Ordering coffee in Paris

Ask for "un Cafe Creme" -- you will get it perfect every time!

You'll end up with a cup of black coffee and a little pitcher of cream on the side.

Some Paris Cafes have Coffee "American" which is basically half expresso and half milk. Hard to find a "starbucks" type regular coffee in Paris.

Just returned from Paris. If in doubt, speak English. Very few vendors don't speak English. You can purchase guide books, all have phrases.

I like your crazy question but, how about this? Have the espresso, have the cappuccino, it's what they do best; and they do it sooo good. Don't be afraid to order your cappuccino any time of the day, they are used to us Americans not knowing any better. Have fun by ordering some coffee "take away" and see how they manage to cap a little plastic cup for the road. Then, when it's time to have that familiar "taste of home" cup of coffee, find a Starbucks. Order a large cup (OK, Venti) of coffee "take away", in a proper to go cup, and sip and stroll. Ahhh!, if the Parisians only Knew...

and if you REALLY don't like the coffee, there are a couple of Starbucks - one is off Blvd St Germaine near the Sorbonne - forget where the other one is - but I agree with the previous poster - just try the stuff and find out which one you like - their coffee in general is stronger than North American - I prefer their double espresso - huge mug of strong black coffee

If you ask for 'un noisette' you will get a little cup of expresso with enough milk to make it the color of a hazelnut. Yum! And it'll amaze your waiter because Americans aren't supposed to know about that.

Thanks Elizabeth, that's exactly what I was hoping for.