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Bar Signature
Under the same roof at the Hôtel Pont Royal as L'Atelier de Joël Robouchon, this bar once the hangout of Aldous Huxley, Henry Miller, Truman Capote and TS Eliot.
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Bistro des Augustins
Squeezed in among this quay's Irish pubs, Canadian bars and generic watering holes, this authentic little left bank place, plastered with old advertising posters from the bouquiniste stalls opposite, is a cosy spot for a glass of red or for a light meal such as a gratin .
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Brasserie Lipp
Of all the historic haunts, this is our favourite for its elegantly poured beers in long glasses, served by waiters wearing black waistcoats and long white aprons. Hemingway sang its praises in A Moveable Feast and today its faded glamour is neither too faded nor too glamorous but simply perfect. Stellar brasserie fare like pork knuckle, too.
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Café Charbon
The distressed belle époque Café Charbon was the first of rue Oberkampf's hip cafés. It also does a stand-out Sunday brunch. The performance venue, Le Nouveau Casino, is next door.
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Café de Flore
This fêted 1880s café is where Sartre and de Beauvoir essentially set up office, writing in its warmth during the Nazi occupation. It's actually less touristy than neighbouring Les Deux Magots, but alas, its prices are just as lofty.
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Café de la Gare
The 'Station Cafe' in the erstwhile mews of a Marais hôtel particulier (private mansion) is one of the best and most innovative cafe-theatres in Paris, with acts ranging from comic theatre and stand-up to reinterpreted classics.
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Cafe des Phares
Grappling with concepts such as existentialism is required for Parisians to pass the baccalauréat (school certificate) - hence the popularity of philocafés, where wide-ranging philosophical discussions take place. This is the original (and arguably best); and even if your French isn't up to following the convoluted conversations, it still offers a fascinating cultural insight.
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Café le Refuge
This gem of a café du quartier (local café) has fantastic interior vintage tiling, a gleaming timber bar and sympa (cool) staff. Perfect for a sundowner and oysters on the terrace in season.
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Café Panis
This rather elegant-looking café might seem an unlikely spot for the dishevelled studenty-types you see scribbling in notebooks here, but it's close to Shakespeare & Co, and waiters benevolently let impoverished writers - who might just be future Hemingways - sit on a coffee for an hour or two. It's also a good spot for a salad or warming soup.
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Chez Prune
The original Parisian boho hangout, this canal-side cafe has arty mosaic-tiled wrought iron tables, wood-framed glass doors with views over the bridges, an outdoor terrace and a lively, still earthy vibe. The perfect rendezvous for transforming an afternoon coffee into an evening drink.
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Curieux Spaghetti Bar
This loungey bar spins decent beats, and also serves spaghetti as part of a hip international menu, as well as test-tube shots of vodka in flavours such as pina colada and bubble gum. Post-clubbers descend for Sunday brunch from noon; it's best to book for this.
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Drôle d'Endroit pour une Rencontre
Overlooking a leafy stretch of rue Caulaincourt, this breezy café is onto it: great coffee (plus still-warm croissants from the neighbouring boulangerie ), free wi-fi, a top-notch menu, and above all, a quirky name (it means 'a funny place to meet someone').
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Kong
With its Philippe Starck-designed postmodern décor, including iridescent champagne-coloured vinyl booths, Japanese cartoon cut-outs and garden gnome stools, nights here see Paris' glam young set guzzling Dom Pérignon and shaking their Chloé-clad booty on the tables. But the best time to visit this bar/restaurant/club atop the Kenzo building is at sunset, when you have magical views of the river.
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Kong Bar
With its Philippe Starck-designed postmodern decor like iridescent champagne-coloured vinyl booths and garden gnome stools, Kong fills at night with Paris' glam young set, who swill Dom Pérignon and dance badly. But the best time to visit this bar/restaurant/club atop the Kenzo building is at sunset, when you have magical views of the river.
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L'Atmosphere
This clattering old timber-and-tile cafe; sitting on the kink of Canal St-Martin's western bank, has an artsy, spirited ambience and stellar wines. Soak them up with classic plats du jour (dishes of the day) for under €15 .
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La Closerie des Lilas
With a legacy stretching back to Baudelaire, 'the Lilac Enclosure' is where Hemingway wrote much of The Sun Also Rises while he was living around the corner. Brass plaques tell you where he and luminaries such as Picasso, Apollinaire, Man Ray, Jean-Paul Sartre and Samuel Beckett imbibed. There's a lovely terrace and an upmarket restaurant.
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La Coupole
Since the roaring twenties, this showpiece has set Paris' trends (it heralded both electronica and salsa), and now hosts diverse genres including reggae and funk. Its brasserie, with muraled columns painted by artists including Chagall, is favoured by young, serious French writers drawing inspiration from de Beauvoir, who worked on her novel L'Invitée ( The Guest ) here in 1940.
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La Fourmi
This Pigalle stayer hits the mark with its lively yet unpretentious atmosphere. The decor is hip but not overwhelming, the zinc bar is long and inviting and the people are laid back. The music is mostly rock, quality well-known tunes that get you going while leaving space in the airways for the rise and fall of unbridled conversation.
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La Palette
One of Henry Miller's former faves, this mirror-lined cafe was also a haunt of Cézanne and Braque, and these days is popular with art dealers.
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Le Balajo
A classic Parisian venue since 1936, this place still pulls in the crowds for a diverse range of offerings - from the ubiquitous salsa to rock, DJs and R & B. It evokes its past during its Sunday musette (accordion gig) from to , which includes old-time tea dancing.
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Le Baron
When it reopened in 2004, the Baron shot to fame as the place where everyone wanted to be but no one could get into. Intimately located in a former brothel with smouldering, luxury-cabaret ambience, it's graced by a continuous trail of St-Germain artists, hip writers and A-list celebrity drop-ins (Bjork, Sophia Coppola).
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Le Bastille
With a lively terrace overlooking place de la Bastille and a sleek interior of dark timber, chocolate banquettes and amber lamps, Le Bastille serves lunch and dinner and at night turns into a happening club. It closes for just one hour each morning from to , before reopening to serve gratifyingly strong coffee.
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Le Piano Vache
Just down the hill from the Panthéon, the 'Mean Piano' is a throwback to the 1970s, with some 1980s Goth just to keep on top of things. Very studenty and 'underground' as the films would have us understand the term. Great music (guest DJs) and a good crowd of very mixed ages. Happy hour is from opening to 9pm Monday to Friday.
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Le Progrès
This sunlit, Art Deco-tiled cafe is a favourite with Paris' current 'lost generation' of expat writers, who come for the cheap bistro fare, strong coffee, and pitchers of wine.
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Le Pure Café
This rustic, cherry-red corner cafe is a classic Parisian haunt, which found its way onto the big screen in Before Sunset . The kitchen turns out well-crafted fare (sometimes with a fusion twist), but above all it's an unpretentious place to kick back with a glass of wine.
