French Coffee, Demystified: How to Order Coffee in France

Ordering Coffee in France

Despite its adorable sidewalk cafes, Paris is not where one goes for a good cup of coffee. You've been warned :)

The first time I went to Paris, I was looking forward to sitting nonchalantly at a quaint sidewalk cafe, people watching or perhaps sitting with some new found Parisian friends. Well, it turns out Parisian cafes are eminently charming… but the coffee leaves a lot to be desired.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say it was swill.

Maybe it's because I didn't know what to order, or maybe the French cafes have improved in the years since, but luckily, on my next trips to Paris I found the coffee in France was slightly better. The French coffee scene is growing and while many traditional sidewalk cafes stick to the classics, you can get high quality beans at the more hipster spots in town.

Here's a guide to French coffee drinks so you'll know how to order your drink of choice!

French Coffee

While France is certainly a café culture, it's not quite a coffee culture.

What do I mean by that?

French cafés were once a huge part of French culture and society. Artists, philosophers and literary greats met each other at these open air side tables and lingered for hours, debating, socializing and writing.

In fact, many of the French writing prizes take their name from local Parisian cafes! Two of the most famous are the Prix de Flore, which is named after the renowned Café de Flore and the Prix des Deux Magots, which is named after Les Deux Magots cafe.

But while the company may be great, the coffee is a bit mediocre. Here are the most common types of coffee drinks you can try in France.