Continuing on from my current obsession of finding cafes and places to work, I would like to take this chance to share with you two of my favourites at this very moment. This post should be very easy to relate for full time students, part time language students, as well as those doing internships here, since we like a cool place to study, to some work, and browse the internet right? Right, now let’s get into it!
The first place I would like to share with you is Exki Cafe, specifically the one located in the Beaugrenelle, southwest of the city in the 15th arrondissement. I talked about the mall as a whole a few posts back and would suggest that you have a read just to relate to this one here. The cafe is located on the side of the main side of the mall with shops and store (same side as McDonald's and The Statue of Liberty), and is easiest to access via metro at Charles Michels station on Line 10 Yellow. From the station, you will see McDonald's from the either of the exit, and that’s the road that you need to follow. The walk will only take you five minutes, so it’s fairly close.
Once at the cafe, you will come across a wide selection of food and drinks. During the mid day period all the way into the late afternoon, you will have choices for lunch here also. They have a strong selection in quick cafe foods, like other places you may have visited before. They usually have three types of soups, with two of them often French-styled soups and the other one, a more Asian or international type. You could see from the picture that I took below the choices for the day I was there - yes, with spicy, Thai coconut curry (asian spiced flavoring)! To go along with your warm soups, they have separate bowls of chopped spring onions, parsley, croutons, and other garnishes that may go in harmony with the respected choices for the day - I think this is a really neat touch to something very simple.
If you’re after something heavier, you may also opt for their hot pizzas, lasagnas, and other baked items. The items here also look quite fresh although I didn’t try any of them. Otherwise, you could also choose from the pre made sandwiches that are quite straight forward like at other cafes. They also have other options of cold foods, in which one purchased, you will also be offered their vinaigrette dressing, balsamic, sesame seed, and other cool things that I’ve never seen before. For dessert or just a snack, they have yogurts with various sauce and compote and a good range of cakes too. I would assume that their cake menu doesn’t change too much, just so that people would know what they can expect from Exki. Some of the items from the cake section were really appealing, namely their chocolate brownie and their tart with various nuts and what looked like caramel sauce on top - since I live not too far from here, I will try to get something to eat next time and write about it.
Moving on to drinks, you could order really nice coffees here. They have a big menu for coffee-based drinks, teas and of course, hot chocolate. You may also choose a cold drink from the fridge display, which include the standards such as carbonated soft drinks, juices, iced teas, and even beers! To accompany whatever you may wish to drink, they have a basket of cookies (sweet cakes, biscuits), croissants, pains au chocolate and other pastries on the left hand side just before you pay. The prices for these viennoiseries are very reasonable in my opinion, as they are cheaper than what you could get from other cafes. As you could see from my photo, you can get a large pain au chocolat or a large croissant for only 1. 10 euro. The coffees here are also relatively cheap from my observation, and it’ll also come with a piece of chocolate.
But before you get something to eat or drink, I would strongly suggest that you first find yourself a table or a place to sit. Weekends will see this place close to packed, so it’s best that you find a seat before you buy something, just to guarantee that you will have a place. In saying this, if you’re planning to get some work done, I would not come here on the weekend, especially Saturday. There are just too many things happening with people in and out and the staff walking everywhere, but that’s also part of the awesome cafe ambience that is a motivation to some, but not me! Oh, I forgot to mention, but they have a really fast wifi internet connection (internet connection without a cable on Wireless network) here, too!
Accessibility - 9/10
Price - 8/10
Selection - 9/10
Staff Friendliness - 8/10
Work Friendliness - 8/10 (do keep in mind the busy weekends, esp. saturdays)
Cleanliness - 7/10
Overall - 8. 5/10
And now for the second place that I would recommend, in which you can enter and stay for as long as you want for free of charge, is the library area at Le Centre Pompidou. In fact, this massive building is a lot of things in one space. You can discover various forms of arts and cultures through its museums, displays, cinemas, etc, all within this stylish and uniquely created building.
While I am specifically referring to the free entry spot behind the actual main entrance of the building, you’re also more than welcome to explore all the great things the center has to offer. A price list as well as essential information in regards to what’s happening, when they’re happening, until when and for how much, check out the website that I will post at the end of the post.
Now, the place I’m referring to is actually called Bibliothèque Centre Pompidou, in which is only accessible through the opposite side of the main entrance. Getting here is fairly simple if you take the metro and get off at Rambuteau on Line 11 Brown or at Châtelet - Les Halles on Lines 1 Yellow, 4 Purple, 7 Pink, 11 Brown and 14 Dark Purple. I would recommend that you get off at Rambuteau since it’s the closest to the BPI, however I would understand that Châtelet is a bigger hub for the metro. Anyhow, once you arrive and get through the line of eager people, your bags will be checked by security before you enter the building, and once you’re in, you will most likely find yourself finding a place to sit on the first floor or the second floor. The whole building has a decent wireless internet connection - or at least it’s sufficient for those that need to get some work done. There are lots of tables for people to sit and work, all equipped with power sockets to charge electronics. This sounds like a fantastic place to work already, except for one major concern: the people.
By people, I am simply referring to the fact that this place is so amazing that there will always be loads and loads of people sheltering here to work. Chances are high that you will struggle to find a spot to sit - or at least on a desk - and you’ll be super lucky to find a place with an available power socket. From my experience where I could not find a single spot to sit, there’s a hallway on the side of the entrance which has about four to five plugs, but no chairs and no tables. You will have to just sit on the floor with your back against the wall and go from there - so this is only half a decent alternative for those that don’t need to write.
This great free facility also has books that you could read and/or check out, as well as a cafe with vending machines for some snacks and coffee. Another great aspect about the BPI is its operation hours:
Monday - Friday : Noon - 10:00 pm
Saturday & Sunday : 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Close on Tuesday!
Accessibility - 9/10
Price - 10/10 (not taking into consideration your metro ticket! )
Staff Friendliness - 8/10
Work Friendliness - 10/10 (do keep in mind finding a place to sit)
Cleanliness - 7/10
Overall - 9/10
And that is a wrap for this post on my preferred cafe at the moment, Exki, as well as the Library Space at Le Centre Pompidou. If you’re interested in checking out Exki, visit their website for other locations of the cafe, as well as their menu and news. I hope this has been helpful and that you now have two more places to work diligently!
Exki France
The Centre Pompidou
BPI
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Cafe, cocktail, beer Paris,
Paris,
France
