Mornings are for brunch! Especially on a hangover weekend's morning. Paris is becoming more and more brunchy and even though I tried my best, I didn't visit all of them and there is still some places left that are waiting for me.






So I guess it's time to take back what I've said in my first Paris food post and city list. What is it that I said, you might ask. Well, I made the claim that Paris isn't as big in breakfast spots as other cities, such as London or NYC, are. And I still mean it. London and New York definitely have a bigger and more varied collection of breakfast cafés and restaurants, but Paris is improving and there are more and more spots popping up around the city.

One thing I've learned during the last year living in Paris is that you. don't. eat. cheese. for. breakfast...nor ham. At least when you're among Frenchies, unless you want to be looked at like you're an alien. So keep the cheese, the ham, the sausages and all that other greasy stuff for your breakfast with ze Germans, British or American, they'll understand.

And even though, the true Parisian would never eat a stack of pancakes with bacon and maple syrup, or eat a huge pastrami sandwich with pickles and mustard for breakfast during the week, they might be becoming more open about that breakfast/lunch (oh, brunch!) thing on a weekend noon. During the week most working people drink their café au lait and have one or two cookies with it and then there is nothing else until lunch at around 1pm. How they do this? I don't know, I would be starving at around 10am. That's maybe also why most cafés that are among the favorite brunch places in the city, are Australian or British inspired. Ah, and there is a German one, too!!

Well anyways, the French are improving in that area and I was able to make a little list of my personal, favorite breakfast and brunch spots. It is arranged according to the districts in Paris, the arrondissements.


1èr Arrondissement:

Claus:
A two story place, with cosy seating, light interior and cosy furniture. The owner is a German and this is mirrored in the menu, where you can find scrambled eggs, ham and cheese for breakfast. They have a nice assortment of teas, good coffee and also a little choice of freshly baked pastries and muesli. Right on the opposite of the café is a deli, where you can find anything from granola to almond milk or fresh baguettes. To sit upstairs you usually need a reservation, but I prefer the seatings downstairs.
Price Range: very 1st arrondissement-like, around 20-30€ for a breakfast and coffee.
Good to Know: 14 Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1st; clausparis.com; Open 08:00-17:00 during the week, 09:30 on weekends








2ème Arrondissement:

Frenchie to Go:
Don't get confused, there is three frenchies. A restaurant, an amazing wine bar and this small place, all on the same street in the 2nd arrondissement. The Frenchie to go is serving American inspired breakfasts. Their granola was good and the eggs Benedict, too. It is a cosy, tiny place - so rather unsuited for bigger groups, or an hour-long brunch session.
Price Range:10-15€; 6€ for a granola, 12€ for eggs Benedict with pastrami.
Good to Know: 9 Rue du Nil, 2nd; frenchietogo.com; Open 08:30-16:30 during the week, 08:30-17:30 on weekends





Lockwood:
At night it's a bar, in the morning on weekends a great brunch place. My personal highlight are the blueberry banana pancakes with nuts and maple syrup (the portions were a bit small though when I went there a second time) and the avocado toast/ piece of sourdough bread with salmon and a poached egg. The coffee is great and I can also recommend the banana bread. Waiters are nice and I really like the cosy atmosphere - a very wooden interior with dimmed light, so maybe it's a better spot for dark wintery days, when there's not much to see outside anyways. If you are a bigger group they are most of the time able to save you seating downstairs in "the cave", which normally is used during nights only.
Price Range: around 15€ for coffee and a breakfast dish.
Good to Know: 73 Rue d'Aboukir, 2nd; lockwoodparis.com; Open 18:00-02:00 during the week, 10:00-02:00 on weekends






3ème Arrondissement:

Season:
Fully packed during weekends with possibly some waiting time, this is the perfect spot to hang out with friends and enjoy some pancakes, a pastrami sandwich or a delicious bagel. They also have all the superfood/healthy stuff that everyone is currently crazy about (me not included, because I think it's a huge hype around nada). The place is located right next to the Carreau du Temple, in the heart of the Marais, so perfect for an afternoon stroll through one of Paris coolest areas. I was a big fan of the bagel with a harissa omelette, cashew butter, tomato jam and avocado and heard that the pancakes are good too, maybe a bit too sweet.
Price Range: around 10-15€ for coffee and a breakfast dish.
Good to Know: 1 Rue Charles-François Dupuis, 3rd; season-paris.com; Open 08:30-23:00 during the week, 08:30-19:00 on Sundays







6ème Arrondissement:

Eggs&Co:
A small two story place serving...eggs. Order them how you like it - poached, fried, scrambled, with toast, as an omelette...whatever. Not far from Saint-Germain-des-Pres, but hidden in a little street, this place provides you with eggs all day long. I went for the eggs benny (as I do very often) and they came perfect, runny inside and with potatoes and salad. It's a cosy place, waiters are nice, but they don't want you to sit here for hours.
Price Range: around 15-20€ for coffee and a breakfast dish.
Good to Know: 11 Rue Bernard Palissy, 6th; eggsandco.fr; Open 10:00-17:00 during the week, 10:00-18:00 on Sundays






7ème Arrondissement:

Coutume Café:
Thank you, Coutume, for providing me with freshly brewed, aromatic coffee and loads of energy during my last year of studies. There are two Coutumes: Coutume Instituutti, which is a perfect place to study and located in the 5th arrondissement, close to Shakespeare and company, Notre Dame and Mussee d'Orly. That one has coffee, sandwiches, salads and some cakes. The other one, located in the 7th, close to Le Bon Marche, The Conran Shop and other favorite spots of mine along rue du Bac, serves bigger dishes for brunch and lunch, but also a variety of cakes and desserts. Don't forget to get yourself a stamp card, so the 10th coffee is gratuit.
Price Range: around 12-20€ for coffee and a breakfast dish.
Good to Know:  Coutume: 47 Rue de Babylone, 7th; coutumecafe.com; Open 09:00-17:00 all week and weekend, Coutume Instituutti: 60 Rue des Écoles, 5th, Open 09:00-17:00 all week and weekend, closed on Mondays






