Flore vs Magots. ☕
Located right next to each other on Boulevard Saint-Germain. Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots are the historic haunts of Picasso, Hemingway, and Sartre.
Café de Flore
The chic choice. Famous for its hot chocolate (rich, thick, served in a jug) and for being the office of Existentialist philosophers.
The Price
Warning: You are paying for history. A coffee costs €6, and a hot chocolate is nearly €10. You are paying rent for the seat.
The Sweet Science. 🍰
Forget cupcakes. Paris is about precision. Layers of puff pastry, ganache, and almond flour.
Pierre Hermé
The "Picasso of Pastry." Try the **Ispahan**: a macaron filled with rose, lychee, and fresh raspberries. It is world-famous.
Angelina
Located on Rue de Rivoli. Go here for the "Mont Blanc" (chestnut cream pastry) and the thickest African Hot Chocolate in the city.
Cedric Grolet
If you see a massive line at 6 AM, it is for Grolet. He makes pastries that look exactly like real fruits (lemons, apples).
Garçon
Professionals
Cafe Rules. 📜
Parisian waiters are not rude; they are efficient professionals. Do not expect them to introduce themselves or smile excessively.
The Right to Sit:
Once you order a single coffee, the table is yours for as long as you want. No one will bring you the check until you ask for it ("L'addition, s'il vous plaît").
Canal Saint-Martin. 🌊
Where the young Parisians actually go. It is the hipster heart of the city. You don't sit in cafes; you buy cheap wine and sit on the edge of the canal lock.
Ten Belles
A tiny specialty coffee shop that changed the Paris coffee scene. They serve actual high-quality roasted beans, not the bitter robusta of the old brasseries.
Pink Flamingo
Order a pizza, they give you a pink balloon. Go sit anywhere along the canal, and the runner will find you by the balloon to deliver your food.