A coffee and cake crawl through Paris

Six independent Paris stops from the Palais Royal across to the Canal Saint-Martin, each open about the roaster and the machine behind the bar.

This is a walkable coffee and cake crawl through Paris, running roughly west to east from the Palais Royal across to the Canal Saint-Martin. Six independent stops, with the roaster and the machine listed at each one.

1. Télescope

Télescope is a small specialty coffee bar on a quiet street near the Palais Royal. It is the kind of single-room place that built the Paris specialty scene, focused on the coffee and little else.

2. L’Arbre à Café

L’Arbre à Café roasts its own coffee and pulls it on a La Marzocco GS/3. It is known for rare and single-estate beans, so it is worth asking what is on that day.

3. Substance Café

A short walk on in the Sentier, Substance Café is a roaster and bar that roasts its own coffee, with a wine-list approach to its origins.

4. Café Loustic

In the Marais, Café Loustic pours coffee from the Belgian roaster Caffènation on a La Marzocco Linea Paddle, in a room dressed with patterned tiles.

5. Fragments

Fragments, up in the Haut Marais, serves beans from the roaster Stéphane Cataldi on a Kees van der Westen Mirage. A small spot that takes its espresso seriously.

6. Ten Belles

Finish by the Canal Saint-Martin at Ten Belles, which roasts its own coffee and bakes alongside it. A good place to end with a cake by the water.

All six are independent, and the route runs roughly west to east across the centre and out to the canal, walkable in an afternoon. Each is open about its coffee, which is the point of the crawl.

Common questions

Which Paris cafes roast their own coffee?

Several on this crawl roast in house, including L’Arbre à Café, Substance Café and Ten Belles. Others, like Café Loustic and Fragments, pour carefully chosen beans from named roasters.

Where can I find good specialty coffee in the Marais?

Café Loustic and Fragments in the Haut Marais are two independent specialty bars in the Marais, both open about the roaster and machine they use.

Is this Paris coffee crawl walkable?

Yes, roughly. It runs west to east from the Palais Royal through the Marais to the Canal Saint-Martin, walkable in an afternoon, with the Metro to hand if you want to shorten it.

Which Paris cafe is good for cake by the canal?

Ten Belles by the Canal Saint-Martin roasts its own coffee and bakes alongside it, which makes it a good final stop for both coffee and cake.