# Coffee in Paris



## Lefteye (Dec 30, 2014)

In Paris this week so have checked out a couple of places so far both decent ( but pricey) fondation cafe and Matamata. Full range of coffees and methods and light food. A KvdW machine in fondation also.


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## Missy (Mar 9, 2016)

Lefteye said:


> In Paris this week so have checked out a couple of places so far both decent ( but pricey) fondation cafe and Matamata. Full range of coffees and methods and light food. A KvdW machine in fondation also.


Oh we are currently in Vaudoy-en-Brie. So far we've been to Disney, visited the local town Coulommiers, and been attacked by a herd of killer geese. (I've discovered when the zombie apocalypse comes I'm the slowest, so need a better survival tactic than running!)

Tomorrow however, Paris. My ability to direct myself anywhere is close to zero, and I'll have hubby (but no kids) in tow. So suggestions for coffee and lunch gratefully received.


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## Lefteye (Dec 30, 2014)

We did Disney today. Really enjoyed it. Lunch and food tricky as cost and food want differ we've been grabbing baguettes from boulangeries. Both of the places have been around where we have been staying give or take a metro or two. Both v small though. So much to see and do in Paris. I think I've broken my feet!!


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

It all depends where you are in Paris but the European Coffee Trip guide to Paris should help locate somewhere close.


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

Oh, and a favourite for food and coffee is Holybelly 5, which is relatively close to Le Republique. Loustic is good, The Beans on Fire and for just coffee Hippolyte Courty's place: L'Arbre a Cafe. There are good Paris threads on the Forum.


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## Missy (Mar 9, 2016)

Well we've had a lovely day. Arrived at gare du l'est, headed off to Holybelly 5 for pancakes and coffee (a honduras filter or a blend espresso, I had filter, hubby had bounty hot choc.) Great food, very "american" feel. Then wandered to the Pompidou centre, and round to the Louvre, before going to Matamata where poor hubby was forced to get a shot of the ek43. I had a Mokxa Burundi as chemex (for two!) They also had a Bolivian on offer. Hubby's cake was lovely, but mine was a bit dry. Amazing coffee though.

So id echo what others have said, Holybelly for food and Matamata for coffee.

Holybelly made me feel like I was inside my cherub with all its copper piping light fittings!


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## Doozerless (Apr 3, 2015)

The shakshuka in Cafe Oberkampf is superb. They've also got a KvDW Mirage, which is nice.


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## Lefteye (Dec 30, 2014)

Ha! Was in matamata again today also. Had a Kalita wave as the guys said a chemex was for two and so wimped out. Glad you found some good coffee @Missy!


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

Doozerless said:


> The shakshuka in Cafe Oberkampf is superb. They've also got a KvDW Mirage, which is nice.


The trouble is it's tiny. We stay about 5 minutes walk from there but it got to the point where it's too hit and miss whether or not you'll get a table (this is around breakfast time). We now walk the extra to Holybelly.


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

Missy said:


> Well we've had a lovely day. Arrived at gare du l'est, headed off to Holybelly 5 for pancakes and coffee (a honduras filter or a blend espresso, I had filter, hubby had bounty hot choc.) Great food, very "american" feel. QUOTE]
> 
> The 'front of house' person when we've been is a very friendly Australian and she told us that they're modelled on the kind of coffee shop you find in Melbourne* so an Aussie influence rather than an American one (and much better food and coffee than any American diner that I've been in). *not that I have been to Melbourne


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## Doozerless (Apr 3, 2015)

Phil104 said:


> The trouble is it's tiny. We stay about 5 minutes walk from there but it got to the point where it's too hit and miss whether or not you'll get a table (this is around breakfast time). We now walk the extra to Holybelly.


That's a problem alright although the prospect of the shakshuka when you are in the depths of a hangover does make the prospect of waiting a little easier.

Holybelly is probably more popular wrt to its size and the wait there can be similar.

Speaking from experience at the weekend, of course. It wasn't too long ago that the prospect of breakfast in Paris amounted to a terrible cafe au lait and a rather expensive croissant. First world problems, eh?


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## spoxehub (Oct 24, 2014)

Phil104 said:


> The trouble is it's tiny. We stay about 5 minutes walk from there but it got to the point where it's too hit and miss whether or not you'll get a table (this is around breakfast time). We now walk the extra to Holybelly.


Good shout that one, but yeah it is tiny. Worth hanging around for if you've not got a crew in tow though.


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

Doozerless said:


> That's a problem alright although the prospect of the shakshuka when you are in the depths of a hangover does make the prospect of waiting a little easier.
> 
> Holybelly is probably more popular wrt to its size and the wait there can be similar.
> 
> Speaking from experience at the weekend, of course. It wasn't too long ago that the prospect of breakfast in Paris amounted to a terrible cafe au lait and a rather expensive croissant. First world problems, eh?


