Tucked away inside the CentQuatre cultural center, Café Caché lives up to its name — you'll need to cross the courtyard, pass the art installations, and push through a curtain of plastic strips to find it. The reward is a laid-back cantine solidaire with a wooden-decked terrace that feels miles from Paris's bustle, serving simple, healthy food at honest prices with a genuinely warm staff.
Push through plastic strips at the back of the CentQuatre and you'll find a wood-decked terrace canteen serving honest, healthy food in one of Paris's most surreal settings.
Walk all the way through the CentQuatre courtyard and look for the plastic strip curtain on the left — the café is genuinely hidden and easy to miss.
A secret terrace canteen inside the CentQuatre
Finding Café Caché is half the fun. You traverse the entire CentQuatre, cross the courtyard, weave past art installations, take a left, and push through a curtain of plastic strips — and suddenly you're on a wooden terrace that feels like a secret garden in the middle of the 19th arrondissement. The setting is the star here: the interior was designed by Sébastien Wierinck, and the outdoor terrace, shaded and wood-decked, is glorious in summer when the rest of the CentQuatre quiets down.
The food is deliberately simple — fresh, healthy dishes that won't blow your culinary mind but hit the spot for a leisurely lunch or brunch. Reviewers consistently praise the excellent value for money and the genuinely lovely staff. As a cantine solidaire tied to the Fondation Falret, there's a social mission behind the counter that adds warmth without any preachiness. The Sunday brunch is the move if you want the full experience.
It's not a destination restaurant — you're not coming here for a gastronomic event. But for a relaxed bite in one of Paris's most unusual settings, after wandering through the CentQuatre's exhibitions, it's hard to beat. Come on a sunny day, grab a terrace seat, and let the afternoon drift by.