Brunch In Paris: Best Hot Chocolate at Coutume Café

Continuing on my quest to eat my way through Paris, next up is Coutume! I’d heard this place was famous for its coffees and whilst I am not a coffee fan at all, the rest of their menu looked pretty cool so off I went to test out their brunch and hot chocolate.. 

I arrived at Coutume Cafe in Babylon at 10:30am on a Sunday morning and found it pretty much empty. On entering, I was greeted by a waiter but he wouldn’t let me sit down until my other two friends arrived, which I found incredibly strange given that the cafe was pretty much empty.

Another, much friendlier, waiter approached me a few minutes later and asked if I’d a glass or water or to order a drink, but I decided to wait until my friend arrived.

As you can see, the interior is light and bright, with plenty of room (a rarity for Paris) and it has that classic hipster cafe vibe. There are rows of delicious-looking desserts on display as you walk in that you can indulge in after your brunch and the vibe was quite cool in general.

There were a real mix of ages there for breakfast with an older couple as well as a young group of friends, so this place appeals to all.

The drinks arrived first and I have to say this was honestly one of the best hot chocolates I’ve ever had in Paris. I know it doesn’t look like much and, at first, I was put off by the powder floating on top but this hot chocolate was thick, creamy and sweet, which is exactly how I like my hot chocolate.

Too many hot chocolates are bitter or don’t have enough milk in them and I’d just come to accept that unless if I made it myself, I would never be satisfied.

This hot chocolate is a little pricey at €4.50, but I’ve come to expect hot drinks in Paris to be expensive so this is pretty average for this city.

The brunch menu we were given didn’t have a huge amount of different options on it, which initially disappointed me, but what they do offer is really tasty so this isn’t a problem. 

There are three different Eggs Benedict options available: bacon, mushrooms or guacamole.

I loved that the Eggs Benedict was served on pancakes instead of toast or an English muffin. It did make the whole meal a lot heavier but that’s great if you’re looking for something filling for breakfast.

I opted for Eggs Benedict with bacon, which came with bacon that was perfectly crispy, not burnt, and the poached eggs were just the right amount of runny.

This option could have done with a little more sauce as there’s a lot of pancake, which is dry, but other than that, I greatly enjoyed this.

This dish came to €10.50, which is rather reasonable for Paris, so I’d definitely come back again.

My friend ordered her eggs with bacon and an extra side of guacamole, which actually went quite well together. This surprised me as I didn’t really expect eggs, bacon, pancakes and guac to make a fantastic combo but it really did make the meal much more interesting.

The guacamole was really delicious with red onion, spring onion and cacao nibs mixed in. You know you’re in a good brunch place when there are cacao nibs in the guacamole (#basic).

As this was an added extra we had no idea how much the extra guacamole cost until we paid the bill and it came to €3, which I thought was a bit much.

To be fair, there was a huge amount of guacamole; we shared it between us and there was still some left, but this meant that my friend’s meal came to the slightly less reasonable price of €14.50.

If you’re looking for something vegan in Paris, there’s a range of vegan salad options on offer during the week too.

All in all, Coutume is a cute little brunch destination that can be found in various areas around Paris.

The brunch menu isn’t extensive but if you’re looking for a good eggs benedict on a Sunday morning with a creamy hot chocolate or coffee, Coutume is the place for you.

Numerous stores around Paris also have opened Coutume Cafés in them so this is a well-known coffee shop that you’d be foolish to miss. The prices are really reasonable for Paris with my entire meal coming to just €15 and it was worth every cent.

Address
47 Rue de Babylon
75007, Paris

Website
www.coutumecafe.com

Price
€10-20

Languages spoken
French / English

If you liked this post, check out these other posts about Paris:
The Best Bakery in Paris: Du Pain et Des Idées
Holybelly Review: An American Brunch in Paris
The Best Noodles In Paris: Trois Fois Plus De Piment
Café Les Deux Magots: Must-Visit or Tourist Trap?