12 min from Saint-Germain
Tea house near Saint-Germain-des-Pres: Le Te at Palais-Royal
12 minutes on foot from Odeon via Pont des Arts, Le Te offers a high-altitude Taiwanese tea menu you will not find on rue Bonaparte or rue de Rennes.
12 minutes on foot from Odeon via Pont des Arts, Le Te offers a high-altitude Taiwanese tea menu you will not find on rue Bonaparte or rue de Rennes.
Pont des Arts, Jardin du Carrousel, Palais-Royal garden. A walk on top of the tea.
High-mountain Ali Shan oolong, roasted Dong Ding, Sun Moon Lake black tea. No generic blends.
Not the Cafe de Flore or Les Deux Magots crowd. Calm vibe, soft light, discreet conversations.
The 6th arrondissement, around Saint-Germain-des-Pres and Odeon, has a long literary cafe tradition: Cafe de Flore, Les Deux Magots, Brasserie Lipp. For a visitor or resident seeking a real tea house, the offering is paradoxical: very dense in famous cafes, very thin in tea houses taking leaf selection seriously. Many local tea rooms serve a teabag in a generic teapot. For a sharper experience on single-origin teas, crossing the Seine to Le Te at Palais-Royal is a realistic option.
From Saint-Germain-des-Pres metro (line 4), 12 minutes on foot: up rue Bonaparte, cross the Seine via Pont des Arts, along the Louvre, into the Palais-Royal garden. From Odeon (lines 4 and 10), 14 minutes via the same route. From the Luxembourg gardens, 18 minutes. The walk is pleasant and offers views of the Louvre, Pont des Arts, and Comedie-Francaise. A route both functional and touristy.
Le Te offers a Taiwan-focused selection, imported directly from small growers. Ali Shan oolong grown above 1500m is the signature: floral, buttery, low bitterness. Dong Ding, more roasted, offers a woody, hazelnut finish. Sun Moon Lake black tea, soft and malty, is ideal for filter coffee lovers exploring tea. Taiwanese matcha is whisked with bamboo to order. Asian pastries (black sesame, taro, matcha) accompany. See the full menu.
The Saint-Germain vibe is urban, lively, sometimes loud especially on weekends. The Palais-Royal vibe, under the Royal garden arcades, is the opposite: pedestrian, calm, soft light. A contrast appealing to 6th regulars wanting a calm pause without fully leaving Paris. The house also sees many couples on discreet dates, and families pausing between a Louvre visit and a return to the 6th via Pont du Carrousel.
Tea house Latin Quarter, tea house Paris 7, alternative to Japanese tea house, tea house and pastry. For the 11th restaurant version, see MAISON LE TE.
Le Te is open daily 11am to 8pm. For a tea time, booking recommended on weekends via the contact page. Midweek, the table is usually available without booking between 2pm and 5pm. Address: 41 bis rue de Montpensier, 75001 Paris.
12 minutes via rue Bonaparte, Pont des Arts, then Palais-Royal garden.
Much calmer. Under pedestrian arcades, no traffic, discreet conversations. The opposite of Cafe de Flore on Saturday lunch.
Ali Shan oolong for a floral entry, or Sun Moon black tea for malty roundness.
Yes, especially Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 3pm. The contact page lets you book.