often you could see from the outside you could tell if the Bodega was in full force.

You are also able to book this place for events. There was this one time where one of the student representatives of the exchange group had to return home early. Her partner was forced to work on reserving this place on his own. He asked me to help and I gladly accepted. From there we talked to different bars to enjoy a large exchange group party. Luckily the Bodega was more than keen to allow us to book their top floor.

The deal got sweeter as they allowed us to book the top floor for free. On top of that they offered us some sweet drink deals. With lots of different types of cocktails like long-island ice tea for five euros. The beers were also well priced, this is true even without the discounts.

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This place is great for booking as they provide you with DJs who would accept a list of song requests before or during the event. The two DJs we were serviced with were really nice and had some great song suggestions of their own to keep the party started. The top area also made it easy to simply go downstairs for a drink or a glass of water.

If you ever feel peckish, there are a few eateries in the area. The most popular one between students and locals alike is the Istanbul. It's usually open late into the night, unlike most eateries. The prices are also fairly cheap and their sauces, such as their andalouse sauce is divine. They also serve some great doner kebabs and their fries are also pretty good. Its usually tradition for my mates and I to order large fries with andalouse or samurai sauce to take with us on the walk back home after a long night out. Its located right opposite the Bodega on the other side of the street.

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Lastly, the Bodega is a pretty decent place to go for a casual drink. Like the Ernest Hemingway, they offer portable tap beers where you’re given a large vertical tube of beer connected to a tap. It's a pretty nifty option which my mates and I usually enjoy. The area itself is also very scenic during the day as you get to witness life pass by on the pretty street of Place D’erlon. It tends to be sunny throughout the non-winter part of the year so the outdoor area makes for a great place to relax with mates on a weekend or after a long day at University.

The area is pretty popular for tourists and you’ll be only a five minute walk from the heart of the city where all the shopping malls, restaurants and fast food joints can be found. I highly recommend to check this place out if you find yourself in the beautiful city of Reims.