Café de la Paix (French pronunciation: [kafe də la pɛ]) is a famous café in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was designed by Charles Garnier, the architect of the Paris Opéra (located across the plaza). Legend has it that if one sits at the café, one is bound to run into a friend or acquaintance as the bar is so well-known and popular.
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The Café de la Paix opened June 30, 1862, to serve the Grand-Hôtel de la Paix (named after the nearby rue de la Paix), whose name was later shortened to Grand-Hôtel.[1] It serviced visitors of Expo exhibition in 1867. Its proximity to the Palais Garnier attracted many famous clients, including Jules Massenet, Émile Zola, and Guy de Maupassant. The Café is also the setting for the poem "The Absinthe Drinker" by the Canadian poet, Robert Service [2]
During the Belle Époque, visitors to the Café included Sergei Diaghilev, and the Prince of Wales and future King of the United Kingdom, Edward VII.
A radio studio was later installed in the Café, which broadcast the program "This is Paris" to the United States.
On August 22, 1975, the Café was declared a historic site by the French government.[3]