The Ultimate Guide To Cafés In France And French Café Culture

When you picture France, along with the Eiffel Tower, croissants, berets and baguettes, the image of the French café is something else that immediately springs to mind.

But how did French café culture develop? What’s unique about it? And what should you expect if you venture inside of cafés in France?

In this post, I answer questions like these and more as I delve into the topic of cafés in France and French café culture to reveal all the secrets.

Café, Not Coffee

In French, café means both the beverage (coffee) and the place where you drink it. But when we talk about French café culture, we’re very much thinking about the latter rather than the former.

The French café has long played a vital role in the social life of the country in much the same way the pub does in the UK, providing a meeting place where people can relax and unwind while chatting with friends and watching the world go by.

In the popular imagination, French cafés, particularly those in Paris, are where intellectuals meet to debate and exchange views; they’re also places for political dialogue as well as somewhere to go simply to exchange gossip.

But one thing you should realise is that, despite France’s vibrant café culture, when compared to the stuff being served in many other parts of the world, the coffee itself has a reputation for being….well, not very good.

If you want to drink top-quality third-wave coffee, you’ll need to find a dedicated speciality coffee shop, and in France, like elsewhere, there are plenty to choose from. 

It’s just that this is quite different from the concept of traditional cafés in France, which is what we’re concerned with here.

Before we come to that though, let’s start at the beginning and look at the history of cafés in France to see how French café culture evolved.

(Incidentally, coffee shops and traditional cafés are both referred to as cafés in French. The English expression “coffee shop” exists in French too, but this is usually reserved for another type of coffee shop that’s only found in Amsterdam…)

A Little History Of Cafés In France

Where did coffee come from?

Although it might be hard to imagine France without cafés, they haven’t always been there – and neither has coffee.

Coffee consumption as we now know it is first attested from 15^th-century Yemen. There, imported beans procured from the Ethiopian Highlands were processed into a version of the drink we recognise today.

However, according to legends, the caffeine in coffee beans has been prized as a stimulant for much longer than this. 

As the story goes, in the 9^th century, an Ethiopian goatherd supposedly noticed his animals behaving strangely after chewing the beans from a certain type of bush and decided to try them himself, thus discovering their mildly psychoactive properties.

The arrival of coffee in France and the first cafés in Paris

Regardless of the veracity of this tale, coffee the drink arrived in France – as well as much of the rest of Europe – during the 17^th century. 

In France, specifically, coffee is said to have been introduced to Parisian high society by one Suleiman Aga, the Ottoman ambassador to the French king Louis XIV in 1669.

This flamboyant character was known for the extravagant gatherings he hosted at his Paris apartments where, among other things, he served coffee with all the pomp and ritual of the Ottoman tradition.

By 1689, Paris had its first café serving the drink, the venerable and esteemed Café Procope – an establishment that remains open to this day.

The idea of a place to meet friends to drink coffee or tea while enjoying tasty snacks in comfortable surroundings proved to be extremely popular, and by the end of the 18^th century, the number of cafés in the capital was approaching 2,000.

Hotbeds of literary and political activity

Perhaps the most famous of the early patrons of Café Procope was Voltaire, one of the pre-eminent thinkers and writers of the Enlightenment. Voltaire’s writing desk is still on display inside the café today.

One of the reasons cafés were so attractive to literary figures was that at the time, such people survived on only meagre salaries.

Due to the cost of heating, during the winter, their quarters were often extremely cold. Conversely, in summer, their cheap residences were uncomfortably hot.

Instead, they found it preferable to ensconce themselves in cafés during the day to meet and work, downing endless cups of the black stuff while they were at it.

As a result, luminaries including Voltaire’s contemporary Rousseau as well as – later – the likes of Sartre, Camus and American author Hemingway were drawn to Paris’ cafés as places to exchange ideas and advance their own important contributions to literature.

Indeed, photos of Jean-Paul Sartre seated with a coffee on the table and a pipe or cigarette in the mouth while engrossed in his writing provide a classic image of Parisian cafés and their links to the literary world.

As well as spots where writers and poets mingled, cafés were also places where people could head for information about current affairs – and the news they received there was often more reliable than what could be gleaned from reading newspapers.