I agree about the shakshuka, which alone is worth going to Paris for. We've always got to Holybelly (5, now) around opening time so we haven't waited but the queue seems to go down pretty quickly.


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

spoxehub said:


> Good shout that one, but yeah it is tiny. Worth hanging around for if you've not got a crew in tow though.


I should have added, of course, that Cafe Oberkampf may be small but it is perfectly formed.


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## Flying_Vee (May 10, 2016)

Unexpectedly bumped in to Terres de Cafe which was round the corner from the Eiffel Tower and a welcome break from the plod de tourismo.

Had an excellent Kenyan filter- Chania Ultra washed and later in the day an unknown espresso that was also top notch.

Sadly the rest of the trip was dominated by the marathon and Disney where I can confirm the coffee sucks but the attractions are cool.

I'm sure I'd read a while back that France didn't have a decent speciality coffee scene but this place and a quick look on the forum suggests otherwise.


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

The coffee scene in Paris has been transformed in recent years, and is now the real deal and most welcome.


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## Lefteye (Dec 30, 2014)

Love matamata artwork even take out cups are great looking.


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

Lefteye said:


> Love matamata artwork even take out cups are great looking. /QUOTE]
> 
> Let's hope they transfer the design to their keep cup equivalent (or it is actually an entirely recyclable cup).


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## Lefteye (Dec 30, 2014)

Would agree on that. Would be nice to see the end of disposable cups. Maybe someone could make bespoke sleeves for keepcups that would insulate them. I'm always frustrated mine seems to make the coffee cold quickly.


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## bronc (Dec 10, 2012)

I'll be visiting Paris next week for a couple of days. I have O Coffeeshop, l'Arbre a Cafe, *Boot Cafe*, Cafe Oberkampf,* Matamata Coffee*, *Telescope* and *Fondation* on my list. In bold are what I think are the must-visits. Anything else? I won't have much time so I'm only after the best of what Paris has to offer


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

bronc said:


> I'll be visiting Paris next week for a couple of days. I have O Coffeeshop, l'Arbre a Cafe, *Boot Cafe*, Cafe Oberkampf,* Matamata Coffee*, *Telescope* and *Fondation* on my list. In bold are what I think are the must-visits. Anything else? I won't have much time so I'm only after the best of what Paris has to offer


This a good selection assuming the geography all works. It's now hard to go wrong with a specialty coffee shop in Paris. Presumably you know the European Coffee Trip map and also Anna Brones' various postings on Sprudge (her 'Paris Coffee Revolution' book is good although may be hard to get). If you had been going to and from the UK, I would have asked if you could have picked up a Revelation cup from l'Arbre (as coffee only place it's my favourite). Have a great time. Spring time in Paris.


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## adz313 (Apr 13, 2016)

Dragging this one up from a few months ago now...

Does anyone have any recommendations for coffee in the Batignolles sort of area?

Anyone tried Dose?


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## mission701 (Oct 15, 2018)

Just got back from a trip to Paris and have enjoyed some top class cafes and coffees. Thank you to those who posted recommendations because it was a great help. I shall try and re-pay the favour sharing my experiences.

The Paris coffee scene has come on leaps and bounds over the past few years. It's now becoming quite frequent that you'll see the unmistakable sight of an EK43 in a boutique cafe, and more common than you'd think to see the word torréfacteur (which I discovered means roaster) proudly displayed. The best cafes are all tiny, but over a weekend in January we didn't have any issues getting a table really. The cramped space is almost always more than made up for by the quality of product.

So here are the places I tried, in order of preference:

L'Arbre a café - A tiny little coffee shop on the Rue du Nil (this street also being home to the Frenchie restaurant empire - Frenchie To Go, Frenchie Bar a Vins, and Frenchie - try them...delicious!). It's more of a coffee shop than a cafe, selling their own roasted coffee and any kit you might need, and where you can enjoy a coffee expertly made by your choice of extraction. For espresso they have a LM GS3 and they use an EK43 grinder, which they single dose. I had an amazing espresso and my wife had a flat white, both from their Kenyan beans. Both completely delicious. I bought some to take back home and am cursing the fact I only bought 125g - although at €17 it's probably best I didn't buy a kilo! The guy who ran the shop (whose name I didn't catch) was charming and made the visit a real experience, but ignoring that (as much as you can), it was the best espresso I've ever had, anywhere.

