The best coffee shops in Paris

From the espresso shot, or ‘café court’ (short coffee) slowly sipped at the counter, to the after-dinner café allongé (‘longer’ coffee), enjoying a cup of coffee has been an integral part of Parisian life since at least 1689 with the opening of Café Procope (still in Saint-Germain-des-Prés). Fast forward to today and, while century-old artisanal coffee roasters like Maison Verlet remain in operation Paris has upped its game with a contemporary specialty coffee boom. Roasters like the Brûlerie de Belleville, Lomi and Coutume are now scattered across the city, funnelling craft coffee into locals’ cups at home and beyond.

In Paris, coffee lovers have it all, from traditional cafes to artisanal coffee shops. Whether you’re after a classic espresso or a modern pour-over, the city’s buzzing coffee scene promises a top-notch cup wherever you are.

3rd arrondissement

Fringe

Best for: Arty Marais aficionados
Location: 106 rue de Turenne, Paris 75003
Price: Espresso for 3 EUR / 3.26 USD

Whether you’re after a pour-over or espresso-based drink, Fringe excels at both, which are served with crunchy homemade granola or organic pastries like vegan banana and chocolate cake made with ingredients from local farmers. And being slap-bang in the middle of the Marais art gallery district means the cafe has rotating photography exhibitions and a curated selection of art magazines to leaf through with your pour.

Dreamin’ Man

Best for: Dreamers of the Parisian good life who need peace and quiet
Location: 140 rue Amelot, Paris 75011 / 12 rue Perrée, Paris 75003
Price: Espresso for 2.50 EUR / 2.71 USD

Time refreshingly falls away inside this teeny wabi-sabi pocket of Paris. Owner Yuichiro Sugiyama is usually behind the wooden bar studiously pouring coffee for the crowd of arty locals who swing by daily. The beans come from April and Prolog roastery in Denmark and homemade cakes are made by pastry chef Yui Matsuzaki – her perfectly fluffy scones are must-tries. It’s very small, so get there early or expect to wait for a table.

Boot

Best for: Homely Paris atmosphere
Location: 19 rue du Pont aux Choux, Paris 75003
Price: Espresso for 2.50 EUR / 2.71 USD

Inside an old cobblers with the original ‘cordonnerie’ sign still painted above the door, and with just eight seats inside, this is probably Paris’ smallest coffee shop and most popular with a Japanese and Korean crowd who take coffee in Paris very seriously. The signature is made-to-order pour-overs and flat whites, although they also do espressos. Inside feels very much like being in the kitchen of someone’s Parisian studio flat, with magazines piled high on the windowsill and lined along shelves. Don’t miss the homemade pastries to have in or take away such as cookies and nutty cakes.

5th arrondissement

Tram Café

Best for: Latin Quarter sightseeing
Location: 47 rue de la Montagne Ste Geneviève, Paris 75005
Price: Espresso for 2 EUR / 2.17 USD

Slotted on a picturesque street that winds up to the Pantheon, the regal resting place of France’s greatest luminaries including Simone Veil and Victor Hugo, Tram is one of the last arty strongholds in an area filled with tourist traps. Not quite a coffee shop, it’s now a fully fledged restaurant plating up crunchy cheese croque monsieurs and fresh salads, but you can still get a cup of joe to have sitting in (outside of peak meal times) or to go. It often overflows with locals stopping by several times a day from breakfast to evening drinks.

10th arrondissement

Résidence Kann

Best for: Interior design fans
Location: 28 rue des Vinaigriers, Paris 75010
Price: Espresso for 2.50 EUR / 2.71 USD

This coffee shop is operated by minimal contemporary furniture brand Kann Design, and its interiors regularly shift to showcase new collections. Low tables and stools face out through wraparound windows, where locals mingle over a brew. Popular breakfast orders include kumquat, banana and hibiscus granola with honey and ginger-infused yoghurt or the sandwich of the moment, each one prettier than the last, rounded off with a deeply aromatic espresso. Furniture fans should know that the brand’s showroom is just a few doors down at number 51.

Holybelly

Best for: All-day bacon and pancakes
Location: 5 rue Lucien Sampaix, Paris 75010
Price: Espresso for 2.50 EUR / 2.71 USD

Holybelly is inspired by its two owners’ time in Melbourne, where they discovered the city’s booming coffee culture firsthand. Here you can have craft coffee whipped up with Holybelly’s own Mystic Mornings coffee blend, defined by its notes of dark chocolate, hazelnuts and red fruits, and created with the Parisian Brûlerie de Belleville coffee roasters. Check out the New Orleans iced coffee, made with organic roasted chicory poured over ice and topped with housemade caramelised condensed milk. A big draw is also the sweet or savoury stack of pancakes piled with pretty much anything you like until 4pm, a rarity in the city.