As a result, in the years leading up to the French Revolution in 1789, cafés became important venues where people could convene for political discussion, planning and scheming, a tradition that endured long after the Storming of the Bastille and the removal of Louis XVI’s head.

Modern Cafés In France

Of course, what started in the capital quickly spread to the rest of the country, and nowadays, cafés can be found in big cities, small towns and even in most villages everywhere in France – although elsewhere, they are quite different in appearance from those in the capital.

Today, cafés in France are no longer the centres of literary innovation they once were, and in the more famous Parisian cafés, you’re far more likely to be seated cheek-by-jowl next to tourists from around the world than up-and-coming writers working on their manuscripts.

However, the tradition of meeting in cafés for a drink and a bite to eat remains strong, and the French enjoy heated political discussion and gossip as much now as they ever have.

All this means that at least a few stops in a French café should be considered an essential part of any travel itinerary in France.

What To Expect At Cafés In France

Cafés – as opposed to coffee shops that focus specifically on high-quality coffee and where menus are more limited – usually offer a range of sweet and savoury snacks as well as simple cooked meals. Here are some examples of what to expect.

• Breakfast

You can head to a café in the morning to enjoy your petit déjeuner (breakfast), which might include a coffee along with a croissant or a tartine – a sliced, toasted baguette with butter and jam or chocolate spread.

As far as the coffee itself goes, you can order a café noir (black coffee), an expresso (espresso), a café au lait (coffee with milk) or a café crème (espresso coffee topped with warm foamed milk).

Whichever option you go for, in France, coffees tend to be small and strong – Americans in particular shouldn’t expect to be able to order americanos or the large mugs of drip coffee they might drink back home.

• Lunch and dinner

Cafés in France may also serve le déjeuner (lunch) and/or le dîner (dinner). Classic café fare includes the ever-popular croque monsieur, a kind of cheese and ham toastie, and the related croque madame, essentially the same thing with a poached egg on top.

Beyond this, expect to find various salads and other simple snacks and meals. Another café favourite is savoury croissants with fillings like cheese and ham, something that’s ideal for a quick lunch.

Some cafés in France offer more elaborate or upmarket options – for example, I have a distant memory of first trying rabbit in a café in Paris just by the Seine.

By the way, if you'd like to be able to talk about food and drink fluently in French, take a look at my list of over 200 names of foods in French.

• Drinks and more

Something to bear in mind is that while in the UK, a café is considered quite different from a pub or bar, in France, the distinction is more blurred.

Cafés in France serve alcoholic drinks like draught beer (known as pression) or wine by the glass. And if you want to try something typically French, ask for a pastis, a kind of aniseed-flavoured spirit that you dilute with water according to taste.

In addition, many cafés double up as places to buy tobacco, transport tickets, magazines and more. In PMU cafés, you can also watch and place bets on horse racing and other sporting events.

Parisian Cafés

Typical local cafés in France, especially those found in smaller towns and villages, tend to be unassuming, unpretentious places.

However, Parisian cafés stand apart. And when people talk about French café culture, they’re often picturing the cafés of the capital. Traditional Parisian cafés are unique and not found in the rest of the country – except as deliberate imitations.

At the top end of the scale, you’ll find chic and sometimes opulently decorated places serving food and drinks, usually at eye-watering prices. 

For example, tourist magnets such as the aforementioned Café Procope along with the likes of Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots fall into this category.

You’ll also find no shortage of lesser-known places on practically every corner that are worth visiting – especially since they are often more authentic than the establishments filled with tourists desperate for their perfect Insta snap.

And then there are the simplest café-bars, often found tucked into places like side roads next to train stations where you can enjoy an authentic if unpolished experience.

Parisian cafés vary in décor from elegant and airy to worn-in and cosy, but they are typically characterised by the outdoor seating consisting of round tables and plastic rattan chairs crammed onto the pavement to take advantage of any available space.

Even in the least fancy cafés, the exorbitant prices can sometimes come as a shock to visitors – and these prices are something that Parisians and other French alike commonly complain and joke about.

The staff in Parisian cafés are notoriously curt and are famous for refusing to speak English to patrons.

