The Café des arts at la Coupole, the London Tavern on the Courbet: two closures of emblematic bistros in Nîmes

Les grilles du Café des arts ne se relèveront plus pour les clients. Midi Libre – Geoffrey Gavalda

Le Café des arts a fermé le 13 mars. Le London Tavern fera son "dernier apéro" début avril.

"Nooooo ?", this is the reaction of Christian, incredulous, learning of the definitive closure of the Café des arts at the Coupole des Halles de Nîmes, recorded on Wednesday 13& ;nbsp;March. With his wife Mukala, they like to come to town from the Viganais region every two or three weeks. And that afternoon, their usual drop-off point was no more. "We came there for the conviviality. They had a very warm welcome, and the meals were good too. It's a shame", summarizes Mukala in front of the closed grills of the café, which occupied a large area on the ground floor of the central patio for several decades .

Laurence Meucci, manager of the Café des arts, had however decided with her companion in November 2023 to continue despite the successive losses suffered over the years since Covid. Then in February, it was the cessation of payments, and finally, on March 13, the liquidation. Note that in La Coupole, the Casa store must also close its doors at the end of the month, March 29.

The RN denounces a "hemorrhage"

Another emblematic establishment closes, this time outside Coupole: the London Tavern (formerly Le Bureau), a pub on Boulevard Courbet. "The last aperitif will take place Tuesday April 2 at 7 p.m. before final closing" indicated on Facebook the team of the pub managed by Florian Rostan. 

It was enough for the RN opponent from the city of Nîmes Thierry Jacob to denounce a "hemorrhage in the city center". Valentine Wolber, commerce assistant, writes falsely : " This is total misinformation, we have a vacation rate between 11 and 12% when the national average is 17! We have many quality retail facilities and growing attractiveness."