Every neighborhood has its own little all-hours bar that annoys the neighbors. Except maybe the 16th. But they pay extra for the silence. Walk the streets of your own 'hood at 3am and you're sure to find at least one place absurdly packed with the tireless party crowd. Of course, the discothèque clubs are always open late, because no one in their right minds would show up before 1am. The Paris Timeout Guide (with its own weekly listing in English at the back of the French Pariscope) will give you a good idea of where to find a decent club nearby. Paris Si J'y Suis is a very cool French website that lists all of the bars, concerts, clubs, and parties going on around Paris. They even tell you how to get past those Dobermans at the door.
As for bars, there's enough variety that you should be able to find at least one you like in your neighborhood. Over in the now firmly-established-as-cool Oberkampf area, Cithea has been welcoming the early morning crowd until 6am with its jazzy musical concerts and coy atmosphere. The Montorgueil area north of Les Halles has the Horse's Mouth, open until 5am, as well as Porte de Montmartre (Metro Grands Boulevards) and Le Tambour, open 24 hours, with a much more interesting crowd in the wee hours.
Deeper into Paris, Polly Magoo's ("revoltingly sleazy!" says Paris-Anglo), which looks like an abandoned building during the day, has been a long-time Left Bank staple of the night crowd from Violon Dingue, Café Oz on rue St. Jaques, and the Galway. The Hideout, around the corner from The Fifth on rue Mouffetard, is also open late for the Guinness fans. Over near Odéon, there are quite a few late-night bars and snack shops (caveat emptor on the 22-hour-old croissants). Notably, the Pub Saint Germain is open 24 hours, and it actually has decent food and beer. Go there when it's your friend's turn to buy the round.
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