The first successful cafe of Paris, Le Procope was founded by an Italian who made coffee popular in Paris and many say basically invented ice-cream (gelato). Notice that prices for drinks are the same at the bar (comptoir) as in the dinning room (salle).
Bon Jour Travelers!
Paris has a long coffee tradition dating back to the 1660’s when the Armenian brothers Pascal and Gregoire Alep opened Paris’ first café. Unfortunately for the brothers their product was not popular as the Parisians did not take to the bitter beverage. But then in 1686 a Sicilian named Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli- he is also credited with inventing gelato- opened Café Procope and Paris has never looked back. Today Paris is teaming with cafés, which more or less serve the function to see and be seen, but there are a few venerable establishments that at the very least deserve to be acknowledged whilst winding though Paris.
The following cafés are pretty expensive, even by Parisian terms. A café (espresso) averages 1€20 at the bar (comptoir) and upwards of 2€ if you sit down (salle). Out of these four, Café Palette has the least expensive café at 2€50, with Procope at 3€10 and Flore and Magots occupying the most expensive place at 4€60 per espresso. Note: we use the French number system of the € in place of the decimal point so 4€60 equals 4 €uros and sixty cents.
Café Procope:
Boasting famous cliental such as Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Rousseau, Diderot, Robespierre among others. This café was the point of origin for the Enlightenment, the French Revolution and perhaps the American democratic model. It was here that Voltaire, a Procope regular, reportedly drank over 50 demi-tasses a day, which by today’s prices of 3€10 would be a pretty dear habit.
Café Palette:
Located in the center of Saint Germain des Pres’ art district this is a popular hangout for art dealers and buyers. Out of these four cafés this is the most reasonable in terms of cost, but the atmosphere might feel a little superior or unapproachable. However, if you can get by this then sit down and have a 2€10 espresso or 9€ cocktail as the art dealers possibly decide the fate of the next Renoir.
Les Deux Magots:
Named after the two wooden statues of Chinese commercial agents (magots), this café was / is famous for being a meeting spot for Paris’ cultural élite. Among the patrons were the French playwright, philosopher and author Jean-Paul Sartre, Earnest Hemingway and at times visited by Pablo Picasso.
Café de Flore:
The Flore is said to be an institution reserved for only “initiated” clients. Just as Les Deux Magots, which is right next door, this café boasts a long and distinguished list of initiated patrons. If for nothing else it would be worth making a pass by to see if Johnny Depp, Robert DeNiro or other celebrities are sitting around. If you find a table, or if they have “one for you”, expect to pay around 4€60 for an espresso and upwards of 13€ for a cocktail.
Obviously, these place were not selected for their “budget” values but if you are thinking of a splurge then consider spending some long moments at any of these temples of Saint Germain des Pres. Flore and Mogots will have the best people watching values whereas Palette will be a little less dear and offers a less trafficked area in terms of pedestrians and cars. Finally, Procope does not have outside seating and is generally less crowded.
Happy Travels,
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
You must log in to post a comment.