The Café
de Flore, at the corner of Boulevard Saint-Germain and Rue St. Benoit, in the
6th arrondissement, is one of the oldest and the most prestigious coffeehouse
in Paris, celebrated for its famous clientele.
The
classic Art Deco interior of all red seating, mahogany and mirrors has changed
little since World War II. Like its main rival, Les Deux Magots, it has hosted
most of the French intellectuals during the post-war years.
In his
essay "A Tale of Two Cafes" and his book « Paris to the
Moon », American writer Adam Gopnik mused over the possible explanations
of why the Flore had become, by the late 1990s, much more fashionable and
popular than its rival, Les Deux Magots, despite the fact that the latter cafe
was associated with Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, and
other famous thinkers of the 1940s and 1950s. Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai was
known to be a frequent patron of Café de Flore during his years in France in
the 1920s.
The name
is taken from a sculpture of Flora, goddess of flowers and the season of spring
in Roman mythology, located on the opposite side of the boulevard. In the late
19th century, Charles Maurras wrote his book Au signe de Flore, on the first
floor, where in 1899 the Revue d'Action Française was also founded.
The Café
de Flore offers a wide menu range from teas, coffees, hot chocolates, to
alcoholic drinks and juices—from snacks to full meals—including toasties and
croissants, omelettes, salads, soups and desserts.
Address: 172 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006 Paris
Phone: 01 45 48 55 26
Opening hours: from 07:30 am to 01:30 am
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