Mastering the Art of Parisian Cafe Culture with Angela

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Ready to immerse yourself in the enchanting world of Parisian cafes and etiquette? What if you could navigate these iconic establishments like a true Parisian, savoring every moment and every sip? Join me, Angela, as we explore the rich tapestry of Parisian cafe culture, starting with the historic Le Procope, established in 1686. Discover how these cafes have become the epicenters of social and intellectual life, frequented by legends like Voltaire, Hemingway, and Picasso. In this episode of "Paris with Angela," we'll stroll through the vibrant streets, sharing the art of "flânerie" — that quintessential Parisian pastime of leisurely strolling and people-watching.

Gain essential insights and tips for navigating Paris cafe culture with ease. From the nuances of ordering to understanding key social cues, this episode equips you with everything you need to feel at home in these beloved establishments. Whether you're planning to visit Paris soon or simply dreaming of it, prepare to embrace the Parisian way of life and uncover the secrets that make these cafes the heart and soul of the city. Don’t miss out on this charming and informative journey that promises to enrich your Parisian experience!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Cafes are more than just a place to have coffee,
though.
This is where Parisians engagein the art of fronterie, which
is strolling and, moreimportantly, people watching.
Au revoir, bonjour.

(00:30):
I am Angela, and this is Pariswith Angela.
We're going to explore the cityof Paris together on this brand
new show.
We're going to talk abouttravel and culture and etiquette
.
I am Angela.
I've been online for 20 years asParisian Farm Girl, so you can
follow me on the Parisian FarmGirl blog.

(00:51):
You can follow the ParisianFarm Girl YouTube channel.
That is where you'll findFrench inspired living and
design.
I focus a lot on interiordesign and gardening, but this
is Paris with Angela.
Two to four times a year, Itake followers from that blog
and from that YouTube channel toParis with me for a culinary

(01:12):
and flea market focused tour.
Our next tours that we haveopenings for are in April of
2025.
I would love to have you joinus and you can visit
parisianfarmgirlcom forwardslash Paris with Angela or
simply check the show notes tothis episode for everything that

(01:33):
you need to know about that.
So this show is sponsored byParis with Angela tours and, of
course, when you're traveling,you need travel insurance, so I
suggest Travel Insure.
You can use my linktravelinsurecom.
Forward slash Paris with Angelafor excellent rates and options

(01:53):
.
The show is also sponsored byDry Farm Wines.
Now I want to introduce you tobiodynamic, organic French wines
growing in popularity allaround Paris and France are
biodynamic wines and these arethe wines that I drink here at
home.
This is what I stock my winecloset with.
You can visit dryfarmwinescomforward slash Paris with Angela.

(02:15):
You can have them shipped rightto your house once a month or
whenever you like.
This is the wine that I drink.
These are small family farmsaround France and beyond.
So visit dryfarmwinescomforward slash Paris with Angela
to get a free bottle with yourfirst order.
Today we are looking at ParisCafe Etiquette.

(02:38):
I thought this would be a greatepisode because one of my
guests that's coming up on anupcoming that's coming with me
on an upcoming tour.
She said look, the reason I'mcoming with you is because I
want you to help me from lookingsilly.
So I thought we would look atthe Paris Cafe and everything
about it, because you're goingto end up spending a lot of time

(03:00):
at Paris Cafes.
I would guess you might visit aParis cafe once, if not twice,
if not three times a day duringyour visit.
So why not learn everythingthat you need to know?
So let's talk about ordering,let's talk about social cues and
let's take a really good lookat Paris cafe etiquette.
I'm assuming this is going totake more than one episode to

(03:23):
cover everything that I want totalk about.
Paris cafes date back to the17th century, starting with Le
Precope, which opened in 1686.
The Café Precope in the Rue del'Ancien Comédie is a café in
the 6th arrondissement, so thatmeans it's in the 6th.
It's in the 6th.
You'll see this when you'relooking at a map of Paris.

