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Dec 1, 2019 · One common way to formally say “black coffee” in French is “café noir.” This term is widely understood and used across French-speaking regions. When ordering, you can simply say, “Je voudrais un café noir, s’il vous plaît” (I would like a black coffee, please).
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A cup of black coffee contains no calories. A cup of black tea or black coffee contains no calories. Black coffee for me please. He slurped down a cup of sweet, black coffee. He takes a slurp from a cup of black coffee. Newman poured more black coffee.
- Ordering Black Coffee
- Coffee with Milk
- Fancy Coffees
- Other Tips For Ordering Hot Beverages in France
1) Café
A regular café will be the size of an espresso, and is the typical coffee that most people order. In French offices, employees usually take a coffee break around 10am and 3pm with a café, France’s version of the watercooler. It is usually served without milk or sugar added. It is believed that the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (today Turkey), Muhammed IV sent his ambassador to the court of the Sun King Louis XIV with a sample of coffee. The luxury and elegance of a dainty small cup of a French...
2) Café allongé
A more normal-sized coffee cup, the Café allongé(meaning “coffee elongated”). It is still not the giant cup of coffee that North Americans will expect, but it is not tiny either. The Café allongéis basically drip-style coffee with water added. Since more hot water flows through the grinds, it is a bit weaker but is larger than an espresso. The café allongé is also served without milk or sugar unless of course, you ask for it. ☞ READ MORE: Top French travel phrases for every occasion
3) Café Américan
Café américan is the coffee that most North Americans will be expecting. With a double dose of espresso coffee and more water, a café américan should be as strong as a normal coffee, and the same size as a café allongé.
1) Café crème
This is the French version of Café au lait (coffee with milk), which is French but no French person calls it Café au Lait. Even the Wikipedia page of Café au laitdoesn’t have a French translation. Instead, it is called café crèmewhich, to make it even more confusing, is not coffee with cream, but coffee with milk added. The base is an espresso in a larger cup to make room for the added milk. This is also thecoffee is usually drunk from a bowl for breakfast in France. I kid you not. The reason...
2) Adding Milk and Sugar to other Coffees
Coffee in France is usually served without milk or sugar, unless you specifically ask for it: Note, if you want soy milk, skim milk, or a sugar alternative like Splenda, you should probably make your way to Starbucks. Most French restaurants and brasseries will only have regular milk and sugar.
1) Café noisette
This is the French version of the Macchiato, a dash of foam on top of an expresso-sized coffee. (You may have noticed a trend here with the small cup sizes, it is because French people don’t drink giant cups of coffee!)
2) Café gourmand
The café gourmand is in effect “gourmand”. It is usually an espresso sized coffee along with the chef’s choice of 3 small desserts. In this case, I’ve added two macarons and a calisson d’Aix. The default coffee is the regular café, but if you want a café allongéfor example, you can ask for the change.
3) Café liégeois
Café liégeois is another dessert but doesn’t actually have much coffee. It usually includes ice cream and whipped chantilly cream, so not the type of thing to order for breakfast. (Unless that is how you roll, not judging!)
i) Other Hot Drinks
If you don’t care for coffee and would like to order something else, you may be looking for 1. un thé– black tea 2. un thé vert– green tea 3. une tisane, une infusion– herbal tea 4. un chocolat– hot chocolate If you have a chance, do try a hot chocolate in France, because it is made from real creamy cacao which is very smooth and velvety. No chemicals added here!
ii) No takeaway
When you order a coffee at a restaurant, it is going to come in a glass teacup. Not exactly the type of thing you can takeaway. Be prepared to drink it sur place (in place) and not à emporter(takeaway).
iii) Different prices depending on where you sit
And speaking of drinking your coffee “sur place“, another point to note is that the price of the coffee is different depending on where you sit. There may be one price for sitting on the terrace, another price for sitting outside, and a much cheaper price for leaning up against the bar. This is not usually written on the menu, and if you are standing against the bar, you won’t even get a menu. The price difference isn’t that large, maybe €1-2 so just keep it in mind as you order.
- Variations on the espresso. The most commonly ordered coffee in Paris, the espresso is perfect for a quick pick-me-up. If you ask for a ‘café’, this is what you are most likely to get.
- Looking for filter coffee? Usually known as café Americana or occasionally café filtré by the espresso-loving Parisians, you’ll have to stick to the touristy areas if you want to find this old home comfort.
- Coffee with milk: cappuccinos, lattes, flat whites. Famously popular among Anglo-coffee drinkers, the café crème is essentially an espresso topped off with a lot of foamed milk.
- Don’t order without reading this… Whereas you’re free to order any coffee at any time of day, you might get a few funny looks from the traditional Parisian waiters.
Jun 3, 2023 · Coffee in French is called café, which you order by saying “un café s’il vous plait.” The standard coffee served is strong black espresso. Milk coffees are typically served in the morning with breakfast. The French don’t drink coffee for the taste but to socialize and relax on their breaks.
Jan 26, 2024 · If you order a simple café in France, you won’t be served a regular cup of black coffee. In keeping with most of Europe, the classic coffee in France is espresso. Order un café and you’ll receive a small cup filled with a rich shot of espresso.
Here you'll learn the different styles of coffee that French people prefer, how to ask for a coffee in French and some other related grammatical info to help you.
