Paris for Coffee Lovers: Where To Go


 

Finding good coffee in Paris is easy. Most of the cafes and restaurants employ the skills of world class baristas who will brew fresh European coffee by the order.

Finding decent coffee shops in Paris is a different story. Parisians prefer to spend their time in cafes and bistros. You’ll find them sipping their coffee in the sidewalk seating areas peacefully watching the outside world go by. They do not hang out in coffee shops.

by Alexandre Godreau – Unsplash

Coffee shop culture in Paris is embraced solely by the tourists. Seeing a gap in the market, sporadic coffee shops have began popping up around the city to cater to the growing caffeine demand.

While you won’t find them on every block, there’s at least one noteworthy one to be found in each major district. Here’s where to grab your fix.

Montmartre: Cuillier in Paris

A free guided walking tour up Montmartre hill will have you aching for a coffee boost before you even reach the summit. Cuillier is right next to the I Love You Wall and the Abbesses metro station.

Delightful would be the best word to describe Cuillier. Quality beans are roasted fresh in house. Unfortunately Cuillier is yet to include a decaf coffee option, but they do offer hot chocolate and various teas for those who are shying away from caffeine.

Cuillier in Paris – by Cuillier – Sourced from their Facebook

They offer a range of coffees from lands like Costa Rica, Honduras and Ethiopia.  You’ll be allowed to smell each one when making your selection if you so desire.

There are fresh baked pastries in the shop as well for you to enjoy with your hot drink. As a breakfast special each morning, Cuillier also does a simple bread and jam or bread and avocado dish.

Cuillier is suitable for vegans and lactose free individuals.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Opening Hours: Wednesday to Sunday – 8am to 4:30pm
ADDRESS: 19 Rue Yvonne le Tac, 75018 Paris, France
METRO STATION: Abbesses

Le Marais: Alma the Chimney Cake Factory in Paris

Sure, I’ll give you another reason to love le Marais.

Meet Alma, the Chimney Cake Factory. Alma is a small coffee (tiny) coffee shop on the eastern boundary of le Marais where the district meets Bastille.

Alma specializes in coffee and… you guessed in, chimney cakes.

A chimney cake is a Hungarian, hollow, cylindrical shaped cake that is coated in cinnamon and sugar. Made properly, it should be crispy on the outside and moist & soft on the inside.

Alma the Chimney Cake Factory in Paris – by Alma the Chimney Cake Factory – Sourced from their Facebook

When paired with good coffee the two make a delicious combination; a symphony of the tongue some say. You’ll be able select all of your chimney cake toppings from the bar when you place your order.

Alma also might just make the best chai lattes in Paris, but I’ll leave that for you to decide. Pay Alma a visit the minute you get to the 4th, there is no cozier spot on a cold day in the French capital.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday – 8am to 6pm
ADDRESS: 59 Boulevard Beaumarchais, 75003 Paris, France
METRO STATION: Chemin Vert

Bastille: The Beans on Fire in Paris

The Beans on Firea: like a bistro, but for coffee!

This gem in the Bastille is open fourteen hours a day much to the delight of the coffee addicts in the Airbnbs and hotels of this area.

Their roasts are fresh and decadent. They have carefully paired their coffee roasts with a basic brunch and dinner menu that is available throughout the day.

The Beans on Fire in Paris – by The Beans on Fire – Sourced from their Facebook

This is probably the only coffee shop in Paris that isn’t perpetually packed. Its a spacious store with seating both inside and outside.

Come around noon and enjoy the banana pancakes or the homemade granola — divine!

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday – 8am to 10:30pm
ADDRESS: 7 Rue du Général Blaise, 75011 Paris, France
METRO STATION: Metro Saint Ambroise

Canal Saint Martin: Ten Belles in Paris

Ten Bells is a laid back coffee house right on the bank of the Canal Saint Martin.

You can grab a cup to go, and walk along the bank. Or you can dine in and enjoy one of their house cakes. The loft seating is more spacious than the floor, keep this in mind if you’re going to be working on a laptop, or relaxing with a book.

There are milk alternatives for those who don’t want dairy. Most of the cakes and English pastries do contain milk and eggs, however.

Ten Belles in Paris – by Ten Belles – Sourced from their Facebook

Directly across from Ten Bells is the start of the Rue mur street art. You can walk this street deeper into the Canal Saint Martin while admiring all of the graffiti murals. It’s a public street art space, new works are constantly being made.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday – 8:30am to 5pm
ADDRESS: 10 Rue de la Grange aux Belles, 75010 Paris, France
METRO STATION: Jacques Bonsergent

The Latin Quarter: Treize in Paris

The Latin Quarter has students, and students need coffee. The cafes and coffee shops in these parts stock imports from all the major coffee hubs around the world.

Treize is a beautiful little coffee house on the edge of the equally as beautiful Luxembourg Palace. It’s artisanal coffee, cake and brunch meals at their Parisian finest.

Treize in Paris – by Treize – Sourced from their Facebook

You can drink and dine here throughout the day. Their Eggs Benedict brings in university students by the dozen as a brunch time treat. There’s a quaint little terrace to enjoy in the warmer months.

Choose Treize as your Latin Quarter coffee shop of choice if not only for the environmentally friendly choices they’ve implemented in store: non-plastic straws, biodegradable cutlery and takeaway dishes.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday – 10am to 9pm
ADDRESS: 5 Rue de Médicis, 75006 Paris, France
METRO STATION: Odéon

Oberkampf: Cafe Oberkampf

Oberkampf is a suburb well on its way to the same level of gentrification as the rest of the city. With this process comes a following of better cafes and more coffee shops.

