Grand Café Tortoni

Top choice in Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville


A favourite address with hobnobbing socialites in the 19th century, this historic Italian cafe is suddenly the trendiest spot in Haut Marais to linger over coffee or an egg-and-pastry breakfast at the red marble-topped bar, or to shop for exquisite Officine Universelle Buly fragrances and candles in the polished, old-world setting.

Wood panelling and shelves lined with glass jars of unusual dried ingredients that go into the natural body butters, perfumes and so on evoke a centuries-old apothecary, and a calligrapher scribes a beautiful dedication on the packaging of each item purchased. Oh, and florist Miyoko works her magic in the hidden courtyard out back.