The Best Cafes in Paris, France

Have you ever thought about going to Paris? Walking along the Champs Elysees. Viewing the City of Lights from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Enjoying a pain au chocolat (chocolate pastry) before going on a tour of the Louvre.

Paris is filled with so many historical and beautiful experiences. French cuisine is one of the top types of food in the world to experience. When you are visiting Paris it is a must to enjoy the food that has topped culinary arts no matter where you are in the world.

Where to eat?

When it comes to food you will find the best cafes in Paris. There are over 7,000 cafes in Paris. That is a lot of options on places to eat. Where you eat really depends on what kind of experience you want to live.

Where you eat really depends also on what type of food you wish to try and the atmosphere you want to enjoy. The Avenue des Champs-Elysees and Avenue Victor Hugo, for example, are the 2 of the busiest streets in Paris and will be filled with tourists and people “looking to be seen”. On the opposite, some popular neighborhoods will be more chill to hang out!

Your best bet is to find a place off the main drive. See if a local is willing to give you suggestion. French people are actually quite nice – despite the cliché. Check out the covered alley ways to see what kind of cafes are available there.

The best cheap cafés in Paris

If you’ve finally made your way to Paris and you want to enjoy everything that is available but want to do it on a budget, you aren’t alone. Thankfully there are affordable Parisian cafe’s. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to enjoy the best cafes in Paris.

• Happy Caffe’- 214 Rue de Rivoli, is a café that is known for their crepes. They also have sandwiches, donuts and other pastries. They are open daily from 7:30am to 11:30pm.

• Le Peloton Café – 17 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, is a café that is known for it’s great coffee and waffles. They have free Wi-Fi and bike tours are scheduled through this café. They are open every day except Wednesday and they are open from 9:30am to 5:30pm during the week and they are open from 9:30am to 6:30pm during the weekend.

• Le Consulat Café and restaurant – 18 Rue Norvins, has been open for decades. It’s a great experience to sit in a restaurant appreciated by Picasso. This is a historic café in the heart of Montmartre that you should definitely try!

• L’As du Fallafel- 32-34 Rue des Rosiers, this is a Middle Eastern café that is known for their falafels and vegetarian offerings, they also serve up Israeli wines. They are open from 11am to midnight Sunday-Thursday and on Friday they are open 11am to 3:30pm. They are closed on Saturdays.

Looking to spend a bit of money

If you budgeted for expensive Parisian café food then you are in luck. There are amazing higher end cafes in the Paris city limits.

• Café de la Paix- 5 Place de l’Opera, is not technically a café but a brasserie, a restaurant. They do have seating outside of the restaurant. This “café” is a famous café that has been open since 1862 and is depicted in famous French art. Reservations are needed here. They serve breakfast from 7am to 10:30 on the weekdays and from 7am to 11am on the weekends and bank holidays. What is offered on the terrace is a bit different than what is served inside. They serve brunch and have an oyster bar. The restaurant is open from noon to 3pm and then 6pm to 11:30pm.

• Café Marly- Inside The Louvre, this is also a brasserie with café ways. The menu has 2 pages worth of alcoholic beverages, okay a couple of the offers aren’t adult. They have wine options for every type of wine drinker. You will probably need to make a reservation here, but if you are in the Louvre and happen upon the restaurant they might be able to get you in depending on if they are busy. They are open every day from 8am to 2am!

Order coffee like a Parisian

There are 5 different main ways to order coffee in Paris. Here is a list to help you out…

• Café- This is the French equivalent of an espresso.

• Noisette- This is espresso with a splash of steamed milk.

• Allongé- This is the same as Lungo Coffee, which means short black which has a single or double shot of espresso and is diluted with twice as much water.

• Filtré or Café Américain- This is a diluted espresso or regular filtered black coffee like in America.

• Café Crème- This is coffee with cream. It won’t be too different in flavor from a cappuccino and probably will not have any sugar.

None of these coffee’s have any sugar or flavoring. Thankfully there should be sugar on the table to sweeten things up.

Paris is an incredibly rich cultural, historical and food filled city. Plus, it does have gorgeous architecture and world class fashion. No matter what makes you decide to visit Paris, make sure you give yourself time to VISIT Paris. Check out the art museums, go to the top of Eiffel Tower (don’t walk up, you WILL regret it), visit Versailles (get lost in the spectacular gardens or the Hall of Mirrors) and definitely make sure to enjoy the best cafes in Paris. Also, don’t forget to people watch once you get a seat at a cafe!