The best specialty coffee shops in Paris include Substance Café, Motors Coffee, Tanat, Klover Coffee Showroom, TIBA, Clove, I.O Café, Le Maung, Dreamin’ Man, Télescope Café, KB Coffee Roasters and Terres de Café.
If coffee is the main reason you’re reading this, start with Substance, Motors, Tanat, Klover and TIBA. They’re the places I’d prioritise for the coffee alone.
The rest earn their place for different reasons. Some have built cult followings. Others make very good specialty coffee easy to approach. A few have been around for years and remain good enough to compete with a much newer generation.
This isn’t a history of specialty coffee in Paris. Being early doesn’t get you on the list. Being good now does.
Substance Café
2nd arrondissement
Substance is where I’d send the most serious coffee person I know. Joachim Morceau runs the reservation only coffee bar with his wife, Alexandrine, roasting their own beans and serving just a handful of guests around the counter. There are no pastries, takeaway cups or sugar. Joachim will usually start by learning what you like before deciding where to take you next. If you want to hand him control, book the omakase. Substance is closer to a coffee tasting than a conventional café.
Motors Coffee
1st arrondissement
Motors‘ tiny Les Halles café works with a changing selection of international roasters. Don’t ignore the food. The Basque cheesecake, cinnamon rolls and banana bread have developed followings of their own.
Tanat
2nd arrondissement and other locations
Formerly Kawa, Tanat is a Paris roaster you should seek out specifically for its coffee. Head roaster Thomas Clement isn’t afraid of co-fermentation, alternative processing or unusual varieties, and the selection can include rare coffees such as Gesha, Sudan Rume and Sidra (by the way, the Sudam Rume is the best coffee I have at World of Coffee Brussels, by a mile). There are now four Paris locations. I’d choose Tiquetonne for a coffee crawl because Substance, Motors and Le Maung are all nearby.
Klover Coffee
11th arrondissement
Klover‘s Byungchul “Harry” Kim roasts in Paris, with a preference for light roasting and letting variety, origin and terroir show in the cup. Klover is where you go if you already know the established Paris coffee names and want to see what a newer generation of roasters is doing.
TIBA
3rd arrondissement
TIBA‘s small Rue Charlot café works with a changing selection of guest roasters from around the world, with V60 and other filter coffees at the centre of what it does. Sit at the counter if there’s space.
Clove
Montmartre, 18th arrondissement
Ella Fatima McElroy and Florent Marcault run Clove as a multi roaster and it has one of the strongest coffee programmes in Montmartre. Ella also makes the ceramics used to serve the drinks. It’s tiny and tables fill quickly at weekends, so go early. If you’re visiting Sacré Cœur, Clove is worth making part of the morning.
I.O Café
3rd arrondissement
I.O fits just eight people into its tiny Rue Dupetit-Thouars coffee bar. Coffee is by La Cabra. There are no laptops, food is limited to a small pastry selection. So it’s a not a place you settle into for half a day. But it’s definitely a place to add to the list.
Le Maung
2nd arrondissement
Le Maung is France’s first Indonesian specialty coffee shop and one of the more distinctive coffee stops in Paris. It roasts its own coffee, with a particular focus on Indonesia, and serves it across espresso and filter as well as methods including phin and cezve. Opened in 2024, it has already built an extraordinary following. Le Maung is also just around the corner from Tanat Tiquetonne.
Dreamin’ Man
11th arrondissement
Dreamin’ Man brings together Yuichiro Sugiyama’s obsession with coffee and Yui Matsuzaki’s baking in a tiny Rue Amelot café. The coffee is from Danish roasters April and Prolog, while Yui makes the pastries from ingredients she finds at local markets. If the Japanese pudding is available, order it. Leave the laptop behind too.
Télescope Café
1st arrondissement
Télescope is an OG in Paris specialty coffee. Nicolas Clerc still runs an ambitious filter programme, with a long list of coffees organised by origin, tasting notes and intensity. The small Rue Villédo café is computer free, and the banana bread with salted butter has almost as many admirers as the coffee. If you’re around the Louvre or Palais Royal, Télescope is the move.
