The Best Coffee Shops in Toulouse
France is one of the world’s culinary capitals – there’s no question that if you enjoy first-class wine, cheese, or bread, France is the destination for you. Its coffee scene, on the other hand, is considerably less renowned, and maybe that’s for good reason. Traditional French coffee is… disappointing. In fact, it’s usually over-extracted, burnt, and bitter. A flat white is an alien concept to a quaint French café, where one can sit under a striped awning and nurse a strong espresso as they watch the world go by. And yet, the rise of coffee shops in Toulouse today certainly does not fit within that infamous French café culture.
Toulouse’s modern coffee shops have a passion for the drink, respecting the journey from bean to cup. So we have put together a list of the best coffee shops in Toulouse, should you have a craving for coffee prepared with a level of care and attention that traditional French cafés cannot fulfill! (And while you’re out exploring Toulouse, we recommend you also join us for a Toulouse Food Tour – see the city through the eyes of a local.)
But first, what is the difference between the quaint French café and the modern coffee shop?
Cafés versus Coffee Shops and the History of French Coffee
If you find yourself at a French café, you may notice there are no coffee menus. That is because there is a limited selection of drinks, meaning you should know your coffee order in advance. Here, do not expect to get frothed milk, iced lattes, or even a coffee to go. Instead, if you’re in a rush, you should stand by the bar and sip your café as quickly as the hot liquid will allow. The milk is long-life (UHT – “ultra-high temperature”), baristas are unnecessary, and latte art is unusual. Customers are there for the experience and the caffeine. This epitomizes “café culture,” not “coffee culture.”
Coffee first became popular in France in the 17th century. Served short and spiced, it was adored by Louis XIV, so much so that he grew, roasted, and ground his own coffee. Coffee houses started catering to the upper classes around the capital. The numbers swiftly grew, and with the invention of coffee percolators in the 19th century, over 3,000 cafés filled the streets of Paris. To this day, little has changed; coffee has remained a drink of style over substance in cafés in France.
Why? It goes back to the days of colonization. The French imported coffee beans from the colonies; free from taxation, they were cheap. These beans were predominantly Robusta coffee, notoriously bitter with burnt woody notes, and harsher than the more popular Arabica. Even today, 50% of the coffee used in French cafés is Robusta – which is why there’s always a sachet of sugar served alongside your espresso.
Not only that, but some coffee brands have French cafés in a chokehold, offering expensive coffee machines in exchange for using their beans – which, of course, are Robusta.
Despite these long-lasting coffee-drinking traditions and the café culture it clings to, France cannot quell the rise of third-wave coffee culture – here at last come the coffee shops with their own craft-roasted Arabica beans to fuel the country.
Modern French Coffee Shops
Third-wave coffee goes beyond specialty drinks. It emphasizes ecological values and respect for the environment and coffee producers. Everyone has a part to play in the supply chain. These coffee aficionados know the stories behind the drink. This is why no two coffee shops are the same, as the coffees offered are distinctive.
All the best coffee shops in Toulouse use local coffee roasters’ beans, and those roasters provide equipment, workshops, and team training to acquaint Toulouse’s café scene with the age of coffee culture. You know you’re in safe hands when a coffee shop shows dedication to their craft by filling their shelves with coffee-themed gifts – not to mention the coffee beans themselves.
So, here is our list of the best coffee shops in Toulouse – the innovators changing the city’s coffee scene!
Café La Fiancée
The pioneer of third-wave coffee culture in Toulouse, La Fiancée is now one of many beloved coffee shops where we can find flat whites and other specialty coffees to quench our cravings. Now having expanded to two branches, the larger boasting a beautiful terrace nestled in the shade of the looming Saint-Sernin basilica, La Fiancée didn’t let their first cupboard-sized premises slow them down, as they became known as the original specialty coffee shop in Toulouse, opening as far back as 2012.
According to the owner, La Fiancée was the only coffee shop on the block because “the French don’t care about good coffee!” Now, twelve years later, with this long list of great coffee shops to try in Toulouse, we can finally beg to differ!
Visit La Fiancée to try their loaded breakfasts and brunches, not forgetting their coffee specialties: V60 pour-over, cold brew, and the classics with the option of non-dairy milks.
Opening hours: Capitole: 9:30/10:00 – 18:00/17:30, Saint Sernin: 10:00 – 18:30
Address: 54 Rue Peyrolières, 31000 Toulouse & 9 Pl. Saint-Sernin, 31000 Toulouse
Café Papiche
Papiche is a teeny tiny coffee spot hidden down the cobbled streets of Toulouse’s old town in Carmes. Walk in, and you’ll be greeted by a couple of tables, house plants, and framed artwork – the ambiance simply radiates coziness.
Homemade pastries include various babkas on display, generally adding to the snug, comforting atmosphere. Then there is brunch – shakshuka is their specialty, one ruby red with peppers and tomatoes, the other a vibrant green with spinach, mushrooms, and goat cheese. And yet this doesn’t even scratch the surface of the extensive coffee menu. There are cappuccinos, flat whites, and simple filter coffee. Meanwhile, they offer non-coffee specialties, including matcha and chai lattes (plus an amazing Nutella hot chocolate!) and dairy-free milks. And best of all, they support a local roaster, Coffee Lab, the beans of which they sell by the bag.
Opening hours: Wednesday – Sunday: 8:30/9:30 – 17:30
Address: 44 Rue Pharaon, 31000 Toulouse
Le Café Cerise
Despite the sweet, fruity name, Le Café Cerise delivers the caffeinated goods. Not only do they take their coffee menu deeply seriously, but they also roast their Arabica beans on-site, which coffee-loving customers can buy in bags. They proudly credit their roasting process to techniques they learned in Paris and Barcelona, which they adapt according to the terroir of the beans – here, Café Cerise is waving the flag for breaking tradition, attributing their style to “Anglo-Saxon” coffee shops that are appearing around the city.
