La Fontaine de Belleville, Café and bistro in the 10th arrondissement, Paris
La Fontaine de Belleville is a café and bistro on a street corner in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, near the Canal Saint-Martin. Inside, a long zinc counter, large mirrors, and a decorated ceiling from the 1920s have been kept, while outside, blue tables and chairs sit on a sunny terrace.
The building dates to 1908 and was a simple neighborhood café for decades. In 2016, new owners took it over, gave it its current name, and made quality coffee and jazz concerts its defining features.
Saturday jazz sessions have become a regular fixture at the café, drawing musicians and regulars together in an informal setting. Some artists who played their first sets here have since become known on the Paris music scene.
The café sits right on a street corner and is easy to reach on foot, with several metro stations nearby. Mornings tend to be quieter and are a good time for breakfast, while the terrace can fill up quickly on warm days from midday onward.
The owners who shaped the café from 2016 are primarily coffee roasters, with their roastery located close by. The name Belleville was chosen on purpose to reflect ties to the neighborhood, even though the café sits officially in the 10th arrondissement rather than in Belleville itself.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
