Our Top 10 Tea Shops in Paris
Salons de Thé
Paris is home to many famous tea shops where you can sip a delicious cup of tea. Here are our top 10 picks for you to check out:
Angelina
226 Rue du Rivoli, 75001
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Founded in 1903 by Austrian confectioner Antoine Rumpelmayer, this historic tea shop has become a Parisian icon. Visitors will enjoy Edouard-Jean Niermans’ Belle Epoque-style décor and famed couturier Alexis Mabille’s chic server uniforms.
Best known for its signature dessert, le Mont Blanc (a meringue and fromage blanc covered in ribbons of chestnut cream) and its chocolat chaud à l’ancienne l’Africain (a thick, creamy hot chocolate served with fresh whipped cream), Angelina has attracted a number of famous Parisians over the years. In fact, Coco Chanel was a daily customer of Angelina and was regularly seated at table #10.
In addition to the historic Rue du Rivoli site, Angelina has nine other locations throughout Paris, making it easily accessible during your stay. When you dine at Angelina, you will not only experience the quality cuisine that has made the salon famous, but a rich history filled with celebrated Parisian icons, as well.
Ladurée
16-18 Rue Royale, 75008
75 Avenue Champs-Elysées, 75008
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The world-renowned macaron shop was first opened in 186 2 as a bakery. After a fire in 1871, the bakery was transformed into a pastry shop where celebrated painter Jules Chéret decorated the ceilings with Ladurée’s now iconic image of cherubic chefs.
The Ladurée family, r esponsible for the first double-decker macarons, was extremely progressive for the time. Recognizing that cafés were off limits to women, the tearoom was opened to appeal to female customers.
As the creator of the modern-day macaron, Ladurée sells over 15,000 of the colorful pastries every day. The company often collaborates with celebrated designers, recently teaming up with jewelry designer Mikimoto to create its new fashion macaron collection.
The Tea Caddy
14 Rue Saint-Julien le Pauvre, 75005
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The Tea Caddy got its start as a British-style tearoom during th e Roaring Twenties. Founded by Miss Klinklin in 1928, it featured a selection of British teas and silverware with maps of England covering the walls.
For the last 15 years, the Tea Caddy has been thriving under the direction of Miss Fort. Serving strictly organic teas of the highest quality, your purchase comes with a money-back guarantee. Recognized as one of the few remaining English tea shops in Paris, the Tea Caddy strives to ensure that you have the most enjoyable experience possible in a unique, international setting.
Mamie Gâteaux
66 Rue du Cherche-Midi, 75006
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Opened in 2003 by a Japanese woman trained in the famous Dalloyau style, Mamie Gâteaux offers a simple yet delicious dining experience. Patrons can order soup, salad, or savory pies cooked in a cast-iron oven, in addition to delectable desserts and specialty teas.
With checkered tablecloths and chocolat chaud served the old-fashioned way, Mamie Gâteaux recreates your grandmother’s home cooking in a relaxed atmosphere that feels like home.
Le Loir Dans la Théière
3 Rue des Rosiers, 75004
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Le Loir Dans la Théiè re, which translates as the Dormouse in the Teapot, refers to the dormouse who gets thrown into the teapot by the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. The mismatched décor and relaxed atmosphere add to the Wonderland theme and will have you feeling at home.
At Le Loir Dans la Théière, you can enjoy any of the specialty teas, such as their house green tea blend, as well as the tea shop’s signature lemon meringue pie with chocolate sauce. It’s best to arrive early at this cozy little spot, as lines are often long.
Boutiques de Thé
In addition to the many tea shops in Paris, there are also a number of boutiques exclusively selling tea. We’ve included our 5 favorite here:
NINA’S
29 Rue Danielle Casanova, 75001
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Not many companies can say they were endorsed by Marie-Antoinette. Founded in 1672 by Pierre Diaz, NINA’S was originally created as a fragrance distillery called La Distillerie Frère. Diaz later became the official fragrance supplier of Louis XIV, and, a little later, Marie-Antoinette.
The company was renamed NINA’S after Nina Diaz who presented Marie-Antoinette with a cake made from her family’s secret recipe. From then on, NINA’S became a favorite of the queen.
Eventually, the company decided to expand into the tea market, producing teas made from the fruits of Louix XIV’s personal garden, one of Marie-Antoinette’s f avorite places.
Today, NINA’S continues to use the fruits from the King’s garden and is the only company permitted to do so. Patrons can choose from a variety of full-flavor teas, with the most popular being The Original de Marie-Antoinette, a mixture of rose petals and apples, two of the Queen’s favorite fragrances.
Lupicia
40 Rue Bonaparte, 75006
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This Japanese-style teashop exclusively sells teas and tea accessories. Founded in Tokyo in 1994, the company has made its way to Paris opening a shop on Rue Bonaparte. Servers are dressed in the kimonos decorated w ith the company’s logo, a camel on the tea route.
Although the tea shop is of Japanese origin, it offers a large selection of teas from all over the world and has developed two specialty teas exclusive to the Paris shop: Bienvenue à Paris (a tea flavored with red fruits) and Bonaparte n°40 (a combination of sencha and darjeeling teas).
You can browse the shop at your leisure and can even taste the tea before you buy. In addition to the teas, you can enjoy Lupicia’s signature pastry, the Castella, a Nagasaki favorite with Portuguese origins.
The Mariage Frères
30 Rue du Bourg-Tibourg, 75004
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Founded on June 1, 1854 by Henri and Edouard Mariage, the Mariage Frères has a rich history in French tea preparation. The brothers descend from a long line of tea traders, going back to the French East India Company under the direction of Louis XIV. Even in its early stages, the Mariage Frères established its international reputation, doing business with trading posts in China and Ceylon.
After over 100 years of business on Rue du Bourg-Tibourg, the tea shop decided to expand into the re alm of retail. The Mariage Frères now offer over 500 high-quality teas available for purchase in over 35 different countries.
In addition to teas, the company designs and sells teapots and other tea accessories, as well as specialty items, such as sablés (shortbreads) and Chocolats des Mandarins®, created from ancient family recipes.
Dammann Frères
15 Place des Vosges, 75004
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While the tea shop itself was founded in the 20th century, Dammann Frères has a much greater historical significance. In 1692, Louis XIV declared a M. Damame the exclusive seller of tea in France, making it the oldest tea shop in the country.
Dammann Frères debuted in 1925 under the direction of brothers Robert and Pierre Dammann. In 1926, the company opened its first international tea shop in New York. The company has continued to produce teas in France, opening sev eral locations throughout the years.
In 2011, it expanded its international market and opened its first tea shop in Japan. It has since had a strong international presence and now provides teas for 62 countries.
Kusmi Tea
71 Avenue des Champs-Elysées
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The origins of the Kusmi Tea began in 1867 when Pavel Michailovitch Kousmichoff created the Russian tea shop under his name. Under the direction of the Kousmichoff’s son, the company expanded into Paris where it founded Kusmi-Thé in 1917.
As a patron, you can enjoy any of Kusmi’s original teas, such as the Prince Wladimir, the Anastasia or the Saint-Pétersbourg whose recipes have remained heavily guarde d for over a century. In addition to the original blends, the company has recently launched a health line, featuring teas called Detox, Be Cool, and Boost.
In 2003, Kousmichoff was purchased by the Orebi family in the cocoa and coffee business. Under their direction, the Kusmi Tea line has since expanded into several countries and has become a strong presence in the international tea market.