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Head over to the up-and-coming Canal St-Martin to watch Parisian bobos, or bourgeois-bohemian, in action. The area is home to fashion designers, artists, and media folk who make the most of the waterside cafés on sunny days. The bistro scene gets interesting east of the Bastille, where lower rents have encouraged young chefs to set up shop. Around Père Lachaise the selection thins, but wander a little farther to multicultural Belleville to find an intriguing mix of Chinese and North African eateries alongside some superb gastrobistros from a handful of gifted young chefs.
An easy walk from Place de la Bastille and the Marais, this sleek 2,000-square-foot café is a favorite spot for breakfast, veggie-centric nibbles, and exceptional scones, breads, and sweet rolls served all day, seven days a week. Mornings are a good time to enjoy the fragrance of fresh roasting coffee, performed in full view.
This ever-popular eatery near the canal is the go-to spot for locals and expats with a hankering for all those breakfast comfort foods Mom used to make, but with a gourmet twist. Stacks of ethereally light pancakes or eggs and bacon come with bourbon butter and maple syrup, or a side of fennel sausage, baked beans, hash browns, or a copious serving of green salad. Fruit, yogurt, and granola bowls and other homemade sweets are equally soothing: chia pudding, pecan cake, and an extra-light cheesecake. Wash it all down with a gourmet coffee, homemade soda, a sparkling mimosa, or a bloody Mary.
Master chocolatier Jacques Genin's sophisticated carrés are like small jewels, perfumed with ganaches of exquisite subtlety in seasonal flavors like rosemary, Szechuan pepper, or bergamot. The glorious pastries served in this tearoom and chocolate boutique (one of the loveliest in Paris) are no longer available for takeaway but rather are assembled to order, to be eaten fresh on the premises. Don't forget a cup of velvety, bittersweet chocolat chaud (hot chocolate); the melt-in-your-mouth caramels are also deservedly famous.
You don't have to be a chocoholic to appreciate this cozy little nook of a café focused on all things derived from the cocoa bean: decadent cakes and pastries, chocolates and tablettes (bars of chocolate), and a most sinful chocolat chaud. There are also coffee and other beverages to linger over inside or at a sidewalk table.
Paris's grandest Belle Époque beauty, hidden within the Gare de Lyon train station, has been fully restored to a culinary status almost befitting its eye-popping decor. The menu of French classics is not cheap, though the €56 "travelers menu" for lunch assures you'll be wined, dined, and on your train in 45 minutes. But why not linger? The chic bar is a great place to meet for coffee or a cocktail whether you're heading off on a train or not. Magnificent hardly describes this historic monument's lushly gilded boiserie, extravagant frescoes, and original globe lighting.
The deep sidewalk terrace at this three-in-one gourmet grocer, restaurant, and café is a great place to linger over lunch and a glass of wine, or an early (for France) dinner. The daily menu of hot dishes, soups, and salads complements a wide selection of tasty pastries and classic sandwiches made with top-notch ingredients. In the gourmet shop, Plisson scoured France for all its specialties: cherry juice from Provence, ciders and biscuits from Normandy, the famous Paris ham, and wines and Champagne from the best producers everywhere. Prices are steep, but it's great for a splurge.
One of the city's best examples of the casual gourmet cafés popping up around Paris, Mokonuts is run by a talented husband-and-wife team who create delicious dishes and pastries that are as pleasing to the eye as they are to the palate. Prepare for crowds at breakfast and teatime, when you can choose from chunky multigrain cookies, sweet or savory muffins, tarts, and other sweet goodies. At lunch, locals elbow their way in for a variety of gourmet salads, sandwiches, and hot dishes. Accompany your meal with excellent coffee, a selection of teas, or a freshly made juice, like the refreshing orange-blossom lemonade. Dinner (€70) is served only by reservation for at least eight.
In a city where we all scream for ice cream (and wine), thank goodness for Folderol, where delicious handmade ice creams in flavors like nectarine hibiscus, jasmine-blood orange, spicy watermelon, pecan pie, or chocolate wedding cake are savored like the natural wines you can sip by the glass or bottle along with a plate of fine charcuterie and other small plates.
This place is irreverent in every way except about what goes into the product. From the flours to the chocolates, everything is meticulously sourced for the team's “food porn,” pastries that delight every sense, whether it's the chocolate and pistachio babka, almond croissants, praline brioches, fudge brownies, or “cruffins,” a melt-in-your-mouth croissant-style brioche dusted with cocoa or sugar.
Pedigreed baristas cater to a hip crowd of good-brew connoisseurs here, with an accompanying menu of delicious sandwiches, soups, snacks, and pastries. For Sunday brunch, head over to sister café Ten Belles Bread, where the crusty organic breads and pastries are baked on the premises.
The two British chefs behind this bustling café in an industrial-style loft on an up-and-coming corner of the 11e are known around town for their gourmet take on healthy foods. Here the emphasis is on breakfast, lunch, and brunch, with a range of salads, savory pies, and pastries all made in the on-site bakery. Besides some of the best fresh-baked bread in Paris, you're also guaranteed great coffee and daily food specials. There are a couple of other branches, too.
At the entrance of Merci, a chic concept store, you'll find the perfect spot for a quick lunch or snack (or a place to catch up on the latest French novels) among rows of books and comfy chairs. Highlights include a small soup menu, a risotto of the day, and hearty vegetarian salads. You can also order a freshly pressed juice or iced tea with mint (or a crisp glass of rosé) to wash it all down.
