We love a good cappuccino or espresso and as I was doing my Paris research, I found some really cool-looking spots. Thinking that Paris had the same coffee culture we have here I was shocked to learn that it’s only been in the last few years that coffee devotees have a place to savor good java. It was the expatriates who showed Parisians the indie coffeehouse concept instead of over-roasted industrial espresso. You might think we’re nuts to actively search out coffee shops while on vacation but hear me out. Planning a route to incorporate a coffee shop leading to an attraction works out pretty darn well. It allows us to see new neighborhoods and in return feel more like a local than a tourist. TimeOut has an amazing list of the best coffee in Paris and we visited seven from it. The neighborhoods we walked through enabled us to find hidden gems along the way.
Le Coutume Café
The seven coffee shops we visited were: Cullier, Le Peloton Café, Honor, Fondation Café, Da Zavola, Le Coutume Café, and KBCaféshop. My personal favorites were Cuiller and Le Coutume Café. Lunch and cappuccino (as well as dessert) at Le Coutume Café was hands down THE best! We did enjoy lunch at Da Zavola but a glass of prosecco trumped the cappuccino.
Cuillier Abbesses
19 Rue Yvonne le Tac
On one of the walks from the hotel en route to a coffee shop (then onward to a tourist attraction), we stumbled upon a lovely area, Rue Montorgueil, located in the 1st arrondissement and 2nd arrondissement. It’s a place for Parisians to socialize and do their shopping (cafés, bakeries, cheese shops, wine shops, produce stands, fish stores, flower shops). We decided to come back for dinner and happy we did. We found a place to have a drink outside and watched the locals go by.
drinks outside on rue montorgueil
Deciding on where to eat wasn’t easy but a hostess standing on the street corner handing out bite-size pizzas caught our eye. Grab a piece, see if you like it, then head up the narrow street to Cuori Italiani. Clever idea and where to eat was solved although we did not order pizza.
Honor outdoor coffee shop
From what I’ve written thus far, you might think we only ate Italian but such was not the case. We visited Le Marais (between 3rd and 4th arrondissements). According to A Paris Guide, Le Marais is the closest you will get to the feel of medieval Paris and has more pre-revolutionary buildings and streets left intact than any other area in Paris. Before Napoleon showed up the Marais is what most of Paris looked like – a labyrinth of cobblestone alleys. The rest of Paris was razed by Napoleon and Haussmann who wanted to build huge avenues and gigantic squares such as the Place Concorde. David Lebovitz’s list of 10 Insanely Delicious Things You Shouldn’t Miss in Paris rates L’As du Falafel as number 2 for Paris’s most famous falafel joint. I think it should be number one. Another day we ventured down to Forum des Halles (largest underground shopping mall in Paris) and had a yummy waffle stuffed with cheese, basil, and bacon. Waffles, as well as crepes, are everywhere in Paris but a stuffed waffle was new to me.
