Café de Flore

Historical Background & Existentialist Headquarters

Founded in 1887 during the French Third Republic and taking its name from a sculpture of Flora (the Roman goddess of flowers) located on the opposite side of the boulevard, Café de Flore has stood at the crossroads of French intellectual life for over a century.

During the German occupation of Paris in the 1940s, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir set up their daily working headquarters on the heated first floor. Sartre later wrote: "We settled in there completely: from nine in the morning until noon we worked there, then we went to lunch and returned at two o'clock to talk with friends until eight in the evening. After dinner we saw people by appointment. The Flore was for us the road of freedom."

Earlier in the 20th century, Guillaume Apollinaire, André Breton, and Louis Aragon used the café as the cradle of Surrealism. In later decades, James Baldwin, Albert Camus, Pablo Picasso, and Brigitte Bardot frequented its red leather banquettes. Today, the café annually hosts the prestigious literary ceremony for the Prix de Flore.

Art Deco Interior & Atmospheric Red Banquettes

Remodeled in the late 1920s, the interior retains its classic Art Deco aesthetic: scarlet moleskin leather booths, warm mahogany wall paneling, bevel-edged brass mirrors, and spherical frosted glass sconces. Outside, green wicker café chairs face the lively pavement of Boulevard Saint-Germain under the iconic green canvas awning.

Culinary Traditions & Service Ceremonies

Servers dressed in traditional black waistcoats and long white aprons (rondins) deliver Parisian café classics on branded porcelain and silver teapots:

• Chocolat Chaud Spécial Flore: Rich, velvety melted dark chocolate served in an individual porcelain pitcher alongside fresh whipped chantilly.
• Café Crème & Croissant au Beurre: Freshly brewed dark roast coffee cut with steamed whole milk, paired with flakey artisanal butter croissants.
• Welsh Rarebit & Croque Monsieur Flore: Classic toasted sourdough with melted Gruyère cheese and house-cured Parisian ham.