KB Coffee Roasters
9th arrondissement
KB‘s been around since 2010 and feels like a busy neighbourhood café. Grab a table on the pavement terrace if you can.
Terres de Café
Multiple locations
Terres de Café has grown into one of the bigger names in French specialty coffee. Christophe Servell’s roasting programme covers a broad range of traceable coffees, from approachable everyday options to more unusual lots. There are several Paris locations, but I’d choose Saint-Honoré. It’s also close to the Louvre, making it an easy addition to a day in central Paris.
How I’d plan a Paris coffee crawl
The 1st and 2nd arrondissements is the easiest starting point. Substance, Motors, Tanat Tiquetonne and Le Maung are close enough to combine without spending half the morning on the Métro. Télescope can be added if you’re heading towards Palais Royal or the Louvre.
Remember, you need to book Substance.
The 3rd and 11th arrondissements make another good route. TIBA and I.O are close together. From there, continue east for Klover and Dreamin’ Man.
Give Clove its own visit when you’re around Montmartre. KB is farther south and works naturally before or after exploring the 9th.
Terres de Café is different. With several locations across Paris, I wouldn’t plan a morning around finding one. Keep the name in mind and pop in when you see one.
If I had time for only three coffee shops in Paris, I’d book Substance, go to Motors, then make the trip to Klover.
If I had time for five, I’d add Tanat and TIBA.
That’s a very good introduction to the best specialty coffee in Paris right now.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best specialty coffee shops in Paris?
The best specialty coffee shops in Paris include Substance Café, Motors Coffee, Tanat, Klover Coffee Showroom, TIBA, Clove, I.O Café, Le Maung, Dreamin’ Man, Télescope Café, KB Coffee Roasters and Terres de Café. If coffee quality is your main priority, start with Substance, Motors, Tanat, Klover and TIBA.
What is the best specialty coffee shop in Paris?
Substance Café is my first choice for the most focused specialty coffee experience in Paris. Joachim Morceau roasts and serves the coffee himself to a small number of guests, and visits require reservations. If you want excellent coffee without committing to a tasting style experience, Motors Coffee is an easier place to drop into.
Where can I find the best pour over coffee in Paris?
Substance, Motors, Tanat, Klover, TIBA and I.O Café should be high on your list for pour over and filter coffee in Paris. Motors and TIBA are particularly useful for discovering different roasters, while Tanat and Klover let you taste coffee roasted in Paris. Check what each café is brewing before deciding what to order.
Which specialty coffee shops in Paris roast their own beans?
Substance Café, Tanat, Klover Coffee Showroom, Télescope Café, KB Coffee Roasters and Terres de Café roast coffee themselves. They don’t all pursue the same style. Substance and Klover are particularly interesting if you prefer lighter roasting, while larger roasters such as KB and Terres de Café offer broader ranges.
Which area of Paris is best for specialty coffee?
The 1st, 2nd and 3rd arrondissements offer the easiest concentration of excellent specialty coffee shops for visitors. Substance, Motors, Tanat and Le Maung can be combined around central Paris, while TIBA and I.O Café sit close together in the 3rd. The 11th arrondissement is also worth visiting for Klover Coffee Showroom and Dreamin’ Man.
Which Paris coffee shops are best if I’m new to specialty coffee?
KB Coffee Roasters, Dreamin’ Man, Clove and Terres de Café are good starting points for someone new to specialty coffee. They serve serious coffee in settings that don’t require much prior knowledge. Tell the barista what you normally drink and ask what they recommend. Substance makes more sense when coffee itself is the main reason for the visit.
Is Paris good for specialty coffee?
Yes. Paris has an excellent contemporary specialty coffee scene, ranging from the reservation only experience at Substance to multi roaster cafés such as Motors and TIBA, Paris roasters including Tanat and Klover, and popular cafés such as Dreamin’ Man. Several of the strongest shops are close enough to combine into walking routes through central Paris.
Discover more from FLTR Magazine
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