However, you shouldn’t be put off by this or feel nervous about going in. As long as you are willing to order in French and are prepared for terse, efficient service rather than a voluble waiter ready to welcome you with a big smile, you should still enjoy the experience! 

French Café Etiquette

Cafés in France are, by their nature, fairly informal places. So you don’t need to worry too much about any complicated rules of etiquette that you have to follow.

At the same time, knowing how things work when you’re in an unfamiliar setting in a foreign country can help you avoid making yourself look like a clueless tourist, so here are a few pointers to help you out when you venture into a café in France.

• You can seat yourself

When you arrive at a café, if you see a free table, either inside or out, you can sit down without waiting to be seated. And if you can’t see a table, you can always ask a waiter for a table by saying, for example, une table pour cinq s’il vous plaît (a table for five please).

The exception is if there is a host/hostess at the door or a sign specifically telling you to wait to be seated – as might be the case in busier, fancier Parisian cafés. In this case, you need to wait for the staff to find you a table.

• You can sit at a table or at the bar

If you prefer, you can also choose to sit at the bar. This can be a good option if you’re alone, especially if you want to practise your spoken French, because this will allow you to chat with the staff working there – if they’re not too busy, of course!

Note that sometimes, prices can be cheaper at the bar, so you can’t order at the bar and then wander off to a table with your drink if you decide you don’t like your seat.

• You don’t have to tip unless you want to

In France, tipping is not obligatory or expected, especially in informal establishments like cafés. This means American visitors shouldn’t feel they have to tip the 15 or 20% they are used to leaving back home – indeed, leaving a 20% tip would be unusual and excessive in a French café.

However, if you're happy with the service, you can still leave a few coins on the table when you go – and this will always be greatly appreciated.

Want to know more about do's and don'ts in France? Take a look at my list of 31 French traditions.

• Should you call the waiter garçon?

In French cafés, especially in Paris, waiters are known as garçons de café – and in Paris, they still commonly wear the traditional uniform that consists of a white shirt, a black waistcoat and tie and a white waist apron.

In Paris – and elsewhere – it is normal to call waiters in cafés garçon, and you can use this word to attract their attention.

However, as anyone familiar with the opening scene from Pulp Fiction will remember, garçon means “boy”. 

Traditionally, this was a male-dominated profession, so that wasn’t a problem. But nowadays, you can just as easily be served by a female waitress, and obviously, in this case, calling them garçon wouldn’t be appropriate.

If you are served by a younger female waitress, you could possibly call her over by saying mademoiselle (miss). However, even this is a little dated nowadays, so just sticking to the safe and universal excusez-moi (excuse me) will help you avoid unintentionally giving offence.

Note also that you won’t normally need to call someone over to place your order.

They will notice you when you arrive and will first come over to give you the menu. They will then return to take your order after leaving you enough time to choose what you want, so there isn’t usually any need to call to them unless you need something extra.

When it’s time to pay, you should try to catch the waiter’s eye and use the universal “bill please!” gesture of writing in the air with an imaginary pen. Or if they’re close enough to hear you without shouting, you can say l’addition, s’il vous plaît (the bill, please).

• Don’t shout to attract the waiter’s attention

When you’re in a café, if you do need to call the waiter over, whichever term you decide to use, you should avoid shouting. If they are within earshot, you can call them over – but only if you can do so without raising your voice.

Otherwise, trying to make eye contact and signalling discretely with your hand is acceptable. But don’t start waving your arms around in the air like you’re trying to attract your friend’s attention in the crowd at a festival!

• Table service

If you’re in a café to drink a beer or a glass of wine, you won’t need to go to the bar when you want another round. The waiter will bring your drinks to the table, so all you need to do is let them know what you want, and they’ll do the rest.

• Smoking is not allowed indoors

In France, like most other places in Europe and around the world, smoking in restaurants, bars and cafés is now banned. So if you want to light up, you’ll need to head outside.

If you’re seated outside, however, smoking is fine – although you should still be considerate and try not to blow smoke all over people at neighbouring tables, especially if they are there with children.

• Don’t get upset with a perceived lack of friendliness

I mentioned above that in Paris especially, waiters are notoriously stony-faced, but it’s important not to take offence.

