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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
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
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. 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.
Café Marly
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.
Café de la Paix
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
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. 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. 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 .
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
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