While this process is still underway, however, Cafe Oberkampf continues to serve the best coffee in the area. Although it is not solely a coffee house, coffee lovers travel from even the furthers arrondissements to drink their caffeine here.

Their food menu revolves around light, healthy meals that are as satisfying at eight in the morning as they are at five in the evening.

Cafe Oberkampf – by Cafe Oberkampf – Uploaded by them

What the people of Oberkampf love most about Cafe Oberkampf is that it is one of the only decent cafes in this area that isn’t on the main road. This allows the space to remain calm and quiet without interference of street & foot traffic, allowing for between conversations and connections to be made.

Milk alternatives are available here.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday – 8am to 5pm
ADDRESS: 3 Rue Neuve Popincourt, 75011 Paris, France
METRO STATION: Parmentier

Montparnasse: The-Bliss-Coffee in Paris

Sometimes gentrification isn’t always a bad thing… sometimes.

Montparnasse is a neighborhood that is severely lacking on the good coffee front. Thank the French coffee-gods for The-Bliss.

I scoured high and low to find a coffee shop worth mentioning on this roundup. I was met with nothing but big name franchises and average to poor coffee roasts.

The-Bliss-Coffee is right by the Montparnasse train station. Its a godsend in these parts, but it’s also a strange concept combination of a coffee shop, bar and buffet hybrid.

The buffet will cost you €25 to take full advantage of. The dishes are ever changing and range from bread baskets, to dimsum, to onion soup, to pizza and even occasionally sushi.

The bar is stocked with all the alcohols you’d expect to enjoy and the coffee is roasted fresh.

There’s a lot going on inside The-Bliss, yes.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday – 10am to 11pm
ADDRESS: 97 Avenue du Maine, 75014 Paris, France
METRO STATION: Gare Montparnasse

Saint-Germain-des-Près: Le Pre in Paris

Le Pre is a lovely avant-garde style Parisian coffeehouse on the Left Bank.

In terms of operation it runs more like a bistro than a coffee shop, giving people in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés the option of late night dining through until 2am. Also a cozy spot to wander into for a nightcap after an evening at the theatre or museum. They reopen jut a few hours later at 8am, ready to serve their breakfast menu.

Le Pre – by Le Pre – Uploaded by them

Customers are loyal to Le Pre; the coffee is quality and it brings most back for more. Another hot drink they do exceptionally well is their traditional hot chocolate. Rich, hot and spiced in true French style. 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday – 8am to 2am
ADDRESS: 4-6 Rue du Four, 75006 Paris, France
METRO STATION: Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Invalides: Kozy Bosquet in Paris

If the Iron Lady drank coffee, she’d drink it at Kozy Basquet just down the road from her permanent home. You can order your coffee to go and make it to the Eiffel Tower before it gets too cold to drink .

On weekends you’ll have about a fifteen minute wait because of the Saturday/Sunday brunch crowds. This is worth staying for if you have time for food with your coffee. It is also the only time the full breakfast menu is served, during weekdays there are only quiche and bread options.

Kozy Bosquet in Paris – by Kozy Bosquet – Sourced from their Facebook

There are milk alternatives and food options at Kozy Bosquet for vegans, lactose and gluten free eaters.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday – 8am to 7:30pm
ADDRESS: 79 Avenue Bosquet, 75007 Paris, France
METRO STATION: La Tour-Maubourg

Notre Dame: The Caféothèque of Paris in Paris

A much loved little spot on the bank of the Seine in Notre Dame.

The Caféothèque is both a roasting house and coffee retailer. They stock some of the finest coffees in the world, all available for purchase by the gram.

The staff at The Caféothèque are known around the neighborhood as being the happiest in the business; on Saturday mornings you’ll find them dancing and singing, setting the mood for the day ahead.

The Caféothèque of Paris – by The Caféothèque of Paris – Uploaded by them

They offer French pastries and tarts as accompaniment to your beverage. It’s a popular spot for free lancers who make use of the coffee shop from which to work on their laptops throughout the day. You’ll have to supply your own WiFi.

It’s also well priced considering the area; you can enjoy a hot drink, fresh juice and a pastry together for under €10.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday – 9am to 8pm
ADDRESS: 52 Rue de l’Hôtel de ville, 75004 Paris, France
METRO STATION: Saint-Paul

Belleville: Le 50 in Paris

Finding good coffee in Belleville is to be expected. This neighborhood thrives on fast paced, high energy. This is reflected on the streets and the vast amount of street art one can enjoy here.

Le 50 is a small yet well loved coffee shop in Belleville north. As far as product goes, this is a quality, no-frills coffee house that’s main objective is making the next cup equally as good as the last. The baristas of Belleville Brûlerie take this craft very seriously.

Food comes second in lie 50; you can accompany your coffee with a few fresh pastries and light sandwiches served all day.

Le 50 in Paris – by Le 50 – Uploaded by them

Lao Siam is across the road from le 50. Its one of the only authentic Laotian restaurants in Paris. The food is incredible, worth a trip into Belleville alone.

Since they open at midday one can have lunch and follow it with coffee and cake in le 50. There is much to see in Bellevile, you’ll need all the fuel you can get. Or simply walk it off in the beautiful Parc de Belleville one block below the coffee shop.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Opening Hours: Wednesday to Sunday – 8am to 4pm
ADDRESS: 50 Rue de Belleville, 75020 Paris, France
METRO STATION: Goncourt / Hôpital St Louis

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