Paris may be losing some of its beloved cafés, but there's a silver lining: a new wave of specialty coffee shops is filling the void. For decades, most Paris cafés have poured the same brand of coffee, Café Richard, a mediocre brew at best, so the arrival of premium coffee is a welcome shift for the city.
These new coffee shops serve high-quality coffee, and some even import and roast their own beans. All of them offer oat or soy milk, which traditional cafés don't, along with loaf cakes, cookies, brownies, and sometimes light fare.
Here's a list of our favorite coffee shops in Paris.
Le Pont Traversé
A former bookshop dating to 1949 near the Luxembourg Gardens has been transformed into a delightful café, with many of the original architectural details still intact. A marble counter lined with vintage cake plates and stands displays a multitude of baked goods made fresh on the premises, including scones served with butter and jam, and some American specialties such as brownies, donuts, cupcakes, and chocolate chip cookies. In warmer weather, café tables and chairs spill outside with views of impressive Haussmann-style architecture. Le Pont Traversé serves a full lunch menu of sandwiches, quiches, and salads, plus fresh-squeezed juices.
62 rue Vaugirard, 75006 — on the corner of Rue Madame
Immersion
Our favorite café in Montmartre, Immersion not only makes one of the best flat whites in the city, but also offers an all-day brunch menu, seven days a week. Specialties include pancakes topped with sliced peaches, plump raspberries, and a dollop of whipped cream; avocado toast with creamy stracciatella, pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes on a thick slice of levain bread; eggs Benedict; sweet waffles topped with caramelized hazelnuts, bananas, and blueberries; and savory waffles with crispy chicken, cheddar, and sliced avocado. To top it all off, they have a killer carrot cake with not-too-sweet cream cheese frosting.
Immersion has other locations, including République, Vendôme, and Sentier.
Tip: Make sure to reserve ahead of time on their website.
93 rue des Martyrs, 75018
https://immersionparis.fr
Coutume
When it opened in 2011, Coutume was one of the first coffee shops in Paris, and one of the first to import and roast its own coffee beans. One of the founders, Australian Tom Clarke, brought his country's exacting coffee culture to Paris.
Coffee beans are sourced from 13 countries around the globe, including Peru, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, and Kenya, and are available for purchase in one-kilo bags. Filtered, espresso, decaffeinated, cold brew, and organic coffee are available at the café or to go. Coutume serves breakfast and lunch, plus brunch on the weekends.
27 rue de Babylone, 75007
https://www.coutumecafe.com/
Filka
Set inside the courtyard of a former 17th-century palace in the Marais, as part of the Swedish Cultural Center, Filka is a cozy coffee shop named after the traditional Swedish custom of gathering with friends for coffee. Butter cookies, apple crumble, lemon loaf cake, and cinnamon rolls, along with open-faced sandwiches topped with smoked salmon, are among the house specialties. The indoor dining room exhibits artworks and photos by contemporary artists, while the outdoor café, in the cobblestone courtyard, has benches, chairs, and plants.
11 rue Payenne, 75004
https://paris.si.se/en/
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