Tucked away on Rue de Grenelle, with a gorgeous view of the ornate exterior of Musée Maillol through its glass windows, the third outpost of Cuillier (after Montmartre and Galeries Lafayette) takes coffee very seriously. Take a seat on the wooden bench by the black-tiled wall and you’ll spot beans harvested from Brazil, Ethiopia and Guatemala, sold under the store’s own brand. There are also numerous coffee-making contraptions that double up as part of the space’s edgy décor, alongside sculpted wooden chairs, industrial-chic lamps, and hip magazines like Kinfolk and Design Anthology.
Here the coffee is strong, with a velvety body and slightly fruity aftertaste, both of which are tough to find in Paris, despite its much heralded coffee shop revolution. Also on offer are desserts from pastry company Broken Biscuits (the lemon cake was dense but zingy, €4.30) and a range of lunchtime quiches, salads and soups that change daily. Swing by in the morning for some quiet time with a book, but be sure to bring friends in the evening because it gets noisy and lively.