Where do locals drink coffee in Paris?

Locals drink standing at the zinc bar — it's faster, cheaper (often €1–1.50 for an espresso versus €3–4 at a table), and the etiquette is to order, drink, pay, leave. Neighborhood cafés rather than tourist corridors are the rule: try Café de la Mairie on Place Saint-Sulpice in the 6th, any of the unremarkable-looking tabacs around Marché d'Aligre in the 12th, or the cafés lining Rue de la Roquette in the 11th. Specialty coffee has a genuine foothold now — Ten Belles in the 10th and Belleville Brûlerie, which roasts its own beans and has outposts across the city, draw a mixed crowd of locals and visitors who take coffee seriously. The Parisian default is still a short, strong espresso (un café) or a café allongé; ordering a large milky drink after noon reads as foreign. Morning service typically runs from around 7am, and the bar crowd thins sharply after 9am on weekdays.

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