Contact

37-39 rue Boissière
75016 Paris
France

Phone : 01 41 40 99 80

GaultMillau © 2026 All rights reserved

The legendary café race is back in Paris after a 13-year absence!

The legendary café race is back in Paris after a 13-year absence!

With the Olympic Games just a few months away, a rather original "sport" is making a comeback: the Paris Coffee Run. An unusual and free event not to be missed!

Ingrid Boinet

Ah, Paris! Its monuments, its bistros, its brasseries... and its waiters' races! After a thirteen-year absence, this competition has risen from the ashes, much to our delight. We tell you all about this historic event.

Reviving a century-old race

Among France's most unusual events, the coffee race holds pride of place! Disappeared thirteen years ago for lack of a partner, it's making a comeback on March 24, 2024, 110 years after its creation.

The objective is clear (but not so simple): to carry a coffee, a glass of water and a croissant on a tray, without spilling it, for 2 km around the Hôtel de Ville, without running. It's atestament to the balance and speed of Parisian waiters and waitresses!

The race is open to room service professionals, who have until March 20, 2024 to register. The 200 expected participants will all be wearing " white tops, black bottoms and aprons" provided by the organizers.

With four months to go before the Olympic Games, the event is a prelude to the summer festivities, but not the only one. The race will also serve to honor the city's renowned French-style service, as well as showcasing the capital's water and combating plastic pollution. With its 1,200 water fountains, including the famous Wallace fountains, and such talented waiters, Paris is unlikely to go thirsty!

  • Where to go? Place de l'Hôtel de Ville,Sunday March 24, 2024 at 10 a.m.
  • Free event

If you're not available on March 24, you should know that this race has become so popular that it has spread to every continent and is now held in over fifty countries, including the United States, Brazil, Germany and Japan. It can also be found in many cities throughout France.

Caron 3200: Europe's highest wine bar at the summit of the 3 Valleys
News & Events
Caron 3200: Europe's highest wine bar at the summit of the 3 Valleys
At the top of the Orelle-Caron cable car, at Caron 3200, in the heart of the Three Valleys, wine can now be tasted at an altitude that shifts the tasting benchmarks for even the most discerning palates, in a wine bar that defies the laws of physics as much as those of oenology.
Julien Allano's good addresses
News & Events
Julien Allano's good addresses
The chef at JU - Maison de Cuisine (3 toques) in Bonnieux tells us where to buy trout, herbs and vegetables in the Luberon.
Michel Sarran signs the menu for a new immersive restaurant in La Grande Motte
News & Events
Michel Sarran signs the menu for a new immersive restaurant in La Grande Motte
"The table where it all happens". This is the slogan of Groupe Partouche's new immersive restaurant, I-Motion, which Michel Sarran will take the helm of in a few days' time. Conceived as a culinary spectacle, the venue promises an experience where gastronomy meets emotion.
Paris restaurants with pedestal table service
News & Events
Paris restaurants with pedestal table service
Carving, flambéing, minute dressing: pedestal table service is one of the last bastions of the great art of dining. In these Parisian restaurants, the gesture counts as much as the plate.
Culinary events not to be missed in 2026
News & Events
Culinary events not to be missed in 2026
The year 2026 promises yet more gourmet delights! Discover the dates to mark in your culinary diary for the coming months.
Mantra, Malaysian cuisine tinged with French gastronomy
News & Events
Mantra, Malaysian cuisine tinged with French gastronomy
In Paris, some openings are discreet but embody new propositions. Mantra is one of them. An intimate table at the crossroads of two cultures, between Malaysia and France.
Become Partners