The 9 Best Cafes in Paris

If you want to eat at the best cafés in Paris, you have to include well-known places like Angelina in the first arrondissement and Café des Deux Moulins. 

To help get you started on the right foot, on your next Paris food tour we’ve narrowed down the list to some of the most well-known cafes in Paris. Sprinkled with a few lesser-known gems that might become your favorite Parisian café on your next trip.

Parisian cafes have a casual pace which is prevalent throughout coffee culture in France. Most people go to a cafe in the morning for a light breakfast. Yet many Parisian cafes also offer lunch and dinner menus. If you don’t want to look like a tourist, avoid latte and other milk-enhanced drinks after 10 am.

Angelina

Photo credit: Angelina Cafe

Going to Paris without at least one stop at Angelina would be like going to Singapore and not eating chicken rice. It’s an institutional café with big pillars, towering ceilings, and display cases festooned with museum-quality pastries.

Technically it’s more of a tearoom than a coffee shop. The iconic order at Angelina is their world-famous hot chocolate, with their Mont-Blanc meringue pastry. During my visit, I savored every sip of the rich hot chocolate and found that the creamy Mont-Blanc was the perfect complement. I even dipped the pastry into the hot chocolate, and it was an unforgettable treat. No one would wrong you for dipping one into the other.

The crowds and institutional ambiance of Angelina might not be the perfect fit if you’re the sort of person who likes to ease into their early morning routine. I think the sweet spot experience at Angelina is to sip on a luxuriously thick hot chocolate, mid-morning in the early fall. 

It’s also only a block away from Jardin des Tuleries and the Seine. You’d be forgiven for sipping a coffee and taking a leisurely stroll. 

Angelina €€ –  226 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France – Open Monday to Friday: 7:30 AM to 7:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday: 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM 

Le Consulat

Photo credit: Le Consulat

Le Consulat is an iconic Parisian Café hiding in the somewhat cramped Montmartre District. They have bone marrow-deep pride in their cozy ambiance that you’ll fall in love with.

It was a favorite café of Van Gogh and Monet as well as other artists. Today it’s better known for its French onion soup or its turkey and cream. The waiter recommended the turkey and cream dish for the day, and it did not disappoint. 

The creamy sauce was thick and luscious, adding a luxurious texture to each bite, while the turkey remained moist and flavorful. It was a comforting and satisfying meal that showcased a harmonious balance of flavors and textures.

Being as small as it is, mornings at Le Consulat can feel cramped, but the sense of sitting where great artists once did adds to its unique charm.I think this Paris café is better served as an early or late lunch stop.

Le Consulat €€ – 18 Rue Norvins, 75018 Paris, France – Open Monday to Sunday: 10:00 AM to 1:00 AM

Café des Deux Moulins

Photo credit: Café des Deux Moulins

Café des Deux Moulins is a charming and iconic café located in the Montmartre district of Paris. Known for its quaint, retro décor and cozy atmosphere, it gained fame from its appearance in the movie Amélie. You can even order a crème brulé with all the movie scene ambiance. All of it is social media pic-worthy.

However, I think this might be the best café in Paris to order a croque-monsieur. Having heard so much about its reputation, I decided to try it, and it was an experience to remember. If you haven’t had one before, it’s essentially the French take on a hot ham and cheese sandwich. 

Taking my first bite, I was greeted by a melty, gooey layer of cheese that perfectly complemented the savory slices of ham. The bread was toasted to a satisfying crunch, providing a wonderful contrast to the creamy filling.

It’s rich enough to put your cardiologist’s kids through college. It’s a worthy guilty pleasure if you’re not in the mood to crack the top of a crème brulé.

Café des Deux Moulins € – 15 Rue Lepic, 75018 Paris, France – Open Monday to Friday from 7:00 am to 2:00 am, and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 am to 2:00 am 

Les Deux Magots

Photo credit: Les Deux Magots

Café Les Deux Magots in Saint-Germain-des-Prés was the beloved Parisian café of big names like Hemmingway, James Joyce, and Picasso. A thousand aspiring writers have written thousands of lines of purple prose from its charming terrasse. It truly has the ambiance of a literary café, and they embrace that history to this day.

