Café de Flore, a beloved Parisian institution on Boulevard Saint-Germain, serves up classic French fare in a chic, historic setting—perfect for people-watching and soaking in the city's vibrant culture.
"Verdict: This postcard café is a Disneyfied version of Parisian café life, complete with a solid cup of hot chocolate. But there are far better places serving chocolats chauds, with warmer service, fewer tourists, and way more soul. Generations before Emily in Paris gave an extra boost to this iconic all-day café, it was a gathering place for legendary existentialists, surrealists, novelists, and resistance activists like Sartre, Picasso, and Camus. Today, their offering is deliberately simple: coffee and hot chocolate served with a wine glass overflowing with whipped cream, plus caesar and niçoise salads, club sandwiches, and omelets that come with a hefty price tag. Real Paris, this is not. On any given day, you’ll find a handful of Parisians scattered throughout the Art Deco dining room (and almost exclusively there, not on the terrace) with a pot of tea or wine, but it’s the tourists who keep it in business. Servers exchange knowing smirks and whisper whenever a doe-eyed foreigner walks in with inflated expectations and cash to drop, pleading for a terrace table to live out their fantasy. As long as you know you’re paying for the legend more than the quality, or the welcome, go and live it up." - lindsey tramuta
"Generations before Emily in Paris gave an extra boost to this iconic all-day café on boulevard Saint-Germain, it was a gathering place for the city's legendary existentialists, surrealists, novelists, and resistance activists like Sartre, Picasso, and Camus. Today, their offering is deliberately simple: coffee and hot chocolate served with a wine glass overflowing with whipped cream, plus caesar and niçoise salads, club sandwiches, and omelets that come with a hefty price tag. Real Paris, this is not. On any given day, you’ll find a handful of Parisians scattered throughout the Art Deco dining room (and almost exclusively there, not on the terrace) with a pot of tea or wine, but it’s the tourists who keep it in business. Servers exchange knowing smirks and whisper whenever a doe-eyed foreigner walks in with inflated expectations and cash to drop, pleading for a terrace table to live out their fantasy. As long as you know you’re paying for the legend more than the quality, or the welcome, go and live it up. photo credit: Wenkang Shan" - Lindsey Tramuta
"A historic café on Boulevard Saint-Germain known for its Art Deco interior and famous patrons." - Lane Nieset Lane Nieset Lane Nieset is a travel writer from Miami who has lived in France for the past decade. From Paris, she covers a mix of lifestyle, wine, food, and design for publications including Food & Wine, Condé N
"A chic, historic café that retains a steady stream of locals and tourists. Known for its botanical facade, famous club sandwich, and a history of notable patrons like Picasso and Hemingway." - Sophie Dodd
"A famous café where queer icon James Baldwin wrote his first novel, known for its sidewalk seating and historical significance in Paris's cultural scene."