Cafe Oberkampf - Again tiny, but a proper cafe which also does food. They have a KvW Mirage if memory serves me right and an EK43 which they single dose. I had an espresso and my wife had a cortado, both using a single origin Etheopian roasked by April Copenhagen. Both coffees excellent, although they did take an extraordinary amount of time over making them! Speed is not a virtue in Paris! Oberkampf is quite a cool area which is (to quote a native) transitioning from the home of drug dealers to hipsters. Lots of good little artisans around which we should have paid more attention to.

Matamata - I wandered here through the rain just after opening at 9am on a Sunday to combine the benefits of a quiet stroll through the capital with a lack of queue at the cafe. Glad I did because it was completely empty when I arrived. Nice little cafe which has a few seats / tables. Don't think they do food but could be wrong. They have a Nuova Simonelli grinder (not single dosing) and some form of LM machine. I ordered 2 flat whites to take out and had an espresso while I waited. Espresso was delicious, although didn't beat L'Arbre or Oberkampf. The idea was that I'd take the flat whites back to the hotel to drink with my wife, but the temperature of the drink combined with the temperature outside meant I drank both on the way back - hey, I didn't want to waste them! Wife not impressed. The flat whites were very good - better than the espresso alone I'd say.

Yellow Toucan - Still mildly buzzing from my 3 coffees, we went to this cool little cafe which has maybe 4 tables and does simple food; quiche, cakes, etc which all looked yummy. I had an espresso and my wife a flat white. I couldn't actually tell you what kit they used as my caffine addled mind was not at its best, but the coffee was great - on a par with Matamata and I'd definitely go back.

Fragments - Mini cafe in the Bastille area of Paris which I hadn't heard of but it was reassuringly busy. Went in and they had the tall and short versions of the EK43 and a KvW Mirage. Usual espresso and flat white order followed. Very delicious. Took an age which was surprising given there were 6 staff verses probably 14 customers! Nevertheless, coffee on a par with Matamata and Yellow Toucan. Cakes good here too.

Boot Cafe - I went here a few years back and really liked it. This time I was a little disappointed. Good service, but my espresso was just a bit...flat. Not as much depth of flavour as any of the others I've mentioned above, and just a lack of any bright notes coming through. They used a Mazzer grinder (maybe a Royal?) and so weren't single dosing. LM machine of some form. I would still recommend this place because it's a bit of a classic, and the atmosphere is as good as their banana bread (which is top notch!). Flat white was slightly kinder to the taste of the espresso.

Neighbours - Last and worst of the bunch. We went here for the brunch rather than for the coffee, and for brunch I would recommend it, as long as you are extremely thin, like to sit on seats the size of thimbles and get cosy with strangers. The sourdough crumpets with avocado and haloumi are worth it. Odd situation where they used a fully hoppered Anfim grinder for espresso and single dosed an EK43 for filter (which went in to a £10 filter machine). The writing on the wall guiding the barista over ratios and timing was encouraging, and the barista did nothing but espresso all the time we were there. We both had a flat white and flat it was - not weak but just not much taste. I'm probably underselling this place, it had a cool atmosphere, great service and the coffee was better than any chain. My lack of enthusiasm for this place is more telling of the quality of the best artisans in Paris than this place being poor. Maybe not worth a trip to for the coffee alone, but if you're in the area....


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

A wonderful round-up - thank you @mission701 - and you started with my favourite, too (and Frenchie is pretty special).


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## webdoc (Jan 22, 2019)

Just came back from a few days in Paris. I went to a few places:

l'arbre a cafe was great, very small, 2 chairs, they roast their coffee, had a Ethiopia Guji very good, sweet, floral.

Cafe Oberkampf was a bug disappointment, no April, three french roasters available, the teo I tasted was mediocre at best, v60 bitter and over extracted. Food looks better than it tasted. Girls there are nice and fun though.

Kott Cafe just 30m from Cafe Oberkampf I found this lovely cafe that just opened, using coffee from L'arbre de Cafe, owners serving, they are fun and really excited to have a cafe. Brand new equipment EK43, two Mythos 2 and LM Linea. Great coffee, good atmosphere and their desert is to die for! Iced snowflakes with peaches and some nice syrup, a Korean desert. Do not miss it!

Fragments - good small cafe, near Park de Voges, using coffee from Hexagon, single dosed on EK43 and Kvdw Mirage, great coffee, good food also, a tad expensive but its Paris! Well worth the visit

i have been recommended Substance Cafe where the owner/barista is a teacher of taste and very passionate about coffee so much so that he serves only coffee in his cafe, I did not get to visit it since i had to go the next day but I liked the concept.

it was truly eye opening how much caffees have evolved in Paris, lots of them are embracing the 3rd wave coffee and invest in quality and hardware, i could see it everywhere except touristy spots.


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## tammma (May 27, 2019)

+1 for Hollybelly

Also Le Peloton cafe did a good flat white when we were there last year. Owner is a kiwi originally.


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