If you love a casual breakfast, this is the perfect place to start your day. I decided to try the classique croissant au beurre, and it was simply divine. The croissant was flaky and buttery, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that paired perfectly with a steaming cup of black coffee. If you want to channel your literary prowess, try Le Petit Déjeuner Hemingway. It comes with fried eggs, ham, and a yogurt parfait dressed with fresh fruit salad.

Les Deux Magots €€€ – 6 Pl. Saint-Germain des Prés, 75006 Paris, France – Open every day from 7:30 am to 1:00 am

Merci Used Book Café

Photo credit: Merci Used Book Café

If you’re a coffee lover who’s more of a reader than a writer, the Merci Used Book Café might earn the title of best café in Paris. It’s attached to the eclectic Merci Concept Store in Le Marais District with a comfortable ambiance.

I’m a little biased here as their famous mocha latte made by the baristas here is as close to my late grandmother’s version as I’ve ever found. If you love to start your morning with an easy read of the newspaper, this might become your go-to Paris coffee shop. Simply swap newsprint for one of the gently used good books on site.

Merci Used Book Cafe €€ – 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais, 75003 Paris, France – Open Monday to Saturday: 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM and Closed Sunday

Cafe Carette

Photo credit: Cafe Carette

Equally famous for its view of the Place des Vosges in Le Marais, Café Carrette has an art deco elegance all its own. It boasts views of the Trocadéro Gardens and the Eiffel Tower. Yet it’s also the perfect place to drink coffee and do a little people-watching.

Café Carette offers a staggering array of pastries that will leave you feeling spoiled for choice. The locals will tell you that the trendy thing to have here is the Tarte Tatin and Cafe Crème and I can attest to their deliciousness. I remember my first bite of the Tarte Tatin – It’s a textbook example of crispy, hand-made puff pastry that melted in my mouth. When apples are in season, I think the Tarte Tatin here is some of the best in Le Marais, if not all of Paris. 

Care Carette €€ – 4 Place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre, 75016 Paris, France – Open Monday to Sunday: 7:30 AM to 11:30 PM 

Strada Café

Photo credit: Strada café

Strada café is a gem of a coffee shop near the Pantheon. They focus on breakfast, brunch, and lunch. They also have an impeccable tea service with some of the best coffee in Paris.

Their menu is arguably simple, but each item is done to perfection. I love their delicious pastries and bread. Especially the baguettes that I loved to take with me to snack on for a light lunch. I suspect they have their own in-house sourdough culture with earthy flavors that remind you Le Marais was once a wild, living place. 

If you’re looking for a vegan-friendly coffee shop in Paris, Strada Café is a good place to start. They have several options, including vegan-friendly dairy alternatives for latte and cappuccino.

Strada café €€€ – 24 Rue Monge, 75005 Paris, France – Open Monday to Friday: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM with Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Ob-la-Di

Photo credit: Ob-la-Di

Ob-la-Di has a reputation as one of the top specialty coffee shops in all of Paris. It has a cozy atmosphere in the Le Marais that invites you to sit down and explore their tasty menu. 

They’re known for their avocado toast, but as a yogurt lover, this is my go-to place for a granola bowl parfait. You can taste the living culture of the yogurt and the berries have the sweetness you can only find when they’re picked fresh in-season.  

They have elevated cappuccino, latte, and espresso. Yet I think their creative takes on flat white, and cold brew coffees are what really helps them stand out from other Parisian cafes.

Their selection of pour-over coffees is a great opportunity to explore nuanced flavors. The roasters use an artisanal coffee technique to create a coffee that’s clean with boldly enhanced flavors.

Ob-la-Di €€€ – 54 Rue de Saintonge, 75003 Paris, France – Open Monday to Friday: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM with Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Café Kitsuné-Palais

If morning meditation is part of your daily routine, Café Kitsuné might become your favorite Parisian coffee shop. The menu at Café Kitsuné focuses on espresso-based drinks, pour-over coffees, and some creative specialty coffees.

It’s across the street from Jardin du Palais Royal, which gives it a tranquil feel away from the noisy streets of Paris at large. I have wonderful memories of a gentle summer morning when the flowers in the garden were in bloom. I decided to take my rich-flavored latte and one of their fragrant madeleines on a walk through the gardens. Its proximity also makes it a perfect morning stop before touring Le Louvre. 

Café Kitsuné – Palais €€€ – 51 Galerie de Montpensier, 75001 Paris, France – Open Monday to Sunday: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM