Formerly called Kooka Boora, the KB Café Shop remains an Aussie-inspired stop in southern Pigalle for brewed drinks, fresh juices, sandwiches, and house-made tea cakes and scones. It’s one of the few cafés with great coffee where it’s socially acceptable to pull out your laptop and work.
Practical information
Address: 62 rue des Martyrs/53 avenue Trudaine, 75009
Nearest transport: Pigalle (2, 12)
Hours: Open every day, 9am-7pm
Telephone: 01 56 92 12 41
Average price for lunch: 10-19€
Style of cuisine: Soups/salads/sandwiches, cakes and cookies
Reviews of interest
Le Figaro (2014) “Anciennement «Kooka Boora», cette adresse stratégiquement située au cœur de South Pigalle, avec grande terrasse au carrefour Trudaine/Martyrs, a été inaugurée en 2010 par Nicolas Piégay, un Français de retour d’Australie. Le café vient de la Brûlerie de Belleville, mais aussi de l’étranger, comme le Square Mile (Angleterre). Scones, granola et jus de fruits de qualité.”
Lindsey Tramuta-Morel (2013) “Nails the location…and coffee which you’ll wait what seems like an inordinately long time for unless you become a regular (so I’ve been told).”
Serious Eats (2013) “Using beans from Parisian roaster Café Lomi, this absolutely bustling cafe resembles more of a library-carrel setup than a typical Parisian sit-and-people-watch spot (most are on laptops). Espresso drinks are sturdy, or try one of their single origin coffees on Aeropress, prepared skilfully (if slowly) on the dedicated brew bar. And really, who doesn’t want a 6 Euro milkshake alongside their coffee?”
David Lebovitz (2012) “I ordered le cake (pronounced kek, in French), which was moist and slightly spiced, the perfect partner for the coffee, which had a somewhat sharp, less “roasty” coffee flavor that I was used to, yet similar to the other coffees I’ve had from Java.”
They actually are one of the few places with air conditioning as well!
KB is certainly pleasant enough, with its big windows looking out on a busy square, and its dense, chewy coffee, but be ready for some quirks. Eyes roll if you ask for decaf, and a request for a refill of hot water for tea, or just a glass of hot water, for heaven’s sake, because I have a cold and it’s raining and a glass of hot water would really help me right now, is met with a derisive snort and a sharp, “non!” I’m not sure where this attitude comes from, but it’s unfortunate.