(03:45):
If you're brand new to thisidea of how Paris is laid out,
you're going to see numbers foreach neighborhood.
This cafe is in the sixth.
It's often called the oldestcafe in Paris, which is a little
bit of a misnomer because itdid close for a time, in 1872.
It reopened in 1957 and isstill open to this day.

(04:07):
Cafes like this quickly becamethe heart of the social and
intellectual life in Paris.
So you have famous figures likeVoltaire and Hemingway, picasso
frequenting these spots.
They're becoming likeincubators of revolutionary
ideas.
Philosophy If you watched theMarvelous Mrs Maisel, there's a

(04:29):
hysterical episode in season two.
I think it's season two,episode one, that shows a lot of
like this.
It shows a look of these deepconversations happening in a
Paris cafe.
It's pretty, pretty cute.
A Paris cafe.
It's pretty, pretty cute, butthese cafes are more than just a
place for you to have coffeeand to rest your feet during the
week that you are in Paris.

(04:50):
Cafes are more than just aplace to have coffee, though.
This is where Parisians engagein the art of franerie, which is
strolling and, more importantly, people watching.
Paris cafes are a phenomenalplace to people watch, and this
is a leisurely activity that, asfor you as a tourist, really

(05:10):
allows you to absorb the city'sessence.
There is nothing like sittingand people watching in a
Parisian cafe.
Now, the atmosphere and theambience of a Parisian cafe is
very welcoming.
There's often outdoor seatingwith small round tables.
Inside.
You'll find small tables andbanquets that you can nestle in

(05:32):
the corner if you'd likesomething a little bit more
intimate.
When it comes to the menu,parisians typically enjoy an
espresso or a café crème, whichis similar to a latte.
Here's a little tip If you'reordering a café crème in the
morning, similar to a latte.
Here's a little tip If you'reordering a café crème.
In the morning you can call ita café au lait.
That's an expression, that's aname that's used more often in

(05:53):
the morning For something sweet.
You could have a croissant or atartine, which is a piece of
baguette with jam and butter.
It's very common.
Don't forget the iconic croquemonsieur or croque madame.
We'll talk more about foods inother episodes, but if you're
wondering what type of fare youcan find at Parisian cafes, it's

(06:14):
those basics and other basics.
So, just like we have ourrestaurants here that serve a
really classic fare like Reubensandwiches, chef salads, you're
going to find similar things atParisian cafes.
There will be the croquemonsieur or croque madame.
There will be soup à l'oignon,which is French onion soup.
There will be duck confit.

(06:35):
There will be some sort of asteak steak au poivre, steak
with shallots something to suiteveryone.
I've taken my children to Paris.
There's going to be somethingon the menu that will
accommodate your children aswell.
As you approach the cafe, oftenyou'll be intercepted by a
waiter.
So if you're wondering whetheryou need to wait to be seated or

(06:56):
seat yourself, you can oftenseat yourself, but just as often
you'll be greeted by a waiterwho will ask if you'd like to
eat indoors, if you're sittingfor lunch, and something that I
absolutely love about the Frenchdining experience is the lack
of pressure.
So here in the States inparticular, we have like a

(07:18):
turnover at our restaurants andyou can feel a vibe from your
server that they want you to eat, they want you to get out, they
want their tip and they want tostick the next family or next
group at your table.
You don't have that pressure ata Paris cafe.
If you sit down, that is yourtable for as long as you want it
.
If you want to people watch forthree hours while you drink a

(07:41):
glass of rosé or a bottle ofrosé with a couple girlfriends,
you can do that and you're notgoing to feel any pressure to
move on and make space for thenext group, that is your spot.
You want to bring a book?
You want to have a couplecoffees and relax.
You can do that without thatpressure.
You're also not going to havethe same amount of attentiveness

