Paris’ cafes have always offered great people watching. Good coffee, not so much. Fortunately the city’s new-wave baristas are changing that. Here are the 10 best cafes in Paris to get your caffeine fix.
Avocado toast. Gluten-free bread. A great cuppa. One place you are guaranteed to find them all – as well as scrambled eggs and Japanese cheesecake – is Café Kitsune Louvre. The central location and the 8am opening are added bonuses. maisonkitsune.com
Your beverage of choice comes with a side serve of glamour at Café Laperouse in the Hôtel de la Marine on the Place de la Concorde. Take a seat inside amid the swoon-worthy interiors (courtesy of Maison Dior’s Cordélia de Castellane), or on the colonnaded terrace. laperouse.com
It’s what everyone dreams of: stumbling across a café filled with locals, where black-and-white clad waiters bring you coffee. The Cafe Saint-Régis, perched on the Ile Saint-Louis hard by Notre-Dame cathedral, ticks those boxes and an extra one too: it offers free Wi-Fi. cafesaintregisparis.com
Nowhere in Paris has more cute grab-and-go cafes than the hip Marais district but after a morning spent sightseeing, you’re going to want to rest those weary feet. La Caféothèque near the Hotel de Ville has superb coffee – many of the city’s top baristas trained here – and plenty of seating. lacafeotheque.com
In most Paris cafes, whipping out your laptop to catch up on your emails is frowned upon. Not at KB Café Shop in Pigalle, which offers its guests wi-fi, chia bowls and a generously-sized terrace as well as some of the best coffee in town. No surprise to learn it’s run by a couple of Australians. kbcoffeeroasters.com
The five-star Cheval Blanc hotel is not exactly budget-friendly, but a café au lait and a viennoiserie in the Michelin-starred bistro Le Tout-Paris is an affordable luxury. The pastries are simply extraordinary, as are the front-and-centre views across the Seine. chevalblanc.com
If the romantic Pere Lachaise cemetery is on your itinerary, a coffee at The Dancing Goat, five minutes away, is highly recommended. Take a seat in the light-flooded interior to enjoy a quality flat white or golden latte. instagram.com
New-school coffee meets OG interiors at Café Noir on the rue Richer in the 9th arrondissement. Café Noir has more than a dozen outlets across town but we love this one for its heritage charm, from the glass portal to the wrought-iron staircase. facebook.com
The pioneering Café Coutume chain was one of the first places to ditch tradition and offer soy and oat milk. The Rue Babylone address near Le Bon Marche is a favourite but if you’re visiting Galeries Lafayette, their in-house outlet has a terrific view of the spectacular dome. coutumecafe.com
You haven’t been to Paris until you’ve sat on a wicker chair outside a café, watching the world go by. The historic Café de Flore on the Boulevard Saint-Germain remains one of the best places to enjoy Paris’ café lifestyle, although we prefer the excellent hot chocolate to the coffee. cafedeflore.fr