9ème Arrondissement:

Buvette Paris:
One in New York, one in Paris. This little but lovely, cosy, industrial/farm style café close to Pigalle is the spot for you to go if you're looking for a delicious Croque Madam. What makes it different from the Croque Monsieur? - The egg on top. Besides that everything is the same, melting cheese, ham and sometimes a bit of sauce bernaise inside. Mhhh! They also have French toast (pain perdu), cakes and good coffee. Don't mix it up with 'La Buvette' in the 11th, which is equally great, but a wine bar.
Price Range: around 8-15€ for coffee and a breakfast dish.
Good to Know:  28 Rue Henry Monnier, 9th; ilovebuvette.com; Open 08:30-00:00 during week and 10:00-00:00 weekend








10ème Arrondissement:

Holybelly:
Brunchers and Brunchettes, brace yourselves for one of the best and most delicious brunches and pancakes in Paris - and the longest waiting time, too, unfortunately. I don't know if they lived in Australia or not, there are many rumors about the existence and history of holybelly, but the food is definitely a mix between French cuisine and Australian brunch tradition. They serve great coffee from 'Brulerie de Belleville' to serve you the perfect flat white. I am in L.O.V.E. with their savoury stack - a stack of pancakes, with bacon, maple syrup and two fried eggs on top. Because this can saturate you quite fast, it's best if you share this and another dish with a friend, so it doesn't get boring. You should try the eggs and side, which is a piece of sourdough bread, two eggs how you want them (poached for me!!) and two sides (more sides are possible, but cost extra); last time we chose the hashbrown and fresh ricotta with dukkah, but the sides change from time to time. Be aware that during the week, to avoid long waiting hours, you should arrive between 10 and 11am and during weekends you should arrive early, too as I have experienced people waiting for 1 - 1,5h.
Price Range: around 10-16€ for coffee and a breakfast dish.
Good to Know:  19 Rue Lucien Sampaix, 10th; holybel.ly; Closed Tuesday& Wednesday Open 09:00-17:00 Monday, Thursday, Friday and 10:00-17:00 weekend





Institut de Bonté :
This one also popped up not too long ago in the Parisian café environment. When you enter the place you feel like you're coming into a barn filled with a lot of gardening stuff, a basket with veggies and fruits right next to the door, heavy wooden benches and along with it there is this quiet, friendly atmosphere. They have really good coffee and during the week from 8am until I think around 11am, you can have the breakfast combo for 10€, which is a coffee of your choice, a fresh juice of your choice and a buffet with homemade granola, yoghurt, fruit, bread and plenty of different jams.
Price Range: around 10€ for coffee and breakfast.
Good to Know:  84 Quai de Jemmapes, 10th; linstitutdebonte.com; Open 08:00-00:00 every day







11ème Arrondissement:

Beans on Fire:
Simple, but nice coffee shop with some seating inside, a lot of seating outside and located just next to a nice park. Good coffee (a flat white for me, please!) and some small breakfast dishes, such as sandwiches, granola or scones. No time to sit down? No problem at all, you can buy some of their coffee to prepare it at home.
Price Range: around 8€ for coffee and granola.
Good to Know:  7 Rue du Général Blaise, 11th; thebeansonfire.com; Open Monday & Tuesday 08:00-17:00, Wednesday & Thursday 08:00-23:00, Friday, Saturday & Sunday 09:00-23:00





Café Oberkampf:
A very small place (seating for 10-14 people or so) serving delicious coffee, amazing toasted banana bread, shakshuka, avocado toast and other tasty brunch dishes. The owner speaks english, so no francais needed.
Price Range: around 10€ for coffee and banana bread.
Good to Know:  3 Rue Neuve Popincourt, 11th; cafeoberkampf.com; Open Monday, Thursday, Friday 08:30-17:00, Saturday & Sunday 09:30-17:00, Tuesday & Wednesday closed



18ème Arrondissement

The Hardware Société Paris:
Imported from Melbourne, this Australian breakfast spot is a success in every matter. The coffee is great, they have delicious matcha latte and the dishes they offer during brunch time are mostly great! I had a pork belly with hash browns on toasted sourdough bread with two poached eggs and onion confit - nom! The interior is stylish with an eye for detail, but not overloaded. It can become quite packed on weekends, so don't arrive too late.
Price Range: around 15€-18€ for coffee and a breakfast dish.
Good to Know:  10 Rue Lamarck, 18th; hardware societe facebook page; Open 09:00-16:30 every day, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays








La Bossue:
Heaven for all the buffet fans out there. For 21€ you can eat as much and whatever you want from the buffet and a filter coffee and a fresh orange juice is also included in the price. The buffet has everything from salty to sweet; brioches, french toast, cakes, granola, yoghurt, salmon, ham, cheese, homemade fresh bread, salads, little egg omelette cakes..anything you might wish for on a lazy Saturday or Sunday morning. It is all homemade and you can see that the owners put all their heart into it and pay attention to every detail. Also, they are super friendly. Don't arrive too late, it's a small and cosy place that became very popular among Parisians quickly.
Price Range: 21€ for coffee, fresh orange juice and a breakfast buffet.
Good to Know:  9 Rue Joseph de Maistre, 18th; labossue.com; Open 08:30-19:00 during the week, 10:30-19:00 Saturday and Sunday 









Other places I would like to visit:

• Bol Porridge Bar - porridge, porridge, porridge
• Bespoke - Brunch on Sundays
• Fric Frac - all kinds of Croques