(08:02):
from your server.
Have the same amount ofattentiveness from your server.
Now, that can be a littledisconcerting if you're not used
to the culture, and that's thepoint of this show is really to
introduce you to the way thingsare done, so that you can have
the most pleasurable, the mostenjoyable vacation or trip to
Paris.
If you need to get your waiter'sattention, a simple s'il vous

(08:23):
plaît is appropriate.
If you need to get yourwaiter's attention, a simple
s'il vous plaît is appropriate.
Please don't say garçon I knowyou see that in children's books
, but you'll want to stick tos'il vous plaît, which means
please in French.
And when you're ready to leave,if you need to get your
waiter's attention, you can putyour hand up, put your finger up
, try to make eye contact withhim as he's passing by, and you
can say l'addition s'il vousplaît.

(08:44):
That's the addition, that's thebill.
You want the bill, and I willput these thoughts in the show
notes for you as well.
One of the most importantaspects of the cafe is this
leisurely feeling.
The Parisians savor their timeat the cafes and I invite you to
do the same.
So linger over that drink,linger over that meal, enjoy it.

(09:05):
Give your feet what is probablya much needed rest.
Politeness goes a long way.
Always greet the staff with abonjour and a merci when you
leave.
Patience is key.
Good service in Paris isattentive but unhurried, is
attentive but unhurried.
I just want to repeat that Goodservice in Paris is attentive

(09:27):
but unhurried.
Most of the time you're goingto get excellent service, but
it's going to be a little bitdifferent than you're used to,
so you're not going to have Brad, your waiter, coming up to the
table.
Hi, my name is Brad.
How can I help you?
You get your food.
10 minutes later.
Brad wants to know if it's good.
Five minutes later, brad wantsto know if you still are

(09:48):
enjoying it.
Five more minutes later, bradwants to know if you need
anything else.
They give you privacy andrespect so that you can enjoy
your food.
So that can feel likeinattentiveness, when actually
it's their way of being polite.
So if you do need them, simplyput your hand up as they're
passing by, s'il vous plaît, butknow that their approach to

(10:09):
your dining experience is goingto be a little bit different
than what you're used to.
Now, speaking of differences,let's talk about respecting
space.
So there is a reason we have anexpression when in Rome.
So let's keep that in mind andthink when in Paris.
When in Rome, so let's keepthat in mind and think when in
Paris.
This is something thatAmericans are typically known

(10:29):
for in Paris, and that isspeaking loud.
In general, the French use amuch quieter tone when
conversing, when they're out fordinner, and you can usually
tell which table is full ofAmericans.
It's not just their attire,it's the volume with which they
speak.
So if you want to use thatmindset of when in Paris, keep

(10:52):
your volume at a moderate leveland respect the intimate
ambiance of the cafe becauseit's very intimate there will be
people right next to you manytimes and you also want to avoid
spreading out too much.
So if you have a lot of bags Ido a lot of shopping when I'm
there Tuck them under the table.
If you're concerned aboutforgetfulness or them being
stolen, you can link your, maybeyour foot through a strap or

(11:16):
something like that.
Don't fall when you stand up.
So what you want to rememberfrom this episode is when in
Paris, keep your volume at amoderate level.
Be mindful of the space aroundyou.
Remember that the approach toserving you is going to be a
little bit different If you'refrom the United States.
It's going to feel a little bitdifferent.
It might feel hands off.
So make sure you ask thequestions to your waiter that

(11:39):
you want to ask when he comesaround and don't be afraid to
raise your hand and say please,can you help me?
Can you come back?
We're ready for the bill.
We'd like some more water.
We'd like another bottle ofwine.
If you're watching this onYouTube, leave a comment.
Let me know about your verybest Parisian cafe experience.
Don't forget to check outparisianfarmgirlcom.

(12:03):
Forward slash Paris with Angela.
Dryfarmwinescom forward slashParis with Angela.
Check the show notes for anyother links that you need.
And thanks for giving me afive-star review on this brand
new podcast, paris with Angela.
I'll see you all again verysoon.
A bientot, I'll see you later.