In the heart of the lively Saint-Germain-des-Prés district lies one of the capital’s oldest treasures. The name? Le Procope. Founded in 1686 by Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli, an Italian chef based in the City of Light. And it wasn’t long before this café – now known as the oldest in the world – became the most popular spot in Paris for artists, thinkers and intellectuals of the day…
Here’s the world’s oldest café… and it’s in Paris!
As soon as Le Procope was founded in Paris, its success was immediate. In fact, you may not have known it, but it was one of the first cafés in the world to serve coffee, at a time when this beverage was still considered unheard of. This elegant venue, which had nothing to envy the finest literary salons, soon became a veritable haunt for the philosophers of the Enlightenment. Diderot, Voltaire and Rousseau are said to have remade the world here, by candlelight.
Legend also has it that it was in the heart of Procope that the idea for the Encyclopédie was born… Another historical anecdote: Benjamin Franklin is also said to have frequented the premises. It was in the world’s oldest café that the inventor is said to have laid the foundations of the American Constitution. Myth or reality? Whatever the case, Procope remains mythical.
Mythical restaurant, literary café… A place steeped in history, since 1686
On the eve of the French Revolution, the café changed its appearance. It became a haven for political clubs such as the Cordeliers and the Jacobins. Danton, Marat, Robespierre… all pushed open the doors of Le Procope. And it was here that the Phrygian cap, the future symbol of the Republic, was first worn.
In theXIXᵉ century, the place rediscovered its literary essence. The writer George Sand, but also the novelist Théophile Gautier and the poets Paul Verlaine and Anatole France sat here, and seemed to find inspiration. Following in the footsteps of Diderot and Rousseau, Le Procope continues to attract great names. Even crazier: in 1883, in the salons of the world’s oldest café, the Stade Français, one of France’s oldest all-round sports clubs, was founded.
Despite its reputation, Procope ran into difficulties in 1890, the year in which the café closed its doors for good. It wasn’ t until 1957 that a new restaurant of the same name opened within the café’s historic walls. The ambience pays homage to the Age of Enlightenment. Wood panelling, candelabras, busts of Voltaire and antique manuscripts grace the period décor.
The oldest café in Paris: home to writers and intellectuals from Voltaire to George Sand
Today, Le Procope is much more than a café-restaurant: it’s a living piece of French history. Today, it hosts literary prize-giving ceremonies . These include the Prix Procope des Lumières, awarded each year to an essay on social issues or philosophy.
In short, Le Procope is a place where you don’t just come to dine. You push open its doors to travel through time and history, all the way back to 1686. And we have no doubt that the world’s oldest café will continue to enjoy its heyday in Paris…
📍Le Procope – 13 rue de l’Ancienne Comédie, 75006 Paris