Café Paree… Where the livin' is easy
by Julie Baker

June is the month when school breaks up, good-byes are said and holidays are planned on the terraces of the city’s cafés...


Le Comptoir du Relais 5-7 carrefour de l’Odéon, 6e, M° Odéon, tel: 01 43 29 12 05, open daily. Until its total renovation a few years ago, this was one of the last authentic working-class cafés in the neighborhood. Now it caters to students and shoppers basking in the afternoon sunlight over a glass of wine. It has retained period details such as the mosaic floor and spacious bar, and rustic wooden furniture proudly displays the homemade cakes and desserts that are a feature here, including an authentic clafoutis à la grand-mère made with both plums and cherries, best accompanied by one of their well-priced teas.

Le Pré 4-6 rue du Four, 6e, M° Mabillon, tel: 01 40 46 93 22 open daily. The former incarnation of this newly-revamped establishment was symptomatic of all that was wrong with Paris cafés: lousy coffee, flat beer, shoddy decor and grumpy, slow service. That dismal past has been turned on its head thanks to new management and a total makeover complete with lipstick-cherry bubbles, flushed purple and scarlet walls, and intimate white and crimson banquettes upstairs. Videos display fashion catwalks against music that alternates between space-age bachelor pad and techno. Cocktails are the thing to have here, served to a fashion-conscious clientele by a waiting staff that has its aloof reserve down pat.

Les Deux Magots 6 pl St-Germain-des-Prés, 6e, M° St-Germain-des-Prés, tel: 01 45 48 55 25, open daily. A recent visit to Madrid’s principal literary café, the Café Gijon, only made us appreciate even more what a treasure the Deux Magots is, a nicotine-colored island of civilized warmth and old-style glamour. Skip the chilly glassed-in terrace or exile in the garden terrace for a seat right on the sidewalk, or best of all, deep inside the stylish interior, its polished wood, molded columns and gleaming brass making it a perfect place for a reflective aperitif. The general rise across the city in café prices makes the bill at the end a little easier to digest.

La Buvette du Jardins des Luxembourg Luxembourg Gardens, 5e, RER Luxembourg, no phone, open daily. Located inside the Luxembourg Gardens, between the Fontaine de Mèdicis and the main entrance on the boulevard St-Michel side, this charming all-timber pavilion has been recently renovated and the selection of light snacks and old-style desserts has greatly improved. Best of all, the notoriously slow service is now a thing of the past, with a team of efficient, friendly waiters giving prompt and considerate attention. With dozens of tables set in the dappled sunlight under a grove of chestnuts, it is difficult to think of a nicer place to have a late breakfast or early evening aperitif.

News Café 78 rue d’Assas, 6e, M° Notre-Dame-des-Champs, tel: 01 43 26 68 44, open daily. This amiable little corner establishment is always crowded, thanks to its relaxed, friendly service and its location, right opposite the Luxembourg Gardens. It attracts a mixed clientele of Anglophones and French on the weekends, and students during the week, who sit facing the gardens on the narrow terrace to soak up the morning sun. Prices are reasonable, particularly considering the neighborhood.

Café Atelier 95 bd du Montparnasse, 6e, M° Vavin, tel: 01 45 44 98 81, open daily. Okay, the art on the walls is less than you’d expect from the name, but that’s the only negative against this favorite with students and media people. The large terrace is perfect for lingering away the afternoon in sunshine, while checking out the dogs of La Coupole’s clientele across the street. The music is eclectic, the service friendly if sometimes a shade tardy, and the prices just right. At night the terrace can become extremely crowded, particularly during Happy Hour from 7-9pm, but you can always retreat into the blush-red interior and one of the ironically cozy booths for a serious tête à tête.

Le Comptoir du 7ème 39 av de la Motte Picquet, 7e, M° Ecole Militaire, tel: 01 45 55 90 20, open daily. Your date’s daddy is chef de cabinet to the Minister of Finance? No problemo! Just take him along to the Comptoir du 7ème. He’ll feel right at home among the coltish teenage girls in jodhpurs and riding hats and the 20-somethings dressed up as captains of industry, complete with blazers, cravats and Cuban cigars. The terrace is guarded by baby palms, and there are wickedly comfortable leather armchairs inside. Order a beer like the other young devils here (Heineken of course), pull up a seat when you can eventually find a free one on the terrace, and watch the world go by: in BMWs and the occasional Porsche.

Café du Marché 38 rue Cler, 7e, M° Ecole Militaire, tel: 01 47 05 51.27, closed Sun after 3:30pm. Despite a pretty, lemon-colored interior with a 1930s era mosaic floor and a gleaming, well-stocked bar, the great attraction of this café is the long, sunny terrace that looks out onto one of the most animated and chic street markets in Paris. The food is better than average here, with generous salads and a great chocolate and orange cake, not always available.

La Terrasse de Champ de Mars, “La Bonbonni-ere de Marie” allée Adrienne Lecouvreur (near the rue de Belgrade), Champ de Mars, 7e, M° Ecole-Militaire, no phone, open daily. Because it is located inside a children’s playground that includes swings and a manège, this unpretentious little open-air café allows parents to have a drink in the sunshine in full view of the Eiffel Tower, and their children at play. The pleasures are simple here: ice cream, crêpes, beers for the adults, soft drinks and juices for the kids.

Café Français 3 pl de la Bastille, 4e, M° Bastille, tel: 01 40 29 04 02, open daily. Regal maroon and gold awnings guard a huge, sun-drenched terrace that attracts a well-heeled clientele of chain-smoking Sleek Young Things and rickety old dowagers, all sampling the excellent house pastries (which can also be purchased at the adjoining patisserie). Immaculately-costumed waiters provide the kind of stiff-backed service of bygone days, yet banter with the regulars at the drop of a hat.