Substance Café

Joachim Morceau opened Substance in 2019 with his wife Alexandrine, and it runs unlike anything else in Paris: a U shaped counter with a handful of seats sold in two hour slots, reservation only, and Morceau himself on the other side of a two group Slayer doing every pour. He roasts the coffee too, ultra light on a small Loring S7 kept in a back room, and the service works as a coffee omakase, a sequence of cups he chooses once he has asked what you like. Portafilters are chilled before each shot to protect the more delicate lots.

The rules are the point. No takeaway cups, no sugar, no pastries, no music, no laptops, no terrace, and no rushing; an espresso is around five euros and the specials run to fifteen. Book about a week ahead and plan to stay the full two hours. It is less a coffee shop than a coffee experience, and one of the most deliberate in the city.