From Amélie's Café des 2 Moulins to Gabriel's restaurant in Emily in Paris, from Polidor in Midnight in Paris to Le Pure Café in Before Sunset — discover the real cafés, restaurants and bars that made cinema and TV history.
No other city on earth has had as many of its cafés, restaurants and bistros become characters in their own right in cinema and television. From the crème brûlée at the Café des 2 Moulins in Amélie to the linguine at Terra Nera in Emily in Paris, from the Art Nouveau splendour of Maxim's in Midnight in Paris to the worn zinc of Bistrot La Renaissance in Inglourious Basterds — Parisian establishments have fed the imagination of millions of viewers worldwide.
"Culinary set-jetting" is booming. According to the Paris Tourism Office, a growing number of visitors now choose their restaurants based on the films and series they've watched. Emily in Paris turned Terra Nera into one of the most sought-after reservations in the 5th arrondissement, while the Café des 2 Moulins continues to draw thousands of daily visitors more than two decades after Amélie's release.
This guide covers 27 cafés, restaurants and bars across 11 major films and series. For each venue, you'll find the exact address, the relevant scene, the nearest metro station and practical tips to plan your visit.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet's masterpiece transformed a modest Montmartre café into a global pilgrimage site. More than two decades after its release, the Café des 2 Moulins remains one of the most photographed establishments in Paris.
Darren Star's series has put half a dozen Parisian cafés and restaurants on the global map, turning some discreet addresses into worldwide tourist destinations. From Gabriel's restaurant — actually an Italian eatery in the 5th — to the mythical Café de Flore, Emily in Paris doubles as a gastronomic guide to the capital.
Woody Allen's Oscar-winning film is a love letter to the historic cafés and restaurants of Paris. Gil (Owen Wilson), transported each night to the 1920s, rubs shoulders with Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Dalí in establishments that still exist today. The film renewed worldwide interest in the capital's Belle Époque bistros.
The second instalment of Richard Linklater's trilogy unfolds entirely in Paris in real time. Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy) reunite after nine years and walk through the city discussing life, love and the passage of time. Their conversation leads them to one of the most authentic cafés in the 11th arrondissement.
Pixar's animated masterpiece drew its inspiration from Paris's greatest restaurants to create the fictional "Gusteau's". Director Brad Bird and his team spent weeks in Paris, photographing and sketching dozens of establishments to recreate the atmosphere of Parisian haute cuisine.
The biggest French cinema hit internationally (over $400 million worldwide), The Intouchables tells the unlikely friendship between a quadriplegic aristocrat and his carer from the banlieue. Their most memorable conversations take place in the most illustrious cafés of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
The hit series starring Omar Sy goes beyond Paris's grand monuments to showcase restaurants and bistros that reflect the different social worlds of Assane Diop — from chic 16th-arrondissement dining to popular bistros in the 10th.
Quentin Tarantino shot only one Parisian scene for his Oscar-winning film — but he chose a century-old bistrot with décor so remarkable that this single scene became one of the most memorable in the movie.
Fanny Herrero's series, a global phenomenon, filmed its talent agents in the bistros and brasseries of professional Paris — addresses where contracts are negotiated between two espressos.
When Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen descend on Paris, they colonise the chicest bistros of the Marais and Rive Droite. The Parisian episodes of season 4 turned several addresses into pilgrimage sites for fans.
Disney's animated classic pays tribute to early 20th-century Paris and one of its most prestigious cafés. Walt Disney himself knew the establishment from his time as a Red Cross ambulance driver during World War I.