Girls Guide to Paris Coffee Shops
Parisians are quite popularly known for drinking espresso but I am a cappuccino/ lattè gal myself. I also prefer oat milk over regular milk so in order to find a non dairy latte your best bet is going to a coffee shop over a cafè. Yes there IS a difference! Coffee shops typically focus their menu on coffees and pastries. A cafè in Paris is actually by definition, a restaurant. You go to a cafè for breakfast, lunch and dinner.. a coffee shop for coffee and maybe sometimes brunch.
Blackbird Coffee: Maybe it’s because my favorite coffee shop in my hometown is Blackbird but I feel like home at this Parisian cafè. It is my favorite cafè to work and write at. It’s also one of the only cafès I’ve found where you can get a vanilla or caramel latte. They play eclectic music all day and the barista here is a super sweet French man who memorizes his customers orders. It has a comfy indoors with green velvet mermaid shell chairs and black and gold wallpaper. They are one of the few places in Paris where it is decorated for Fall with velour pumpkins all over the place. They also have wood tables outside where people watching is specifically watching everyone wait in line for the photo booth across the street. Foto auto mat draws in many tourists which makes for some great people watching!
Les Cinq Marches: This cafè will always hold a special place in my heart because it is where I discovered the Paris Coffee Shops book. This book has brought me to coffee shops all over Paris. All with one similar thing, oat milk. My Girls Guide to Paris Coffee Shops covering all the coffee shops with oat milk and that I love in Paris is a currently work in progress. Les Cinq Marches is a great cafè right below Place du Tetre. Walk down the hill from here and see the Man in the Wall statue on your right then take another right and you’ll find the blue awning of this fabulous cafe. Although I haven't eaten here yet the food always look good when I come in. They also have some of the tastiest looking carrot cake. This coffee shop was founded by friends, a designer and an actress, who have lived in Montmartre their entire lives. I have found that Montmartre is one of those places that really honors their roots, some may say once you live in Montmartre you’ll never want to live anywhere else.
Laduree: This popular cafè can also be found in NYC + Los Angeles and is a tourist attraction in itself. They have numerous locations around Paris, most with restaurants as well as the bakery shop. I highly recommend checking out the origin location in Place Vendome. In 1862, Louis Ernest Ladurée, a man from the southwest, created Laduree bakery on 16 rue Royale. I recommend coming for breakfast and experiencing the luxury of Laduree to the fullest with a lattè and lox toast.
Bonjour Jacob: A paradise for magazine, book and coffee lovers. With 4 locations in Paris you have to hit at least one on your trip! My personal favorite is their flagship location in Canal Saint Martin. 28 Rue Yves Toudic 10. When coming to this location also make sure to save some time to explore the quaint area of Canal Saint Martin. This village like arrondissement is one of the best parts of Paris if you ask me.
Residence Kann: Another cafè in Canal Saint Martin! This cafè was in the heart of Canal Saint Martin with many people working the day away inside and very nice baristas. The coffee here was amazing, and they had La Gazette’s of Canal Saint Martin out which were so sweet. It reminded me of Gilmore Girls and small town vibes even though I was in the large city of Paris! After reading some of La Gazette, I took my coffee to go and walked the Canal.
The Beans on Fire: There are 2 of these coffee shops in Paris, one in the 11th arrondissement and one in Montmartre. This red awning coffee shop has amazing espresso and surprisingly one of the best iced lattes I have tried. One thing to note about Paris is iced lattes are hard to come by and even harder to be good. Sadly many times when ordering an iced latte I regret it, it’s more like a watery coffee than iced. Here at The Beans on Fire it was perfect! They even had liquid sugar for me to add to it which is extremely rare. The barista was super sweet here and she spoke perfect English. It’s a great place to sit in work and I highly recommend trying a sweet treat here.
Lady Marmelade: If you ask me they deserve a 10/10 for creativity at this cafè. Montmartre is home to Moulin Rouge which is popularly displayed in the famous music video by icons Christina Agulaira, PINK, Lil Kim and MYA. They not only name the cafè after this song but they also have mocktails named after each of the icons. The day I came here I wasn’t feeling well so I got a carrot juice and it was amazing. I did ask and they serve oat milk lattès too so I’ll be back for that and a Christina Agulaira Mocktail for sure!
Chez ta Souer: The coffee here was a little too bitter for me but the vibes were high and it makes a great spot to work at! The airy room with hanging plants also offers a pumpkin spiced latte which I will definitely try in the future.
Matamata Coffee: One of my favorite parts about trying all these different cafès was that it took me to many different areas of Paris. I would work at a cafè, enjoy my coffee, then explore the area that the coffee shop of the day had brought me to. This coffee shop brought me to the 2nd arrondissement which was very unique and new to me. I enjoyed exploring around for the day.
Leandres Cafè happy food & coffee: This cutie spot is described as happy food + coffee and I highly agree! Get the banana chocolate chip bread with your lattè, you will for sure be feeling happy!
Although I listed all of these oat milk cappuccino pouring spots in Paris I do want to take the time to also recommend a very Parisian experience of going to a boulangerie for an espresso and a croissant. They simply pour a Nespresso like espresso shot into a small cup for you but something about it feels Parisian and right! Parisians drink coffee all day everyday so if you like me are coffee obsessed, you're going to love it here!
xoxo,
Jules