Thursday, June 14, 2012

(Good) Coffee to go

The concept of "coffee to go" is not very common in Paris. Of course we now have Starbucks and some cafés around the corner will give you a paper cup if you ask for one, but it's really not usual to see someone sipping his coffee in the metro or his car. Things may change though, thanks to people like Arnaud Viratelle (in this photo) who owns a little mobile coffee stand by the train station at Place Pereire (which is actually called Place du Maréchal Juin). The coffee is organic, not expensive (in Paris, 1 euro a cup, is a deal!) and the service is very nice, like the owner or the place. So, if you're in the neighborhood, pay him a visit.


  1. I love the red colors in this photo. Je voudrais un chocolat chaud, s'il vous plait :)

    Thanks to a mention by you a few years back, Eric, I also follow David Lebovitz's blog about Paris. He has also mentioned that at some mobile food trucks are beginning to enjoy some popularity in Paris.

  2. 1 euro! Well, he does have a 'low overhead"! ; ) Its too bad he doesn't have some coverage for himself in the rain, too, though. Is it cold enough to be wearing a coat in June there?! I hope he does well.

  3. Well...Bonjour, Arnaud!

    He's very enterprising. I hope it goes well for him.

  4. Hey, why not. In NYC and SF we have "hotdogs" "chestnuts" "pretzels" to-go; so, why not coffee? I makes sense to me. :) Paris might be ahead of the game.

    Do you know, that England beheaded their king 101 years before France beheaded their king?

    And, England had a retirement, unemployment, disability plan in place in 1909? The US didn't have such a plan until the 1930's.

    I'm all for giving confidence to the persons/people who want to make things better.

    I love coffee! My morning wouldn't be the same without it. :)

    Merci for sharing Eric!

  5. That sounds lovely. I would be there today, I could use a cup! :)

  6. Quelle idée géniale! Even though I'm not a big coffee drinker, I have lots of friends who have tried to find "coffee to go" in Paris (and don't tell them to get Starbucks)—they'll be thrilled to hear about this.

  7. A friend of mine started a similar business 2 years ago in Nantes (
    It's pretty hard work. But now, regular customers and success are here !

  8. I saw one in front of the Bourse, too! Not sure how they fire up their expresso machines if they are mobile, unless they have a portable generator, but I didn't hear any running! Wifi, maybe! I guess it is OK to have simply prepared fast food in Paris, but I still enjoy my 3-hour multi-course meals without the waiters breathing down my neck!

  9. Interesting, I did not know there were so many (well, not yet really, but it's definitely a trend it seems!)

    @Taipan. A the Bourse really? I never say it and though I live close to it.

  10. brilliant...

    we have them here in Sydney for the last 8 years or so...
    but in a van ,which travel around all Sydney..

    your one is more down to earth...on a bycicle...and organic..and 1 EU???

    in Sydney it will be $ 3-4..
    which is about 3 EU.. today...
    Merci Eric...for your nice picture...


  11. Good for him ~ what a spirit! And organic as well, even better. I admire your ability to drink coffee from this angle, Eric.

  12. @Eric : photo en blanc, demain ?

  13. @Thib. Il y a de fortes chances LOL ! Mais je ne sais pas encore où ce sera...

  14. The start of a new trend is about to hit Paris and the rouge cover will make it easier for people to find him!

  15. Mmmm I'm in the mood for un chocolat chaud aussi Monnica!

  16. Coffee in Paris... one of life's GREAT pleasures...

    Probably one of the most miserable moments of my last twenty years traveling around this blue marble, was waiting outside a 4-star hotel in Paris for a colleague of ours to come out of the hotel and get in the car we had waiting...

    The FIRST question that she asked me and my Irish colleague was 'Is there a Starbucks close'..... We looked at each other, walked away from the private car and her, and took a separate car to our offices.... She left the county the next day...

    Do Parisians really go into Starbuck's ?? Really?

  17. Hey... Nice photo... I really appreciate on this... And the coffee is so sweet...