Americans in particular will be used to waiters who go out of their way to be friendly and talkative, but this just isn’t a part of a café waiter’s job in France.

They’re there to take your order and bring your food efficiently while doing the same for all the other tables. People don’t expect a smile or idle chit-chat, it’s just not part of the local custom, and you need to understand that this is the way things are.

However, if you return their perceived lack of friendliness with hostility or a passive-aggressive attitude, things will quickly turn sour, and you’ll end up leaving with an unfavourable impression, something that undoubtedly happens to countless tourists every year.

Instead, be aware of cultural differences, remain polite, place your order and allow them to get on with their job – and the interaction will go far more smoothly for both sides.

• Order a demi if you want to blend in

In cafés, people don’t tend to drink beer by the pint – although in sports bars and British- or Irish-style pubs, it’s more normal.

Instead, if you ask for une pression (a draught beer) or un demi (a half), you will be served a 25cl beer just like the locals drink – and you can always order another one if you are still “thirsty”.

This reminds me of a time a few years back when I was travelling in the south of France.

I sat down outside a café with two French companions, and I saw that, unusually for France, they sold beer by the litre – so I decided to order one.

When the waiter came over, one of my friends placed the order, and when she came to my beer, the waiter raised his eyebrows, commenting that en general, ce n’est que les anglais qui commandent des litres de bière (generally, it’s only the English who order beer by the litre).

To which, pointing to me with a wry smile, my friend replied, il est anglais! (he’s English!).

• Enjoy le goûter like a local

Something else you can try if you want to do things like the locals is to head into a café for le goûter. 

This is a traditional snack taken in France at around 4pm and usually consists of a cup of tea or coffee accompanied by some kind of sweet treat like a croissant or other pastry or cake.

• Don’t ask for a flat white

Let’s return just once more to the distinction between coffee shops and cafés to remind you not to go into a café and try to order a flat white, a deconstructed salt caramel latte or whatever else the latest hipster fad happens to be.

If you want high-end speciality coffee, you need to find a third-wave coffee shop. And if you prefer downing some kind of sugar-filled sludge, it shouldn’t be hard to find a branch of the international chain with a green sign that excels in that kind of concoction.

French cafés, on the other hand, usually serve just a few versions of basic coffee, so don’t go there expecting anything fancy or elaborate in terms of what you drink – that’s just not what these places are about!

Some Useful Café Vocab

• Vous êtes combien de personnes ? (How many people?)
• On est… (There are…of us)
• Une table pour…s’il vous plaît (A table for…please)
• Moi tout/toute seul (Just me)
• Vous préférez vous asseoir en salle, en terrasse ou au bar ? (Do you prefer to sit inside, outside or at the bar?)
• Vous avez une table en salle/en terrasse s’il vous plaît ? (Do you have a table inside/outside please?)
• Je vais me mettre au bar (I’ll sit at the bar)
• C’est pour manger ou pour prendre/boire un verre ? (Do you want to eat or just have a drink?)
• C’est pour manger (I/we want to eat)
• C’est pour prendre/boire un verre (We want to have a drink)
• Vous êtes prêts/prêtes à commander ? (Are you ready to order?)
• Oui, je suis prêt/prête (Yes, I’m ready)
• Oui, on est prêts/prêtes (Yes, we’re ready)
• Non, pas encore (No, not yet)
• Je voudrais… (I’d like…)
• Je vais prendre… (I’ll have…)
• L’addition, s’il vous plaît (The bill, please)
• Payer en espèces (Pay in cash)
• Payer par carte (Pay by card)

Cafes In France FAQ

An Unmissable Experience On Any Trip To France

As you’ve seen, café culture is an important and beloved element of daily life in France. And most French enjoy visiting cafés for refreshments, light meals and good conversation with friends.

I would recommend for all visitors to the country to venture into at least a few cafés to experience French café culture for themselves – because if you don’t, it’s hard to say you’ve even been to France at all!

And if you'd like to learn French so you can order in cafés and chat to the locals, my course, French Uncovered will help you learn it fast through stories, not rules. Get your free 7-day trial of the course.

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.