Paris Top 10 : Cafés and Bars

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  1. Café de Flore

    A
    hang-out for artists and intellectuals since the 1920s, its regulars
    have included Salvador Dali and Albert Camus. During World War II
    Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir “more or less set up house in
    the Flore”. Although its prices have skyrocketed, its Art Deco decor
    hasn’t changed and it’s still a favourite with French filmmakers and
    literati.




    Café de Flore

  2. Les Deux Magots

    Rival
    to the neighbouring Flore as the rendezvous for the 20th-century
    intellectual élite. Hemingway, Oscar Wilde, Djuna Barnes, André Breton
    and Paul Verlaine were all regulars, and Picasso met his muse Dora Maar
    here in 1937. Similarly pricey, with outside tables facing the boulevard
    and the square .




    Les Deux Magots



  3. Le Petit Vendôme

    The
    search for the best sandwiches in Paris stops here, with bread from the
    award-winning Julien bakery and just the right slathering of butter
    with the ham or Cantal cheese. Good hot dishes too.

    • 8 rue des Capucines, 75002

    • 01 42 61 05 88

    • Closed Sat–Sun

  4. Café Marly

    Superbly situated in the Richelieu wing of the Louvre,
    the café offers simple but expertly prepared brasserie fare (steaks,
    salads, salmon tartare, sandwiches) as well as delicious cakes and
    pastries. The dining room has plush decor and velvet armchairs, but the
    best spot is under the arcade overlooking the glass pyramid and the cour
    Napoléon.

    • 93 rue de Rivoli, 75001




    Café Marly

  5. Café de la Paix

    A
    grand Parisian café with prices to match, but it’s worth a visit to
    enjoy the frescoed walls and sumptuous surroundings, designed by Charles
    Garnier, architect of the Opera House across the square . This is another Paris landmark with a string of famous past patrons, and arguably the best mille-feuille cakes in town.

    • 12 blvd des Capucines, 75008




    Café de la Paix


  6. La Closerie des Lilas

    The main
    restaurant here is expensive, but the bar is a good spot to soak up the
    atmosphere of this historic site where artists and writers from
    Baudelaire to Archibald MacLeish have drunk since 1808.
    Look out for the famous names of visitors etched on the tables.
    The busy brasserie also has live piano music in the evenings and
    attracts a chic crowd.




    La Closerie des Lilas

  7. Le Fumoir

    There
    are many reasons to drop into this café-bar-restaurant next to the
    Louvre whether it be to people watch from the terrace out front or hide
    out with a martini and game of backgammon in the comfy library at the
    back. The hot chocolate is heavenly, cocktails are expertly made and the
    bistro cooking shows Italian and Swedish influences.

    • 6 rue de l’Amiral de Coligny, 75001


    • 01 42 92 00 24

  8. Chez Jeannette

    Although
    the owners haven’t touched the scruffy vintage decor, this café near
    Gare de l’Est has now become one of the hottest hang-outs in Paris with a
    crowd outside to prove it. Inside, the high ceilings, mirrors and
    old-fashioned booths, as well as reasonably priced food, create a lively
    atmosphere.

    • 46 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis, 75010


    • 01 47 70 30 89

    • No disabled access

  9. Le Café de l’Industrie


    Unpretentious but stylish, the Bastille café with three large
    rooms is decorated with everything from spears, to old film star
    publicity stills. The simple food, such as onion soup, is good value.
    Live jazz nights help to make this a popular hang-out with the locals .

  10. Jacques Mélac Bar

    A
    gregarious wine bar off the beaten track and full of character, with a
    rustic beamed ceiling hung with country hams and a vine growing around
    the walls. The moustached owner from Auvergne is an enthusiastic wine
    lover and aims to please with his reasonably priced cellar. A fun
    harvest festival is held in mid-September.

    • 42 rue Léon-Frot, 75011

    • Metro Charonne

    • Closed Aug