Last week, when the temperatures in Paris briefly took a dive below 50°F, I finally got a chance to pop into the newly-opened Le Peloton, a café run by Christian Osburn and Paul Barron, founders of the city’s popular Bike About Tours.
I had just finished a walking tour of the Marais and needed to thaw out, so I thought I’d just try a cup of their locally roasted Belleville coffee, but when I sat down at the large counter, the first thing that caught my eye was the apple tart. “Freshly baked!” said Christian. It’s okay to eat dessert before lunch if it’s home-made, right? I also had a bottle of their Luscombe hot ginger beer (as in spicy, not warm), another weakness of mine. The cold removes all of my resistance, I’ll admit it!
Le Peloton is located in the Marais district on a quiet street between Rue de Rivoli and the Seine, just behind Hôtel de Ville. Most of the seats are around the bar, so as people came in and sat down for a coffee, it was easy to chat. It’s not the kind of coffee house where people hide in a corner with their laptop. While Christian performed barista duties, Paul welcomed a group of cyclists who finished up their Bike About Tour at the café. These expats (from the US and New Zealand) started Bike About Tours ten years ago, so we often cross paths on our respective tour routes around Paris.
I’m always impressed when anyone can start a small business in Paris and make it work, but their tours also happen to be really good! (and I sincerely hope you’d trust me before you’d trust TripAdvisor, but they are #1 there, too) So many other bike tour companies hire guides who either barely speak comprehensible English or are so new to Paris they have no knowledge of the city beyond the Wikipedia text they’ve memorized (yes, I’ve been spying; I’m the one pretending to to be checking my phone when a bike tour stops for “commentary”).
Much like Secrets of Paris, this grassroots tour company gives a real insider’s look at the city (and Versailles and Champagne, too), keep their groups small, and avoid the typical generic Paris tour circuits followed by most bike tours. They also support the international charity, World Bicycle Relief, which I think is awesome. And now they’re keeping Parisians well-caffeinated! For the moment the only snacking options are baked goods made fresh locally (pies and cookies), but they hinted they might look into waffles. Who doesn’t like waffles?
Le Peloton Café
17 rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, 4th
M° Pont Marie or Hôtel de Ville
They’re currently open Tuesday-Sunday 9am-5pm, but since they’re less than a month old they may adjust that as needed, so check the Facebook page.
* Learn all about cycling in Paris: Paris by Bike
I went there recently and the coffee was excelllent, as was the welcome! Not oftern the case in Paris…Also, the floor in there is amazing, worth the visit alone!