11th arrondissement

Café Méricourt

Best for: Weekend brunch
Location: 22 rue de la Folie Méricourt, Paris 75011
Price: Espresso for 2.50 EUR / 2.71 USD

Café Méricourt’s mint-green facade gives way to a cool stone-toned interior, right in the thick of the Folie Méricourt neighbourhood’s boutiques, bars and restaurants. Locals convene here for baked eggs, either with spinach, leeks, onions, pine nuts, spices, feta or as a shakshuka, alongside other offerings like granola and pancakes. The owner is often behind the counter pouring creamy cappuccinos, iced matcha coffee or housemade cold brew.

Paperboy

Best for: Coffee with crispy bacon bagels
Location: 137 rue Amelot, Paris 75011
Price: Espresso for 2 EUR / 2.17 USD

Waxed cement floors sweep across the room between white neon-lit walls that are scattered with apparel from Paperboy’s latest collabs. The super-friendly team here serves good creamy iced chai, and excellent open bagels of avocado and perfectly crispy bacon – quite possibly the best in town – as well as generously filled smoked pastrami sandwiches. In the warmer months the wall-to-wall windows open out onto the rue Amelot, a quiet Bastille backstreet of boutiques and restaurants.

18th arrondissement

Two Doors

Best for: Bohemian creatives living near Montmartre
Location: 27 rue Francoeur, Paris 75018
Price: Espresso for 1.9 EUR / 2.06 USD

Tucked away on a quiet street in Montmartre, Two Doors is characterised by a gentle palette of exposed red brick and raw plaster walls. On the white tiled counter, sticky cinnamon rolls and creamy lattés are served to thirsty punters. You’ll hear more English than French spoken here, with international locals dropping by for a spot of reading on one of the wooden benches, or to soak up some rays on the terrace out front. There’s also the usual roster of bites like carrot cake, ham and cheese sandwiches and gooey cookies in flavours like chocolate chip and matcha.

Lomi

Best for: Coffee purists
Location: 3 ter rue Marcadet, Paris 75018
Price: Espresso for 2.50 EUR / 2.71 USD

Lomi is one of the leading specialty artisan coffee shops in Paris, with one of its original creators, Paul Arnephy – who determined its roasting profile – continuing to win the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France (best craftsperson of France) distinction in 2018. Today, Lomi supplies more than 300 businesses across the country and has its own roasting facility in Provence, a coffee school and its own parcels on coffee plantations across Central and South America. In its small roastery and cafe at the foot of Montmartre, three types of coffee are on the menu, the 100 per cent Arabica being the signature (which is especially good for espresso).

Noir

Best for: Contemporary, minimal setting
Location: Several locations
Price: Espresso for 2.50 EUR / 2.71 USD

Noir is a specialty coffee roastery headquartered in St Ouen on the city outskirts that has a collection of soothingly designed coffee shops, including the Ile St Louis outpost in the heart of the city. It offers somewhere to write and read while the sunlight makes its trajectory across the exposed limestone walls, polished concrete floor and a beamed ceiling, while you sip on arabicas from Rwanda to Brazil.

Nuances

Best for: Design fans
Location: Several locations
Price: Espresso for 2.50 EUR / 2.71 USD

Nuances currently has three outposts under its wing, the first being in an old crèmerie, a place where milk was left to curdle into cream, which still has the original art deco lettering on the front: ‘Beurre, Laiterie, Oeufs’ (dairy, butter, eggs). Inside, Paris design firm Uchronia has turned the small space into a standing-only coffee bar with a bold prismatic colour scheme. Original marble features mingle with a bold orange backdrop, and shelving in a rainbow palette showcases specialty coffees in fabric pouches, making the space feel like a futuristic apothecary.

Coutume

Best for: Expert coffee-lovers who care about sustainability
Location: Several locations
Price: Espresso for 2.50 EUR / 2.71 USD

A Romainville-based coffee roastery with sustainable production at its heart, Coutume’s offering is informed by Australia’s contemporary coffee culture. One of the first specialty coffee shops in Paris, it now has a dozen locations around town. There is a broad range of rich and aromatic coffees and beans at its industrial-chic outposts that retain a cosy, lived in feel.