The second the sun comes out in Paris, you can bet that the locals will be heading for a sidewalk café, better known as a terrasse in Paris. But how can you find the best ones? We spill our secrets below.
The 3-Step Sidewalk Café Method
Step 1: Check Out the Sunshine
Sidewalk café sitting is a marathon, not a sprint. Seeing as in Paris, you don’t have to “pay rent” on your spot in a café or restaurant (and can stay there, undisturbed, for hours on end), you don’t necessarily want to find a spot in the sun right now, but a spot that will stay in the sun for as long as possible. You don’t need a compass to figure this out (just trust the Google Maps indications for where east and west are).
Step 2: Consider Your Drink (and Food!) Options
Some sidewalk cafés will have a selection of drinks but slim pickings on food – and that might be fine if you’re not planning on sticking around that long. But if you think you might get peckish later on, take a look at what’s on offer for lunch or dinner.
Step 3: Check Out Your Neighbors
Cigarette smoking is alive and well in Paris, so if you think you’ll be annoyed by this, make sure the people sitting near you don’t have their packs out. Alternatively, you could choose a seat on the edge of the terrace, thus ensuring that you won’t be engulfed in clouds of smoke should some well-meaning smokers appear.
Our 3 Fave Sidewalk Cafés in Paris
While pretty much any terrasse will do on a particularly nice day, we do have a few favorites:
1. Martin
Martin, shall we count the ways in which we love thee? Martin is a wine bar serving up natural wines and market-driven small plates, and nearly the entirety of this diminutive dining room is at least partially outside.
Martin – 24 Boulevard du Temple, 75011
2. Le Comptoir du Relais
Le Comptoir du Relais is the brainchild of culinary mastermind Yves Camdeborde, touted by some as the founder of the neo-bistro movement. His Comptoir is nearly impossible to get into at dinnertime, but at lunch, snag one of the coveted café tables for a drink, a delicious meal, and prime 6th arrondissement people-watching.
Le Comptoir du Relais – 9 Carrefour de l’Odéon, 75006
3. La Mascotte
Perfectly positioned on the rue des Abbesses in picturesque Montmartre sit the two restaurants of La Mascotte: the brasserie and the écaille or seafood restaurant. Two restaurants means two terrasses, thus giving you twice the chance of finding a spot to people-watch in one of our all-time favorite neighborhoods.
La Mascotte – 52 Rue des Abbesses, 75018
Image care of Moyann Brenn
