The credit crunch might have people pounding at the panic button, but at least there’s a place to dance off the angst. Panic Room, the newish nightlife haven in the bar-packed 11th Arrondissement, hawks a “chic and trash” theme to ensure dopey contentment—and boy does it work.

During happy hour (18:30-20:00), cocktails and champagne are an astonishing 5 Euros. It’s also BYOF or order from nearby take-out spots. Both encourage drinking bottomless fancy-schmancy cocktails and dancing while watching yourself in the mirror-lined walls in the two-story space. A weekly line up of local and mildly famous DJs rounds out the crowd, which includes bar-hoppers from neighboring spots like Zero Zero, Pop In and the Murano Hotel Bar. Meanwhile, an indoor smoke room—le fumoir for the sophisticated—keeps the party where it should be: inside.