An Australian writer’s guide to the best Parisian cafes and magazine stores
WORDS BY GENEVIEVE PHELAN
Bonjour Paris.
On my recent trip to Paris, I did away with most of the touristy attractions and honed in on my own specialised set of interests: magazine troves, laptop-friendly cafés and perfectly French bookstores in the City of Light (or Light Reading). If that’s gauche, then so be it! I needed some glossy goldmines to reap inspiration from, and others to whip that creativity surge into shape via writing time.
It’s no secret that I’m magnetically drawn to beautifully bound things, working cafés and haunts to subtly eavesdrop on the locals while trying to reabsorb a language I once knew. The magic of a zine or a neatly made cappuccino is never lost on me. And while some may deem these ‘simple pleasures’ in comparison to the grandeur of the Eiffel Tower, I respect the complexity and care that goes into their curation.
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Based on my very habitual moves (and priorities) in Paree, I’ve rustled up a guide to The Magazine Girl’s mandatory pitstops, mostly in the trendy 3rd Arrondissement. Flicking through foreign pages and mulling over what little treat to order on a pleasing backdrop thrills me, so if that’s a familiar experience for you, you’ll enjoy the suggestions below.
Bonjour Jacob
This has to take the cake: a decent-sized outdoor-indoor magazine vault and coffee shop hybrid that served me Europe’s greatest iced latte (à la Melbourne). The people-watching is second to none, and the curation of glossies I’d never even heard of was magnificent. BJ has a designated ‘laptops zone’ set of tables in the back of its interior, and cute outdoor tables for slow morning catch-ups or a quiet read of the Monocle Guide to Paris – a tour de force in cool itinerary-worthy advice.
Libraire
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This is a franchise of gorgeous bookstores, piled high with many French tomes and a sadly scant section of English ones. It also houses some beefy coffee table books and is just so beautiful in its construction, exterior and service. I always feel on the cusp of a good idea in a nice bookshop, and the one in the 3rd is close to Chez Alain Miam Miam for a sandwich, plus a park across the road to sit and read in over lunch. Think of it as an entrée visit!
Ofr Bookshop
You’ve seen the merch, you’ve clocked the models and It Girls and creatives capturing photos in front of the facade, but have you spent a good halfa just flicking through the pages here? While very hyped and Insta-infamous, it is for good reason! Ofr is a magazine maven’s wonderland, compiling endless stacks of deeply considered photo stories and indie zines from literally everywhere.
I sacrificed a cute cap here to grab one from The Frankie Shop (luggage real estate being small and all), but adore their petite tote bags and am obsessed with the foothold they have in the Parisian shopping scene. We need more of this in Melbourne, tout de suite.
Le Floor
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This cute café is a hot-desker’s dream, allowing much-needed reprieve from the very strict ‘no working’ spaces that are the apparent norm in Paree (and a lot of European cities). You have to sniff out the spots that allow freelancers or work-from-home-rs to soak up white noise, ambience and energy.
I had a very solid few hours of head-down bum-up hustling at Le Floor, a lauded laptop-friendly café with set times for working and not working. I caught up on the emails abyss and enjoyed a drink here in a cute booth-style seat. While ultra-modern, she’s still got ineffable Parisian charm.
Bourse de Commerce
A special mention goes out to this ridiculous gallery space and its internal bookshop/souvenir (but not in a lame way) store. While not abiding by the ‘shop or cafe’ technicality, this expansive showcase of Pinault’s collection is an unmissable Paris morning.
I came away with a print for back home to commemorate our visit, and another sentimental postcard of the iconic pink ‘balloon poodle’ (IYKYK) and would have harvested the whole shebang if my suitcase weight allowed. You could sit on the mirrored floors of the main dome arena in the centre of Bourse, perhaps with your latest mag or a good read. That’s joie de vivre.
Le Peloton
Cortado and Partisan are my failsafe cafes in the 3rd to chill, scroll and read at, all while feeling smugly ingrained in Parisian society. But I don’t think laptops fly there. I’d highly recommend those two for some downtime, great pastries and immaculate aesthetics, especially if you’re just needing to whizz through some phone emails or edit a TikTok vlog.
But Le Peloton would be another aligned suggestion for a place to plonk yourself and tappa-tappa away at those keys on the big screen. While a café at its core, LP is also a place of worship for the tight-knit cycling community and you’ll find many people parking their two-wheelers out the front. You can also rent bikes here which is quite a vibe.
For more Paris recommendations, head here.
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