The humble stationery shop adjacent to George Whitman’s, Shakespeare and Company – the successor to the legendary interwar bookstore of the same name where Hemingway et al used to congregate – was some of the hottest real estate in Paris. According to David Delannet, co-manager of the store, Whitman had been knocking on the owners’ door once a month since the 60s, asking if he could use the space to open a literary café. Although Whitman died in 2011, his daughter, Sylvia, continued the monthly tradition of wooing the neighbours. After two generations of negotiation, the café finally opened in October 2015.
Despite its small size, the café has a lighter and more modern atmosphere than the cramped bookshop next door, a famous hub for influential writers. Yet it shares the bookstore’s signature eccentric charm. Dishes have names like “the Flapjack Kerouac” or “The Bun Also Rises”, and a version of the Proust Questionnaire lines the trays. A mix of second-hand novels, cookbooks and bookshop classics take up two walls and are available to be purchased. Leftover food from the café is given to the “Tumbleweeds”, the bookshop’s resident writers. From spring 2016, the café will sell “A Moveable Feast” picnic baskets (€20-30) for Seine-side eating, which will include wine, cheese and a short story.
Created in tandem with Parisian bakery and catering company Bob’s Bake Shop, the Shakespeare and Company Café has a health-conscious ethos and serves a largely vegetarian menu, featuring vegan protein shakes, gluten-free crumble, bagels and daily soups. Prices start at €1.50 for cookies up to €9.50 for bagels. Like the bookstore, the café plans to host events such as kitchen takeovers and craft-beer tastings.
Although the café took decades to become a reality – and the final touches are still being added – Delannet notes that the whole neighbourhood has been excited and encouraging, with many remarking that it feels as if the café has always been there.
• 37 rue de la Bûcherie, Paris, +33 1 43 25 95 95, shakespeareandcompany.com; opening hours 9am-6pm every day (can vary) but will soon be open after 6pm
