There’s no cafe in France quite like Café de Flore in Paris.
It’s an icon of the city, a Paris cafe famous for drawing a crowd of intellectuals, free-thinkers, writers, and artists. Café de Flore is one of the oldest in the city, dating back to the 1880s during the French Third Republic.
After you see the Eiffel Tower and the Mona Lisa, the next expectation your envious friends will have is that you nibbled on a croissant at the landmark cafe.
Here’s what you need to know before you go to Café de Flore on the ever-popular Boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris, France.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Bim. Image Location: Place Saint-Michel, Paris, France
Café Flore Paris: Need to know
What: A famous Parisian cafe opened in 1887 and known for its famous patrons.
Address: Café de Flore, Boulevard Saint Germain, Paris, France
Nearest Landmark: Église de Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Nearest Station: Saint-Germain-des-Prés (Métro)
How Expensive: It’s not budget-friendly, easily budgetable if you plan ahead
Does Café de Flore take reservations?
No, Café de Flore does not accept reservations. The good news is that, even though 150 years of famous faces have dined in this corner of Paris, Café de Flore remains accessible for all. The bad news is, well, just that: famous people, Instagram famous people, and fameless people alike are all welcome to visit. Café de Flore is open from 7:30 AM until 1:00 AM so avoid long lines by coming in the fringe hours.
Image Credit: Getty Images, agrobacter
The history of Café de Flore in Paris
There is no brief history of Café de Flore in Paris, but these are the highlights from the last 150 years:
- 1887: Café de Flore opens up in Paris.
- 1917: Apollinaire coins the term “surrealism”.
- 1930s: Artists, writers, and more fill the cafe, including Pablo Picasso and Léon-Paul Fargue.
- 1940s: After WWII, writers like Ernest Hemingway and Truman Capote are cafe regulars.
- 1960s: The worlds of cinema and fashion descend on the cafe with the likes of Yves Saint Laurent, Guy Laroche, Jane Fonda, and Roman Polanski pulling up chairs.
- 1980s: The district of Saint-Germain gets worldwide attention, bringing in American movie stars like Jack Nicholson and Sharon Stone.
- Today: You may catch Robert De Niro or another celeb grabbing a bite to eat, but don’t be surprised if you see a few local Flore celebrities. In 1994, the Prix de Flore was established to award one up and coming writer with a generous check, a custom wine glass with unlimited Pouilly-Fuisse for a year, and the well-earned respect of their community.
Why is Café de Flore so famous?
Café de Flore has attracted famous artists, thinkers, and actors for the past 150 years, from Hemingway and Picasso to Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro. Its guest list is littered with names that are etched in history, though there are dozens if not hundreds of other revolutionary thinkers, dreamers, and talented minds that’ve found inspiration, friendship, and pure intellectual or artistic bliss while sitting in this Parisian cafe.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Malcolm P Chapman
What should I get from Café de Flore?
Wow, we’re flattered that you’d trust our palate, but you’re really putting us in a bit of a pickle, mon ami. For breakfast, you can’t go wrong doing as the French do by dipping a croissant au beurre into a milky café crème. With fewer patrons, you’d do well to sip slowly and people watch as the sun stretches into the sky
For lunch, La Terrine de Café de Flore Par Gilles Vérot is just as much the mouthful it sounds. This gives you a chance to try foie gras in France, but even the simple salads here are more than acceptable if you’re saving your tastebuds for fine dining later in the evening.
Speaking of dinner, remember that Café de Flore is very much a cafe. If you want something fancier than a club sandwich or a ham and cheese, we’d recommend stopping in later in the night for a cheese board, ice cream covered in strawberry melba, and a signature “Le Flore” cocktail with Champagne, Grand-Marnier, and Cognac.
City of Lights
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Header Image Credit: Getty Images, Alexander Spatari