The Paris Traveler

Twelve Cafés to Meet Parisians

by Lynn on September 11th, 2007

Does this sound like you? You’re in Paris for only a short visit and you want to meet some locals, but you don’t know how to go about doing it. Or perhaps you want to do some networking, or maybe be discovered while you’re in the City of Lights! What about if you’re a poet….? Or a bit short on cash….? Did you know there are a number of cafés that will give you a drink for a poem, or dinner when you buy a drink?!

Well, head over to the Paris Info website where they have a whole list of different cafés that specialize in various interests where you can meet Parisians and other locals, and maybe get discovered while having a drink!

What follows is just a short sample of this diverse listing:

(The comments in parenthesis and italics are mine, otherwise the information given for each café is taken from Paris Info.)

1.    La Limonaire - (When you’re in Paris, you want to hear French songs, right?! Or perhaps you now know a number of Piaf tunes, well this is the place to show off all those hours of practicing in a sing-along!)

A bistro for wines and above all for song (listen and join in!) At the Limonaire, Parisians and visitors who love to hear “chanson française” come along to enjoy both up-and-coming and better-known artistes, and now and again everyone is invited to join in, making the performance an interactive one!

Open in September from Tuesday to Sunday. Restaurant from 8pm to 10pm (book first, up to 9.15pm Show at 10pm Free admission - a hat will be passed round at the end of the show for the benefit of the performers at your convenience.

La Limonaire
18 cité Bergère
75009 Paris
Tel: 01 45 23 33 33
Metro : Cadet ou Grands Boulevards

2.    Le Tribal Café - (I love mussels and chips! Or fries, or whatever you want to call them! Now who says Paris has to be expensive?!)

Every Wednesday and Thursday evening, the Tribal Café offers its traditional dish of mussels and chips to its customers. You just need to pay for the drinks.

Le Tribal Café
3, cour des Petites Ecuries
Paris (10e)
Tel: 01 47 70 57 08

3.    L’ Abracadabar - (Poets, recite your poems in exchange for a drink! Or perhaps you know a poem or a text, then get up and deliver it, and a drink will be in your hand in no time!)

L’ Abracadabar
123, avenue Jean-Jaurès
Paris (19e)
Tel: 01 42 03 18 04
Internet: www.abracadabar.fr                                             Métro:  Laumière et Ourcq

4.    La Canaille - (For those interested in writing, meeting authors, and networking in the publishing world, this one is for you!)

Not really a café, more a bistro-restaurant, La Canaille organises gourmet encounters with authors on one Monday per month (at 7.30pm). Three writers present their books, then the discussions continue in a relaxed manner over dinner.

La Canaille
4, rue Crillon
75004 Paris
Tél : 01 42 78 09 71
19 euros debate + dinner (not including drinks)
Find details of several debate cafés on
www.philos.org or www.cafe-geo.net.

5.    Chez Lili et Marcel, Literary Café - (The name says it all! Another place to rub elbows with the literary world!)

Once a month at 7pm, this friendly café in Paris’s 13th arrondissement invites writers from all horizons to come and discuss their work with the customers. 

Chez Lili et Marcel
1, quai d’Austerlitz
75013 Paris
Tél : 01 45 85 00 08

6.    Le 9 Billards - (This is a hodgepodge of various activites!)

From tango to musical blind-tests, concerts, workshops, readings, screening of short films, record swaps, chats over the counter, billiards and even a dance hall, there’s always something to do at the 9 Billards. Open every day from 7am to 1 in the morning. 

Le 9 Billards
179, rue Saint-Maur 75010 Paris
Tél : 01 40 40 05 42
Internet : www.9billards.com

7.    Le Café des Phares - (Anyone who loves to discuss philosophical matters, politics, and other light-hearted issues (lol) should join in the debates going on at this cafe!)

First “café-philo” in the French capital, the Café des Phares hosts discussions every Sunday at 11am on a variety of themes. The spectators can join in and a presenter keeps the debate running smoothly. Each first Thursday of the month at 7pm, a debate on international politics adds to our understanding of world events. 

Le Café des Phares
7, place de la Bastille
75004 Paris
Tél : 01 42 72 04 70

8.    Le Café Universel - (As many of you know, I’m a jazz aficionado, so what better way to spend an evening listening to jazz and making new acquaintances! If you’re a singer trying to break into the business, then this is the place to be!)

This little jazz-pub in the Latin Quarter organises live concerts every evening from 9.30pm, and hosts vocal jams on Tuesdays for budding singers. Young, friendly atmosphere.

Le Café Universel
267 rue St Jacques
75005 Paris
Tél :01 43 25 74 20
Internet : www.cafe-universel.com

9.    Le Cavern - (Musicians and music lovers alike will love the laid back atmosphere!)

Not far from the Latin Quarter, this bar draws crowds of students and tourists come to hear rock, funk, world or jazz concerts in its cellar. On Wednesdays from 10.30pm onwards, the jam sessions are open to musicians who wish to join in.

Le Cavern
21, rue Dauphine
75006 Paris
Tél : 01 43 54 53 82
Internet : www.lecavern.com

10.   Le Zango - (A geography café, where Miss Teenage South Carolina should perhaps think about coming to! I’m kidding! Who wouldn’t get flustered answering questions in front of millions of people! Give the poor girl a break!)

In the relaxed atmosphere of the Zango, a geography or cartography specialist is on hand one Tuesday per month at 7pm to present and comment on the maps displayed on a screen. Highly original, Paris’s first cartography café draws novices and professionals alike.

Le Zango
15, rue du Cygne
75001 Paris
Tél : 01 40 26 27 27
Programme sur www.cafe-geo.net

11.   Le Café de Flore - (Better yet, Miss Teenage South Carolina could have suggested starting a café like this one, and the one above, to help American students learn more about geography!)

Every first Wednesday of the month at 7pm, the celebrated Café de Flore organises philosophy debates in English. And on the last Tuesday at 8pm, there are geography get-togethers, for an entertaining and original approach to world geography.

Le Café de Flore
172, boulevard Saint-Germain
75006 Paris
Tél : 01 45 48 55 26

12.   Le Petit Ney - (Games is the theme of this café and what’s nice is there’s something here for everyone!)

Le Petit Ney, literary café, now organizes a board game evening on the 1st Saturday of each month from 7pm onwards. Feel free to bring your own game(s) in addition to those on offer, but the list of games is not exhaustive. Most of the games are for teenagers and grown-ups, but there is always something for the kids if you’d like to bring the whole family. Free admission. You can also have dinner. Remember to book in advance. 

Le Petit Ney
10 avenue de la Porte Montmartre
75018 Paris
Tél : 01 42 62 00 00
Fax : 01 42 62 12 41
E-mail : lepetitney@free.fr

For the entire lists click here.

Photo Credits: Flickr

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