Even with their brunch and lunch menus, cakes, and light snacks, as well as teas and juices, coffee is the aim of the game at Cerise. From pure coffee appreciation to gourmet drinks, your caffeine cravings are covered. And “cerise,” of course, is a wink to coffee, as the bean comes from a fruit that looks like a “cherry.”
Opening hours: Monday – Friday: 8:30 – 17:00 / Saturday: 9:30 – 17:30
Address: 4 Quai de la Daurade, 31000 Toulouse
Allegory Coffee Bar
Another great alternative to the coffee of French cafés is what you will find at Allegory Coffee Bar. Credited by one reviewer as having “the best coffee in France,” Allegory is another third-wave coffee spot that champions local roasters. In this case, the roaster is Minifundi and Allegory sells their beans and other coffee-themed knick-knacks.
Allegory could have been plucked straight out of Melbourne with its sidewalk dining spots, indoor plants spilling their tendrils, and, of course, the brunch menu, including avocado toast with a twist and specialty coffees, all with the option of non-dairy milks.
Opening hours: 9:30 – 18:00
Address: 9 Rue Peyras, 31000 Toulouse
Brûlerie des Filatiers
A favorite coffee roaster of the Taste of Toulouse team, Brûlerie des Filatiers is a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop that is not to be missed! The cozy one-room space full of burlap coffee sacks just has room for a bar where you can sip freshly-made espressos and lattes while you examine the 16 varieties of beans on offer. The staff is incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, suggesting terroir recommendations according to your palate, which they then grind in the style of your coffee maker.
Brûlerie des Filatiers is an enthusiastic lover of green coffee – raw, unroasted beans – which they then roast to complement each origin and terroir, essentially coaxing out the potential of each flavor profile. Leave with bags of coffee to brew at home and a coffee to go, or enjoy the coffee of the moment, as well as their specialties, including nitro, frappes, and London Fog.
Opening hours: Monday – Friday: 8:30 – 12:00, 13:00 – 19:00, Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 – 19:00/13:00
Address: 28 Rue des Filatiers, 31000 Toulouse
Hayuco
Roasting is booming in popularity around Toulouse, and Hayuco holds the city’s monopoly. This is thanks to their desire to shake Toulouse with a whole new coffee experience. Originally a coffee shop, Hayuco narrowed their focus to just roasting in 2018 to more effectively promote their support of worldwide producers, which proved to be an ingenious decision. They now supply coffee to numerous coffee shops around the city including the beloved spots The Coffee Pot, Kopi, and LaBelleBrune.
Visit their boutique to pick up bags of coffee beans and for a relaxed sip of specialty drinks – or to get your hair cut. It also doubles as a barbershop, so don’t worry, you are in the right place if you see men reclining in barber chairs!
As their website says, “Nous torréfions des cafés fins pour des gens cool”: “We roast fine coffees for cool people.” Are you cool enough for Hayuco?
Opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 – 17:00
Address: 31 Rue Bouquières, 31000 Toulouse
Trois Soeurs
As the name suggests, Trois Soeurs is owned by three sisters, who have recently opened their second branch, La Suite, next to the metro station in Esquirol, where brunch is served all day – a delight for those of us who crave their French toast at 4 pm. This is the perfect location for people on the go to pick up a takeaway coffee (not to mention, it’s just a stone’s throw from Starbucks, so if you’re looking for a local alternative, Trois Soeurs has got you covered).
Their original branch is in the most beautiful square in Toulouse – a secluded spot with a picturesque central fountain, away from the bustle of the city. Go to either coffee shop for the bohemian vibes, the fresh seasonal dishes, and the modern take on specialty drinks – dirty chai lattes, iced matcha, and all the non-dairy milk options.
Opening hours: Trois Soeurs Café: Tuesday – Friday: 9:00 – 15:00, Saturday and Sunday: 10:30 – 16:00
La Suite: Tuesday – Sunday: 9:00 – 17:00
Address: 10 Pl. Saintes-Scarbes, 31000 Toulouse & 34 Rue des Marchands, 31000 Toulouse
Cacou Café
Cacou is a cross between a funky retro coffee shop with stylish line drawings on the walls and big sharing tables, combined with a flea market selling crystal glasses and hand-decorated plates and vases. The vibe is 100% homegrown to Toulouse as they work with local grocers sourcing their produce. Plus, “Cacou” is the nickname of the owner’s grandfather. You can’t get more local than that!
Coffee is subtly advertised as the heart and spirit of the shop, with a big poster on the wall declaring “Coffee Coffee Coffee,” and books on the subject are stacked next to the jumble of vintage items. The coffee ground here is Minifundi, and all the varieties of specialty coffee are available: cold brew to flat whites, as well as the non-caffeinated classics, golden lattes to dirty chai, and even homemade chocolate milk.
Opening hours: Tuesday – Friday, 9:00 – 17:00, Saturday and Sunday: 9:30 – 17:00/15:00
Address: 20 Rue Maury, 31000 Toulouse
As with everything in France, coffee culture has taken its time to flourish and find its niche in the communal French attitude. However, judging from this extensive list of our favorite coffee shops in Toulouse, good and varied coffee is finally a part of the French coffee scene and is here to stay!
Want to take your appreciation of French food culture to the next level? Join us for a Food Tour in Toulouse. All our tours are led by local experts, meaning you’re guaranteed an authentic taste of the city.
