If you think ordering coffee in a French café or bar is the same as back home, you might be in for an unpleasant surprise. Ask for un café and you'll be presented with a tiny cup of espresso, and if you then request milk, you're likely to get a dirty look or sigh of exasperation. What's the problem?
Le Café Français
In France, un café, which may also be called 'un petit café, un café simple, un café noir, un petit noir, un café express, or un express' is an espresso: a tiny cup of strong black coffee. That's what the French drink, so that's what the simple word café refers to. Many visitors to France, however, prefer a large cup of filtered, relatively weak coffee, which in France is known as un café américain or un café filtre. If you like the taste but not the strength of espresso, order 'un café allongé' and you'll get an espresso in a large cup which you can dilute with hot water. On the other hand, if you'd like something even stronger than espresso, ask for un 'café serré'. In the unlikely event that you find a place serving iced coffee, it will be called 'café glacé'. For decaffeinated coffee, add the word 'déca' to your order: 'un café déca, un café américain déca', etc.
Du Lait, S'il Vous Plaît
If you want milk, you have to order it with the coffee:
- un café au lait, un café crème, un crème - espresso with hot milk (large cup)
- un cappuccino - espresso with foamed milk (large cup)
- un café noisette, une noisette - espresso with a dash of milk or a spoonful of foam (small cup)
Et du Sucre?
You don't need to ask for sugar — if it's not already on the bar or table, it will arrive with your coffee, in little envelopes or cubes. (If it's the latter, you can do like the French and faire un canard: dip a sugar cube in your coffee, wait a moment for it to turn brown, and then eat it.)
Coffee Notes
At breakfast, the French like to dip croissants and day-old baguettes into café crème - indeed, that's why it comes in such a large cup or even a bowl. But breakfast is the only meal at which coffee is consumed (1) with milk and (2) with food. The French drink un express after lunch and dinner, which means after—not with—dessert.
French coffee is not meant to be consumed on the street, so there's no take-away. But if you're in a hurry, drink your petit café standing up at the bar, rather than sitting at a table. You'll be rubbing elbows with locals, and you'll save money to boot. (Some cafés have three different prices: bar, indoor table, and outdoor table.)
'Un café liégeois' is not a drink, but rather a dessert: a coffee ice cream sundae. (You're also likely to encounter un 'chocolat liégeois'.)
Other Hot Drinks
- un chocolat - hot chocolate
- un thé - black tea
- un thé vert - green tea
- une tisane, une infusion - herbal tea
Best coffee place in Nice
There are some wonderful cafes in Nice. Whether you are looking for a brunch spot or a place to have your goûter, the sweet snack the French have daily at 4 pm (usually pastries or chocolate), here’s our run-down of the best and most-loved cafes in Nice.
Pain & Cie
Pain & Cie is loved by Nice’s locals, not least because it is always open, offers an international twist on French favourites and is one of the few places you can get eggs for breakfast. They also offer tartines (open sandwiches), fresh pastries and hot bread with chocolate spread. The atmosphere is friendly and very relaxed; a place to bring the paper or chat with friends.
Maison Auer
La Maison Auer has been in business since 1820. It’s one of the most loved chocolate shops in Nice and has a cafe next door. The highlight is really the teas (ask for milk if you need it), that you can sample with a little high-end fois gras or a smoked salmon salad. And of course, the delicious puddings. Inside and outside tables are available.
Manao
Manao is a small juice bar, offering pure fruit juices and smoothies. It’s worth dropping by to get some much-needed vegetables and fruits into your diet (as well as the ice cream). Time Out called them ‘fun, funky and, above all, healthy.’
Brulerie des Cafés Indiens
This little place, Cafés Indien, has been roasting their own beans since the 1940s and is one of the most divine coffee bars in Nice (many think it has the best coffee). It sells bags of coffee, and there is a little coffee bar to taste it fresh. They also have a great selection of teas.
Emilies Cookies
Emilie and the Cool Kids is a place for great cookies that consistently ranks highly in visitor lists. There are a few branches all over the region now — it’s that good — and the two in Nice are a great pitstop for delicious freshly-baked cookies and great drinks. This is a franchise for people who like a little bit of individuality with their chain stores and a great cup of coffee to boot.
Plage Beau Rivage
Every week, between 11 am and 3 pm, the restaurant on the beach at Plage Beau Rivage hosts a lovely lunch with an amazing view. There are 2 choices: the Petit Dejeuner Complèt (‘full breakfast’) or the Grande Assiette Complète (‘the big plate’). The first is a continental breakfast with pastries, chocolate, different bread and jams while the second has eggs, ham and potatoes. Both include a hot drink and a freshly-squeezed orange juice. All overlooking the beach on the Promenade des Anglais. Bliss.