To order coffee in France, greet the server with “bonjour”, then ask for “un café, s’il vous plaît”. You will get a small espresso, because in France un café means espresso. If you want milk, ask for un café crème (espresso with steamed milk) or une noisette (espresso with a dash of milk). Coffee is cheapest standing at the bar, and you can sit at a table as long as you like, but you will need to ask for the bill.

French café culture is relaxed once you know the vocabulary and a few unwritten rules. This guide covers what each coffee is called, when locals drink what, how prices work and how to behave like a regular.

French Coffee Basics

A traditional French café (the word means both the drink and the place) serves coffee made on an espresso machine. Coffee is usually strong, served in small cups and drunk fairly quickly at the counter or slowly at a table. Drip or filter coffee is not the default, and large takeaway cups are more common at chains, train stations and specialty coffee shops than at classic cafés.

Paris and other big cities also have a large specialty coffee scene, where you will find flat whites, pour-overs, oat milk and baristas who speak English. At these shops, order as you would at home. The guide below is for the classic neighborhood café, brasserie or bar-tabac, where most of the etiquette applies.

Un Café, Crème, Noisette and Allongé Explained

What to say	What you get
Un café / un express / un expresso	A single espresso, the default coffee
Un petit noir	Old-fashioned slang for a small black espresso
Un café serré	A short, extra-strong espresso (similar to a ristretto)
Un double / un grand café	A double espresso
Un café allongé	An espresso lengthened with hot water, closest to an American black coffee
Une noisette	An espresso with a dash of milk or foam; named for its hazelnut color
Un café crème / un crème	Espresso with steamed milk in a larger cup, similar to a latte or flat white
Un grand crème	A larger café crème, often with a double shot
Un café au lait	Coffee with hot milk, mostly a breakfast or home drink; many cafés serve a crème instead
Un cappuccino	Widely available, though often made with whipped cream or foam in more traditional places
Un déca	Decaf espresso; add the word to any order, e.g. “un crème déca”
Un café glacé / café frappé	Iced coffee; increasingly available, especially in summer and at modern coffee shops

Sugar is normally on the table or served with the cup, often as wrapped cubes or sticks. Plain milk on the side is not standard; if you want some, ask for “un peu de lait à côté, s’il vous plaît”. Non-dairy milk is common in specialty shops but may not be available in a traditional café.

Why Cappuccinos Are Rarely Ordered After Lunch

French people mostly drink milky coffee (crème, café au lait) in the morning, often with breakfast. After lunch and dinner, the custom is a small black espresso, which is seen as a digestive end to the meal. Nobody will refuse to serve you a cappuccino at 3 pm, but ordering one after dinner marks you as a visitor.

Coffee is also served after dessert rather than with it. If you want coffee alongside dessert, say so (“avec le dessert, s’il vous plaît”), or order a café gourmand: an espresso served with two or three mini desserts, a popular choice on restaurant menus.

Bar vs Table Prices

Many French cafés charge different prices depending on where you drink:

• Au comptoir (at the bar): the cheapest price. You stand, drink quickly and pay as you go or when you leave.
• En salle (inside at a table): a higher price for table service.
• En terrasse (outside on the terrace): often the highest price, especially on famous squares and boulevards.

Cafés are required to display the prices of basic drinks, so look for a price list near the bar or on the menu. The difference between counter and terrace can be significant in tourist areas, so if you just want a quick caffeine fix, stand at the bar like the locals. If you want to people-watch, the terrace price is the cost of a front-row seat.

Café Etiquette: Greeting, Paying and Lingering

Greeting

Always start with “bonjour, madame” or “bonjour, monsieur” (“bonsoir” in the evening) before you order. Skipping the greeting is one of the most common things visitors do that come across as rude in France. Call the server with “s’il vous plaît” and eye contact, never “garçon” or a snap of the fingers.

Ordering and seating

• In most cafés you can sit anywhere that is free; wait to be seated only if a server approaches you or the place looks like a restaurant.
• Tables laid with cutlery and napkins at lunchtime are usually reserved for diners. If you only want a drink, sit at a bare table or on the terrace.
• Order at your table; in a classic café you do not go to the bar to order and then sit down.

Paying

• At the bar, pay when you are served or just before you leave.
• At a table, the server will usually not bring the bill until you ask: “l’addition, s’il vous plaît”. This is not slow service; it is politeness.
• In busy places the server may bring a small receipt with your drinks and collect payment straight away, especially on terraces at the end of a shift.
• Service is included in French prices. Leaving small change for a coffee is a nice gesture but not expected; our guide on tipping in France explains the details.

Lingering

One of the joys of French cafés is that nobody rushes you. Buying a coffee gives you the right to sit, read, write or watch the street for a long time, except at the busiest lunch hour when tables are needed for meals. If you stay a very long time at a busy café, ordering a second drink is a courteous gesture. On cold days a café is the best refuge between sights, as our guide to Paris in winter explains.

Looking for somewhere beautiful to try all this? See our list of the most beautiful cafés in Paris.

Coffee and Breakfast in France

A French breakfast is light and sweet: a café crème or café au lait, a croissant or pain au chocolat, or a tartine (baguette with butter and jam). At home, many people drink coffee from a bowl and dip their bread or croissant into it.

Many cafés offer a formule petit-déjeuner, a set breakfast with a hot drink, orange juice and a pastry or tartine. It can be good value, but buying a croissant from a bakery and drinking your coffee at the café bar is often cheaper. Some cafés allow you to eat a pastry bought next door with your coffee, especially in the morning; ask first.

For more on meals and restaurant customs, read our guide to eating out in Paris.

Useful Café Phrases

French	English
Bonjour, un café, s’il vous plaît.	Hello, an espresso, please.
Un crème et une noisette, s’il vous plaît.	A coffee with milk and an espresso with a dash of milk, please.
Un café allongé, s’il vous plaît.	A long black coffee, please.
C’est possible avec du lait d’avoine ?	Is it possible with oat milk?
À emporter / sur place	To go / to have here
Je peux m’asseoir ici ?	Can I sit here?
L’addition, s’il vous plaît.	The bill, please.
Je peux payer par carte ?	Can I pay by card?
Merci, bonne journée !	Thank you, have a nice day!

A warm “merci” goes a long way; our guide to saying thank you in French has more ways to express it.

Summary

In France, un café is an espresso; ask for a crème or a noisette if you want milk, and an allongé if you want something closer to American coffee. Milky coffee is a morning drink, espresso follows lunch and dinner, and coffee comes after dessert. Drink at the bar to pay less, sit at a table to linger as long as you like, always say “bonjour” first and ask for the bill when you are ready to leave.