7 of the coziest cafes in Paris

With so many busy spots in the city to get your caffeine fix, where should you go to get cozy with a big mug of coffee? Whether it’s an hour of people watching, a lazy afternoon with a book, or chilling out with friends, our picks of Paris’s coziest cafes have you covered. 

Fragments

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With its bright, geometric patterned counter, exposed wooden rafters, and cheerful baristas, Fragments is a winning combination of good design, great food, and excellent coffee. This small coffee shop on Rue des Tournelles has an ever-changing menu of both sweet treats and breakfast/lunchtime fare, with single-origin coffees from dedicated specialty roasters. Their all-day breakfast menu includes poached eggs, homemade granola, and deliciously zingy avocado toast with sourdough from Circus Bakery in the 5th arrondissement. Fragments is the perfect spot to curl up with a cappuccino and read the paper, or for a casual brunch date with friends. Either way, don’t miss their range of espresso drinks, which include espresso, cappuccino, and flat white, with their homemade non-dairy milks.

Just around the corner from Centre Pompidou is this funky and unpretentious espresso bar. The vibe is laidback and friendly, with lots of places to sit and lovely baristas who are always happy to chat about their coffee selection (which changes weekly). Having a coffee at Loustic feels like having a coffee in your cool friend’s living room, except your friend’s living room probably doesn’t have two coffee grinders, a large espresso machine, and a hefty crate of oat milk. This cafe is very coffee focused with just a small selection of pastries and cakes, so rather than gearing up for a big breakfast, it’s ideal for sinking into the comfy cushions and warming your hands on a café crème or one of their enormous chai lattes.

Ten Belles feels like a hole in the wall place, with a tiny downstairs area and a narrow staircase leading to a loft. But this cozy spot by the Canal-Saint-Martin is actually the coffee-focused offshoot of the renowned Ten Belles bakery in the 11th arrondissement. The bakery provides the cafe with baked goods and hearty sandwiches (I had a delicious roasted carrot and hummus one, which is a filling I’d never considered before now). Ten Belles recently started roasting their own coffee beans, and these are available as various espresso-based drinks including noisette, cortado, and café crémè, as well as filter coffees. Make sure to go during off-peak hours to ensure a seat – the best ones are on the mezzanine upstairs, perfect for people watching. 

La Recyclerie isn’t strictly a cafe, it’s also a restaurant, a market, a community space, and a garden all rolled into one. The ethos here is sustainability and green living, perfect for a repurposed train station on the edge of La Petite Ceinture. The bright, welcoming space is covered in greenery, including a giant monstera, and extends back to an organic garden providing seasonal produce for the kitchen. La Recyclerie hosts regular community events about sustainable living and DIY projects. True to its name, scraps are fed to the chickens, and the high-backed chairs, coffee tables, and restaurant furniture are recycled from garage sales and charity shops. Don’t miss Veggie Jeudi every Thursday, when the menu is completely vegan and vegetarian!

As a lifelong fan of Neil Young, I couldn’t help visiting Dreamin Man just on name alone. But this tiny cafe lived up to its name: the coffee here is indeed a dream. The no-frills menu – coffee, pastries, and a little bit of patisserie – works well with the pared-back interior design. With just three tables and a carved wooden bar, stacks of cassette tapes from Warren Devon and Pink Floyd, and plant cuttings in jam jars scattered around, this is probably the tiniest, coziest cafe in Paris. The barista is more than happy to give you recommendations, and the crème caramel (which comes covered in whipped cream) is a popular choice. Come for the vibe and the tunes from the cassette player in the corner, stay for the espresso and the flan.