Specialty Coffee Shops in Paris

If you're looking for specialty coffee shops in Paris, a few things to know first. Most of the city's high-end coffee shops are tiny, with slightly uncomfortable seats and only simple desserts like cookies and brownies, so it's hard to settle in for a long chat. On the other hand, many are equipped with Marzocco, a premium Italian espresso machine, which gives them a refined, hip vibe, and some sell their own blended beans. There's also a reason coffee here can taste especially good, which is good news for latte lovers. A latte's quality depends on the milk even more than the coffee. France is a paradise for dairy, so the milk is naturally good and high quality, and top coffee shops use the pricier, tastier kind, making the lattes wonderfully rich and creamy.

Bonjour Jacob sells magazines alongside its coffee. They're for sale, so you can't take them to your table, but the selection from small, distinctive independent publishers is fun to browse, like a bookstore. The interior is very minimalist, so it's a good pick if that's your style.

Of all the high-end coffee shops in Paris, Terres de café seemed to care most about the variety and quality of its coffee. It has several branches around the city, which makes it easy to visit.

Yellow Tucan is a small coffee shop tucked down a quiet street not far from Bastille station. It's tiny, but the atmosphere is bright and lovely, a good choice if you like a cozy, relaxed feel.

Motors Coffee, at Châtelet, is a coffee shop for true hipsters. The trendy, one-of-a-kind atmosphere is part of the draw, but the coffee is good enough to have won competition awards, which is why it draws so many people.

If you're visiting the Jardin des Plantes, stop by Crible coffee shop. The barista is a French woman who loves Korea and Korean culture so much that she studied at a Korean university. She speaks fluent Korean and praised Korea's coffee culture, a proud and happy memory for the narrator.