Cafés and bars
France > Paris > Eating and drinking > Cafés and bars

Le Bofinger

Chilling out in cafés and bars is one of the chief pleasures of a trip to Paris and the best way to get your finger on the city's pulse. One of the mainstays of Parisian society, they're places where people come to debate and discuss, pose and people-watch, or simply read a book, knowing that once they've bought their drink, the waiter will leave them undisturbed for hours at a stretch. Some establishments have a chameleon existence, changing from traditional hangouts in the day to loud, buzzing venues in the evening.

In our "Cafés and bars" category, we've included cafés, café-bars, café-brasseries, salons de thé, bistrots à vin, cocktail-type bars, and beer cellars/pubs. Of these, the last two are the only ones where you may not find anything to eat.

Some brasseries are more restaurant than café, and others have little to distinguish them from cafés and café-bars. The principal difference is that anything with "brasserie" in the title will serve proper meals in addition to the usual range of sandwiches, snacks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Salons de thé and bistrots à vin, on the other hand, do have a distinctive identity, which is not adequately conveyed by the standard English translations, tearoom and wine bar.

Many bars and cafés advertise les snacks or un casse-croûte (a bite), but, even when they don't, they're usually able to make you up a baguette filled with cheese or meat (une baguette/au beurre/au jambon, etc) on request. This, or a croissant, with hot chocolate or coffee, is generally the best way to eat breakfast – and can work out cheaper than the rate charged by most hotels. Brasseries are also possibilities for cups of coffee, eggs, snacks and other breakfast- or brunch-type food.

If you stand at the counter, which is always cheaper than sitting down, you may see a basket of croissants or some hard-boiled eggs (they're usually gone by 9.30am or 10am). The drill is to help yourself – the waiter will keep an eye on how many you've eaten and bill you accordingly.

Many cafés also offer reasonably priced lunches. These usually consist of salads, the more substantial kind of snack such as croque-monsieurs or croque-madames (both variations on the grilled-cheese sandwich), a plat du jour (chef's daily special), or a formule, which is a limited or no-choice set menu, consisting of a main course and either a starter or dessert.

Full price lists have to be displayed in every bar or café by law, usually without the fifteen percent service charge added, but detailing separately the prices for consuming at the bar (au comptoir), sitting down (la salle), or on the terrace (la terrasse) – all progressively more expensive. You pay when you leave, unless your waiter is just going off shift.