Parisian café

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Parisian cafés serve as a function of social and culinary life of the Paris. They have been around for centuries in one form or another, the oldest one still in operation is "Café Procope" on Rue Buci, since 1686.

Paris cafés are the meeting place, the neighborhood hub, the conversation matrix, the rendez-vous spot, the networking source, a place to relax or to refuel, the social and political pulse of the city.

The café business sometimes doubles as a “bureau de tabac”, a sidekick tobacco shop that can sell you everything from metro tickets to prepaid phone cards.

Typical Paris cafés are not “coffee shops”. They generally come with a complete kitchen offering a restaurant menu with meals for any time of the day, a full bar and even a wine selection.

Paris cafés crystallize the quintessential Parisian way of sitting undisturbed for a couple of hours, delightfully watching the world go by. Some of the most recognizable Paris cafés include Café de la Paix, Les Deux Magots, Café de Flore, Le Fouquet’s, Le Deauville, as well as a new wave represented by Café Beaubourg, Drugstore Publicis and many more.