Cafes

The introduction of coffee into Paris by Thévenot in 1657—How Soliman Aga established the custom of coffee drinking at the court of Louis XIV—Opening of the first coffee houses—How the French adaptation of the Oriental coffee house first appeared in the real French café of François Procope—Important part played by the coffee houses in the development of French literature and the stage—Their association with the Revolution and the founding of the Republic—Quaint customs and patrons—Historic Parisian cafés.

That quintessential Parisian establishment, the sidewalk café, figures prominently in the city's cultural life. For centuries, native-born and expatriate writers have gathered in Parisian cafés to eat, drink, and seek inspiration. Visit the places where Hugo, Dumas, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Joyce, Sartre, de Beauvoir, and Camus sought their muse. Includes maps and a glossary of cafe types, food, and drink.