There’s nothing like a good coffee to start off your day of sightseeing.Cafés and espressos can be found on every corner in Paris, but getting quality is not always as easy. Read on to discover where to get the best coffee in Paris to start your morning right!
Pro Tip: Looking to enjoy the best food in Paris? Bookmark this post in your browser so you can easily find it when you’re in the city. We recommend joining our Le Marais Food Tour to enjoy some local delicacies including falafel, oysters, and champagne. Also, check out our guide to Paris for more planning resources and the top things to do while in Paris.
The 11 Best Coffee Shops in Paris
Believe it or not, Parisian coffee has a bit of a shaky reputation. While cafés are everywhere in Paris, they tend to be not so good at making coffee and more about getting a beer or a glass of wine.
If you’re looking for quality coffee or are picky about your coffee shop ambiance, we recommend using our guide instead of randomly popping into a corner café. What you’ll order is up to you, but for Parisians, espresso is by far the most popular coffee drink, followed by the café crème (coffee with milk).
La Caféothèque de Paris
Photo courtesy of La Caféothèque de Paris
€€ | Coffees from Around the World|Some Outdoor Seating
Our first spot is a must-try for coffee experts and lovers alike. La Caféothèque sources beans from all over the world and roasts them in front of you. They’ve been open since 2005, and are largely regarded as one of the cafés that helped kickstart Paris’s coffee scene.
The coffee might be a tad more expensive than what you’re used to, partly because it’s located in the trendy Marais neighborhood, but this is one of the best places to get coffee in Paris if you’re looking for variety and flavor.
€€ | View of Notre Dame| Outdoor Seating | To Go Coffee
If you’re planning a trip to Paris, you might have come across the famous English-language bookstore Shakespeare and Company in your research. Right next to the bookstore is their café, which offers a small variety of drinks, pastries, and sandwiches. While the coffee may not be exceptional, the view is.
The café is set on Paris’s Left Bank, right across the river from Notre Dame. Their outdoor benches are set up so that you can see the cathedral as you’re sipping your coffee, or simply watch the world go by. Another great option is to pick up your coffee (not many cafés do to-go coffee in Paris, so this is somewhat of an exception) and stroll on over to the cathedral.
Loustic is a trendy espresso bar set in the heart of the chic Marais neighborhood. They partner with Caffènation, roasters based in Belgium who are recognized as one of Europe’s best independent specialty roasters.
The coffee is consistently good here and won’t disappoint. And for those with dietary restrictions or preferences, they offer almond, soy, and oat milk options.
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Montmartre Food and History Walking Tour
Montmartre’s winding streets and tourist traps make it tough to find authentic spots on your own. Our immersive walking tour eliminates this stress by leading you to the best local landmarks and flavors with a friendly guide. Sample classic French dishes, both sweet and savory, as you explore must-see sites, like Moulin Rogue, and other hidden gems. Finish with a breathtaking view over Paris from this charming hilltop neighborhood.
Not ready to book a tour? Check out our Paris Guide for more resources.
Café de Flore
Photo courtesy of Café de Flore
€€€ | Coffee with History| Outdoor Seating | Light Meals
Open since 1880, Café de Flore is one of the oldest cafés in Paris and a true institution. Famous writers and artists like Albert Camus and Pablo Picasso frequented this café. They have a great art deco theme inside, but if the weather is nice the best place to sit is outside.
In true Parisian fashion, you’ll find small round tables with all of the chairs facing the street, so you can people watch on the famous Boulevard Saint-Gérmain. If someone in your travel group is not a coffee fan, we highly recommend their hot chocolate!
€€ | Filtered Coffee Specialties| Some Outdoor Seating
You won’t find a huge variety of coffee at La Fontaine, but you will find quality filtered coffee as well as tasty espressos. The café is part of the Belleville Brûlerie group, whose three owners decided to specialize in filtered coffee. If you like the coffee, you can purchase some at their roaster shop, Belleville Brûlerie, which is located not too far away.
This café is great for those who love to explore off-the-beaten-path areas. Located near the Canal Saint-Martin, in Paris’s modern artistic and hipster neighborhood, you likely won’t find too many tourists here. The café is also within walking distance of Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, one of the city’s best parks that travelers rarely see.
Within walking distance of the Moulin Rouge, La Compagnie du Café is a great place to grab a coffee and have a chat. You’ll find people who just stopped in for a coffee, to grab a bite to eat, or who came with their laptop to work for a few hours.
The modern interior is cozy and clean, and you can watch them roast coffee beans right in front of you. Their owner, a former lawyer who decided to dedicate his life to coffee, is incredibly passionate about his shop and it shows.
€€ | Coffee and Waffles| Counter Seating | Bike Rentals
If you happen to be a fan of coffee and bikes, this is your place! The Australian owner of Le Peloton is passionate about biking and turned his coffee shop into a sort of community meeting spot for anglophone bike riders in Paris.
The coffee here is excellent. They source their beans from local Parisian coffee shops. Coffee to-go is available, or they have a small set of benches and chairs outside where you’ll often see people gathering to chat. We recommend the flat white and their crispy waffles. Plus, this is a nice spot to go if you’re a bit intimidated about ordering your coffee in France.
€€ | Good Coffee and Service| Healthy Light Snacks and Breakfasts
Good coffee and friendly service are the highlights at Good News Coffee Shop. This place has become very popular with locals but is largely unvisited by tourists due to its location in the southwestern part of Paris.
The coffee is the main focus here, but they also serve light snacks and healthy breakfasts. If you like iced coffee, you can get it here, which is something you won’t find too often in Paris.
Those who enjoy finding instagrammable spots on their trips will love Boot Café. This tiny, cute coffee shop doesn’t have much room (only six seats), but it still serves up bold flavors.
Formerly a shoe shop, postcards and photos now fill the walls. The exterior of the shop looks like a storefront you’d see on a movie set. The coffee is good, but we’d recommend this place more for the ambiance.
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Ultimate Palace of Versailles Tour from Paris
Versailles isn’t that difficult to get to by train, but why stress over the logistics? Meet a local guide in central Paris who will purchase your train tickets and ensure you get off at the right stop. Then enjoy a guided tour of the palace and the unforgettable gardens. Skip-the-line admissions included to the palace and gardens.
Not ready to book a tour? Check out our Paris Guide for more resources.
Coutume
€€ | Great Location| Coffee and Cake
This is a courtyard café located in the heart of Paris’s fashion district, just down the street from the French President’s residence. The setting is unique, and it’s a bit more like a coffee stand than a coffee shop, with all seating outside.
This is a spot in one of the fanciest parts of town that’s still affordable. If you’re looking for a snack to go with your coffee, we suggest the banana bread.
This cute coffee shop is decorated in a stylish and contemporary Parisian theme. People love it because of its cozy atmosphere, great pastries, and coffee, plus the fact that it’s a stone’s throw away from the Place des Vosges—one of the city’s most beautiful squares. This is one of the most charming cafés on our list of the best coffee shops in Paris.
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