Le Poutch: Coffee, Breakfast and Brunch on Paris’ Hip Canal Saint Martin

*Please note that Le Poutch is permanently closed as of 2021*

Rife with hip cafés, the web of streets surrounding the Canal St. Martin are a hipster haven, boasting savvy coffee and lunch options to locals and visitors alike. Café Le Poutch may be new to the scene, but it’s already made 13, rue Lucien Sampaix its own.

Butternut squash quiche, savory muffins, or riz au lait with orange zest are just a glimpse of the culinary fare. Offering a rotating, seasonal menu and a commitment to serving up innovative recipes and vegetarian options, Le Poutch is sure to surprise you with something new.

With plates hovering around the 7€ mark, the price is right for budgeting in more than a coffee break. The generous slice of butternut squash quiche accompanied by a mustard vinaigrette salad fills you up (7€). The standout desert is undeniably the pear, raspberry, and blackberry crumble (4€). The perfect combination of tart and sweet, the crumble makes an appealing option for a sneaky afternoon snack. Weekend brunch offers customers a Formule Sucrée (12€) or Formule Complète (16€).

The drink menu includes a variety of coffee choices from allongés (2.90€) and espressos (2.20€) to trendy flat whites (4€) and vanilla cappuccinos (4.50€), as well as spicy chai lattes (4€) and hot teas (4€). But they don’t stop at coffee shop favorites, serving up fresh-pressed juice and a selection of bottled beers, wine, and even champagne.

Proprietress Eglantine Heyndrickx cites her year-long travels through Latin America as inspiration for Café Le Poutch. After frequenting countless cafés in search of an inviting place to settle in with her laptop, she fell in love with coffee. It’s no surprise that when she ventured into opening a restaurant of her own, she cultivated a laptop-friendly place to enjoy warm drinks and tasty bites.

Is it possible to create a space at once terribly chic and comfortably cozy? Well, Café Le Poutch pulls it off.  A wooden bench scattered with throw pillows forms the main seating area along the back wall. The sturdy wooden tables are paired with mismatched Formica chairs that wouldn’t look out of place in a 1960s schoolroom. Seating is maximized without overcrowding, and the warm color scheme and updated midcentury modern design aesthetic combine to create a sophisticated and inviting environment.

Textured wallpaper adds flavor to the otherwise plain white walls. A few small cacti scattered here and there, a cluster of rounded mirrors over the back wall, and hanging filament light bulbs over the counter combine to create the main decorative features.

While there are no toilets onsite, Café Le Poutch provides patrons with the access to another café’s facilities, according to a prior agreement, making it easy to spend an entire afternoon holed up in this cozy space. Additionally, convenient outlets provide patrons the ability to plug in their laptops during work sessions.

With a good soundtrack, free wifi, and a delicious menu, Café Le Poutch is an excellent choice for a lunch, an afternoon with a Word document, or a coffee date.

Le Poutch: 13, rue Lucien Sampaix, 75010 tel: 09 53 70 90 83

Related links:

• Visit some of Canal Saint Martin’s funky boutiques, like this shop selling piñatas made by prisoners.
• Check out Petit Usagi, another neighborhood hot spot where you can enjoy a bento box lunch.
• Paris by Mouth provides a great guide to eating and drinking around Canal Saint Martin.

Written by Lauren Sarazen for the HiP Paris Blog. Images by Emma Stencil. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, London, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.