A great cup of coffee in Paris. It’s almost an oxymoron.
We thought it was a fruitless search and had almost given up hope.
And then we found Kooka Boora.
South of Pigalle in the ninth it’s a fairly convenient spot if you fancy a trip up to Sacre Coure or Montmarte.
But if not, I still recommend the detour. There’s plenty of seating outside on chairs that are the colour of friendly birds from a Disney cartoon. Inside the decor has a touch of IKEA, melding deep couches and some tall benches. The cafe is populated with a combination of locals pottering away on MacBooks, taking advantage of the free wifi, and tourists like us who will do anything for a decent cup to start the day.
When it comes to food there are wraps that can be toasted, quiches, bowls of muesli and cakes.
It’s all very antipodean; from the name that bastardises one of Australia’s most beloved birds, to the easy smiles of the staff.
When we arrive on a Sunday morning there are two welcoming smells mingling in the air; freshly ground beans and the scones being baked in house.
First up for us; a fat slice of raspberry and pistachio loaf. It comes in sturdy slices and has an easy crumb. If there’s anywhere in the world you can justify having cake for breakfast, it’s Paris.
But as appealing as the food options are; what most people have come for is caffeine.
It’s not cheap, but then not that much that’s decent in Paris is. A flat white is €3.50. There are chemex and aeropress options to puddle around in, but it’s the espressos and their way with milk that really pleases us.
So often milk coffees in Pairs carries an unpleasant UHT, long life milk tang. It tastes of school camp and hospital cafeterias. It makes me sad.
Here they’re using Valpro milk. I grasp around for adjectives. Marshmallow silk is what comes to mind. Both are happy words in my book.
Kooka Boora feels like a small outpost of Sydney, London or Brooklyn plonked down in Paris.
On our honeymoon three years ago we’d tossed around the notion of living in this city of lights (doesn’t everyone?)
Despite the fact that neither of us speak French, the true tipping point against a move to Paris was the lack of decent coffee. That was too dark a prospect to contemplate.
So this discovery also comes with a warning. Finding proper coffee in Paris at Kooka Boora is a brilliant thing. But it also could do some very dangerous things to your five year plan.
Kooka Boora
62, rue des Martyrs 75009
Telephone : 01 56 92 12 41
Metro : Pigalle, Notre-Dame-de-Lorette or Anvers
Mon – Fri: 8:45 am – 7:30 pm
Sat – Sun: 9:00 am – 7:30 pm
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Great area actually. And good find – decent coffee in Paris can be hard!
Rue des Martyrs has a few great wine shops on it, and the Rose Bakery is nearby.
As is the Hotel Amour on Rue Navarin which has a great bar/restaurant – very modern, buzzy and NY-style with a little garden.
Looks like they do a long black and a flat white – very Aussie indeed! Did you find out what the Australian connection was?
Good…. you have a wonderful blog.
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Love your restaurant review! Certainly is an amazing cup of Cappuccino…cute design!
The foods and desserts are to "die for" delicious looking, and beautiful presentation!
I'm really not an anonymous…just happened to click the wrong button!
Love your blog, and all those amazing foods you featured!
Elisabeth
elisabeth@foodandthrift
I could go for a lovely cup of coffee right now actually. Thanks for the review, it sounds like a great place.
That slice of raspberry and pistachio loaf looks wonderful, what a great breakfast!
I've never been to Paris and am surprised that it's hard to find good coffee there! I studied abroad in Spain and fell in love with their coffee and espresso…I'm glad you found something tasty – and lovelyt, too!
In my late teens, I frequented the cafes of Paris with the proverbial hot-French-boyfriend-on-a-bike. It's one of my favorite European cities and having lived in Asia for 20 years, I still dream of owning a place there someday. So much for my 5-year plan, hey…. Funnily, I'm not big on caffeine but I do love the baked goodies you highlighted here! Thanks for sharing your great find.