By Pomélo
In recent years, France has been overtaken by coffee shops—both independent spots and chains—that are gradually replacing our traditional cafés and bistros. As the market continues to mature, these establishments are pushed to constantly elevate the customer experience. This raises the question: what comes next?
France is becoming increasingly addicted to lattes, cappuccinos, flat whites, Americanos, cold brews, chai lattes, and matcha lattes. These words have become part of everyday French life: according to a Le Monde article published at the end of 2024, one-third of French people visited a coffee shop at least once that year (compared to only one in five in 2020). Independent coffee shops continue to thrive, but alongside them, beyond big brands like Columbus Café or Starbucks, smaller chains are taking shape. Noir, for example, already has seventeen locations in Paris and the nearby suburbs (with six more in the works), and is even aiming for London.
Two years ago, design magazine IDEAT focused on the architecture of these spaces, which are deliberately designed not to look alike (and while you're at it, read the excellent Guardian article: “The tyranny of the algorithm: why every coffee shop looks the same”). The era of the merely ‘cute’ coffee shop is over—now it’s all about an Instagrammable setting. At Noir, the architects have designed shapes that evoke a coffee drop or bean.
Amid this ocean of independent coffee shops—often built on the same playbook (similar hot drinks, the same brands of more or less artisanal kombuchas and sodas, cookies, banana bread, and avocado toast, menus written on the wall in all caps using Futura, Montserrat, or Bebas Neue fonts…)—some have embraced a clear cultural identity. Bingsutt (in Paris’s 3rd arrondissement) pays homage to Hong Kong’s iconic cafés, the cha chaan teng, themselves influenced by British afternoon tea culture. There, you can enjoy classic milk tea, hot or iced, served with buns topped with melted butter.
Also in the capital, there are now about half a dozen Vietnamese coffee shops. In 2024, a newcomer called Kapé (11th arrondissement) specialized in Filipino coffee. “The center of the geopolitical world has shifted. The trendiest places are no longer London or New York, but China or Korea. The Asian coffee shop is the epitome of this phenomenon,” explains anthropologist Eve Bantman-Masum in Le Monde, author of a study on Paris coffee shops. So when will we see coffee shops with Algerian, Moroccan, Portuguese, Tunisian, Italian, Turkish, or Spanish influences? These are, after all, the main sources of immigration to France.
On the flip side, some international brands have their sights set on Paris, such as % Arabica or Bacha Coffee. And perhaps the future of the French coffee shop lies abroad? In Nashville, Tennessee (USA), the café Now and Then has become such a hit that Bon Appétit magazine devoted a long article to it. The venue is simply a ten-seat counter, with handmade Japanese placemats and gold teaspoons—it feels more like a ceremony than a café. The founders, convinced that coffee has long been underestimated, were inspired by wine bars to offer a menu of about ten rare coffees, priced between $8 and $50 a cup. These coffees can be served in various ways (hence a wait time of up to ten minutes per person), including in a frothy coupe glass after being shaken with ice. Milk? Possible, but only at the end of the tasting: adding milk coats the palate and alters aroma perception. Customers are invited—just as a sommelier would do with wine—to describe what they’re looking for in a cup.
At Noon in Taipei (Taiwan), it already feels like 2050: exposed concrete everywhere, wooden counters, and white baskets to keep customers' belongings off the floor. The idea is to explore a single origin (Honduras or Ethiopia, on the day of our visit) through three approaches. First, the so-called purist method: a classic espresso, served with a card detailing tasting notes (grape, passion fruit, plum, cocoa). Next, the same coffee with a cloud of milk from which some water has been removed, resulting in a smoother, creamier texture. Finally, a third ‘cup’—actually an old-fashioned cocktail glass—that recreates the original beverage… without any coffee. Just the earlier-mentioned aromas, enhanced with a splash of alcohol.
