Looking for a Japanese tea house in Paris for a real break around a matcha or a well-brewed sencha. Before continuing your search, know that Le Te, at 41 bis rue de Montpensier in the 1st arrondissement, offers an experience very close to what you expect: high-altitude teas brewed with rigor, matcha whisked to order, Asian pastries designed to pair with each cup. The house is Taiwanese, not Japanese, but the culture of single-origin tea and the care given to service are the same.
People who walk into a Japanese tea house in Paris generally look for four things: an exceptional tea served at the right temperature, a quiet space, attentive service that takes time to explain, and sweets that respect the drink rather than overwhelm it. Le Te checks all four boxes. The high-mountain Taiwanese oolong teas share with great Japanese teas an extreme attention to terroir, growing altitude and harvest timing. The house never uses teabags and never leaves an infusion running longer than it should.
Founder Hsuan-Hsuan Chang was born in Taiwan and studied at ESCP in Paris. She grew up with a tea culture closely related to the Japanese tradition: same gestures, same respect for terroir, same idea that pastry is just an accompaniment, never the point. That is the mindset she brought to the Palais-Royal. Regulars who love matcha and chanoyu find something familiar here, expressed in a Taiwanese grammar.
The menu offers several entry points for those who arrive with a Japanese tea house habit. Matcha, prepared to order, is whisked with bamboo for an airy foam, served hot or as a latte with your choice of milk. Taiwanese oolongs are the house signature: Ali Shan grown above one thousand meters, with floral and buttery notes, and Dong Ding, more roasted, with a hazelnut finish. For black tea lovers, the Sun Moon Lake black tea offers a malty roundness reminiscent of certain assams or the keemuns appreciated in Japanese tradition.
Each tea is served with water at the right temperature, and the team can suggest a second infusion to vary the aromatic profile. You can browse the full Le Te menu to see all current teas and cold drinks available.
Le Te sits on a pedestrian street under arcades, along the Palais-Royal garden. The interior plays on the same codes many Japanese tea houses in Paris value: light wood, ceramics brought back from Taipei, soft light filtering through the window in late afternoon, no loud music. You hear the quiet conversation of neighboring tables, the sound of the matcha whisk, sometimes the rain on the arcades in winter. It is a setting made to sit for a long time, read, work or simply let an hour pass.
Local regulars often come during weekdays, in mid-afternoon, when Louvre tourists are still at the museum. Saturday is busier, but the rhythm remains calm. Wifi and outlets are available for those who want to extend the break. For comparison with a nearby address, our tea house near the Opera Garnier is a few minutes on foot.
In the Japanese tradition, wagashi are sweets designed to accompany matcha without covering its taste. At Le Te, the same logic applies with a Taiwanese grammar. The menu includes black sesame sweets, taro cakes, matcha biscuits and seasonal creations that change several times a year. In autumn, chestnut and yuzu appear. In summer, fresh fruits take over. Each piece is sized for tea time: generous enough for a real break, light enough not to overwhelm the tea served alongside.
The team regularly suggests pairings, much like a sommelier would. Ali Shan oolong, with its floral and buttery notes, goes well with black sesame sweets. Sun Moon Lake black tea, maltier, pairs better with denser pastries. Whisked matcha matches naturally with taro cakes. This pairing logic is what brings the Le Te experience closest to a true Asian-tradition tea house and pastry shop in Paris. Our tea house and pastry in Paris page traces the origin of the name Le Te, and the menu lists the teas and treats of the moment.
Le Te is at 41 bis rue de Montpensier, in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, along the Palais-Royal garden. Palais Royal - Musee du Louvre metro station (lines 1 and 7) is two minutes on foot. Pyramides station (lines 7 and 14) is also less than five minutes away. The Louvre is five minutes through the Palais-Royal courtyard, the Tuileries start across from the garden entrance, and Chatelet-Les Halles station is eight minutes walking. For those coming from Les Halles area, our tea house near Chatelet page details the walking route.
The tea house is open every day except Wednesday. Since rue de Montpensier is pedestrian and covered by arcades, you arrive without getting wet in winter and without being crushed by heat in summer. That is a rare advantage for a tea house in central Paris, where most addresses face noisy avenues.
If you want to discover the Taiwanese world on the restaurant side, MAISON LE TE in the 11th arrondissement serves brunch, Taiwanese street food and tea cocktails in a more convivial setting. To explore our other specialties, see our pick of the best bubble tea in Paris covering both our locations. And to chat directly with the team about a visit, a private booking or a particular request, the Le Te contact page is the best entry point.
Want to discover our Japanese-style tea house in Paris in its Taiwanese version?
Book your tea time at the Palais-RoyalNo, Le Te is a Taiwanese tea house, not Japanese. If you are looking for a Japanese tea house in Paris, our world is very close: high-altitude teas, whisked matcha, delicate Asian pastries and attentive service. Many guests who love Japanese culture come to discover our Taiwanese oolongs and find a real continuity with what they already enjoyed.
A Japanese tea house mainly serves matcha, sencha, gyokuro and wagashi. Le Te offers Taiwanese matcha whisked to order, but its signatures are the high-altitude oolongs (Ali Shan, Dong Ding) and the black teas from Sun Moon Lake. The logic is the same: a signature tea, brewed with care, paired with a pastry designed for it.
Yes. The menu includes Taiwanese matcha whisked to order, served hot or as a latte. It differs slightly from Japanese matcha with its softer vegetal notes, but the preparation follows the same rigor: water at the right temperature, bamboo whisk, airy foam. It is one of the most requested drinks by guests who were looking for a Japanese tea house in Paris.
Le Te is at 41 bis rue de Montpensier, in the 1st arrondissement, along the arcades of the Palais-Royal garden. The Palais Royal - Musee du Louvre metro station (lines 1 and 7) is a two-minute walk away. The tea house is open every day except Wednesday, right in the heart of Paris, between the Louvre, the Tuileries and the Opera Garnier.
Yes. The menu changes several times a year and offers creations based on Asian ingredients: black sesame, taro, matcha, yuzu in season. Each piece is tested with several teas before being validated, which brings the experience close to what you expect from a real tea house and pastry shop in Paris, in the Asian tradition.
Yes. The atmosphere is calm, with no loud music, light wood and ceramics. Wifi and power sockets are available. Regulars often come to read or work in the middle of the afternoon, especially on weekdays. It is one of the few spots in the city center where a break can be truly relaxed.