Ten Belles

A small canal-side room that was pouring serious coffee in Paris before most of the city had caught on, with a terrace that fills up fast the moment it's warm enough to sit outside. Canal Saint-Martin has become one of the most fashionable stretches of Paris over the past decade — a mix of independent boutiques, wine bars, and exactly this kind of café — and Ten Belles was an early fixture of that shift rather than a later arrival riding it. The space is tight — a handful of tables, a counter doing most of the work — which is part of the charm and also the main complaint on a busy Sunday, when the queue can run along the canal itself.

Retail beans, house-made sourdough, and Ten Belles-branded goods are sold alongside the espresso and filter menu, and the bakery case is worth as much attention as the coffee list. Confirmed dog-friendly by local guides, which suits a neighborhood where a canal-side walk and a coffee stop tend to go together. Come on a weekday morning if you want an actual seat.