Essential Café Phrases
The Parisian café is an institution. Whether you're grabbing a quick espresso at the counter or lingering over a café crème with a croissant, these phrases will help you navigate the experience naturally.
Ordering Coffee & Drinks
Pastries & Food
Paying
These 12 phrases are just a taste. ParleFlow has 50 restaurant & café phrases plus 950 more across 20 categories — all with audio pronunciation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Say "Un espresso, s'il vous plaît" for a standard black coffee, or "Un café crème, s'il vous plaît" for coffee with steamed milk. In France, "un café" alone means an espresso.
"Sur place" means "to eat/drink here" and "pour emporter" means "takeaway". In many Parisian cafés, the price is different depending on whether you sit at a table or stand at the counter. You'll be asked "Sur place ou emporter ?" at most cafés and bakeries.
A pain au chocolat is a chocolate-filled pastry similar to a croissant. In southern France it's sometimes called a "chocolatine", but in Paris it's always "pain au chocolat".
Most Parisian cafés accept card payment, but some smaller ones have a minimum (usually 5-10 euros). Ask "Vous prenez la carte ?" or "Je peux payer sans contact ?". Contactless payment is very common in Paris.
No. Service is included in French prices by law. However, it's common to leave small change (rounding up to the nearest euro) if the service was good. For a coffee, no tip is expected at all.