Amélie and the Café des 2 Moulins in Montmartre
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The Amélie café, often searched simply as the Amelie cafe, is the Café des 2 Moulins, a real bistro at 15 rue Lepic in Montmartre, Paris, where Audrey Tautou’s character works as a waitress in the 2001 film Amélie. The café still carries the film’s memory, and fans visit to sit at the counter, sip a coffee and order a crème brûlée, a nod to Amélie’s famous small pleasure of cracking the caramel top with a spoon. You can bring the mood home with a French-style café crème and a coffee crème brûlée.
Here is the story of the café, how it fits into Parisian café culture, and two recipes to recreate a little Montmartre magic in your kitchen.
Amélie and Her Montmartre Café
Amélie (in French, Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain) was directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and released in 2001. Audrey Tautou stars as Amélie Poulain, a shy, imaginative young woman who decides to quietly improve the lives of the people around her. The film became an international hit and earned five Academy Award nominations.
The Café des 2 Moulins is Amélie’s workplace and the hub of her world. She serves coffee, observes the regulars and plans her secret good deeds from behind the counter. The film is full of tiny sensory joys, and Amélie’s list of small pleasures includes breaking the crust of a crème brûlée with a teaspoon, skipping stones on the Canal Saint-Martin and plunging her hand into a sack of grain.
Other Amélie locations in Paris
- The Collignon grocery on rue des Trois-Frères in Montmartre, the greengrocer from the film.
- Sacré-Cœur, where Amélie leads Nino on a treasure hunt.
- Canal Saint-Martin, where she skips stones.
- Gare de l’Est, linked to the photo booth scenes.
Visiting the Amélie Café: Café des 2 Moulins
The café sits on rue Lepic, a sloping street in the 18th arrondissement, just up from boulevard de Clichy and the Moulin Rouge. Its name means “the café of the two windmills,” a nod to Montmartre’s famous mills. Travel guides note that it keeps much of its classic look, with film posters and memorabilia on display.
Tips if you plan a visit:
- It is a working neighborhood café, so be a polite customer, not just a photographer.
- Combine it with a walk up to Sacré-Cœur and through the streets of Montmartre.
- Check current hours and menu before you go; we cannot confirm what is served today.
Feel Espresso is not affiliated with the film, its makers or the café.
Parisian Café Culture in a Nutshell
The Café des 2 Moulins is a perfect example of the Paris neighborhood café: a zinc counter, small tables, regulars who know each other and coffee served all day. If you have only ordered coffee in American cafés, Paris works a little differently.
| In Paris you order | What you get | Closest US equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Un café | A single espresso | Espresso shot |
| Un café allongé | Espresso lengthened with hot water | Americano (smaller) |
| Une noisette | Espresso with a dash of milk or foam | Macchiato |
| Un café crème | Espresso with steamed milk, in a larger cup | Small latte |
| Un café au lait | Coffee with hot milk, often at home or breakfast | Café au lait |
Another tradition: in many cafés, drinking at the counter costs less than sitting at a table or on the terrace. And lingering is normal. Nobody rushes you out after one coffee.
To go deeper into Paris coffee history, read about Café Procope, Paris’s oldest café, and the literary legends of Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots.
Recipe 1: A Montmartre Café Crème
This simple drink is the everyday Paris coffee with milk. Makes one 6–8 fl oz (180–240 ml) cup.
- 1 double espresso, about 2 fl oz (60 ml), or 3 fl oz (90 ml) moka pot coffee
- 4–5 fl oz (120–150 ml) whole milk
- Brew the espresso into a warmed cup.
- Heat the milk to about 140–150°F (60–65°C) and froth lightly. Paris café crème is less foamy than a cappuccino.
- Pour the milk over the espresso and serve with a sugar cube on the saucer.
Prefer the breakfast-bowl version? See our café au lait guide.
Recipe 2: Amélie-Inspired Coffee Crème Brûlée
An original recipe inspired by Amélie’s favorite small pleasure. Makes 4 ramekins of about 5 fl oz (150 ml) each.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream
- 2 tsp (about 2 g) instant coffee, or 2 tbsp (30 ml) strong espresso
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar, plus 4 tsp (16 g) for the tops
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
Steps
- Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Place 4 ramekins in a deep baking dish.
- Warm the cream until steaming, not boiling. Stir in the instant coffee or espresso until dissolved.
- Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and salt until pale.
- Slowly pour the warm cream into the yolks while whisking, so the eggs do not scramble.
- Strain the custard and divide it among the ramekins.
- Pour hot water into the baking dish to come halfway up the ramekins.
- Bake 35–45 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers still wobble slightly.
- Cool, then refrigerate at least 4 hours.
- Just before serving, sprinkle 1 tsp sugar over each and caramelize with a kitchen torch or under a hot broiler for 1–2 minutes, watching closely.
- Crack the top with the back of a spoon. Smile like Amélie.
Tips
- Make the custards a day ahead; caramelize just before serving so the top stays crisp.
- For a mocha twist, use a chocolate-flavored coffee for the espresso.
- Serve with a small black coffee to balance the sweetness.
Amélie Café FAQ
What is the café in Amélie called?
It is the Café des 2 Moulins (Café des Deux Moulins), a real café at 15 rue Lepic in Montmartre, Paris. In the film, Amélie works there as a waitress.
Can you visit the Amélie café in Paris?
The café is a real business in Montmartre that fans have long visited. Check its current hours before you go, and treat it as the neighborhood café it is.
Why does Amélie crack crème brûlée?
Breaking the caramel top of a crème brûlée with a teaspoon is one of Amélie’s small, private pleasures in the film. It captures the movie’s celebration of tiny everyday joys.
What coffee do Parisians drink?
A standard “café” in Paris is a single espresso. Other common orders include the café crème with steamed milk, the noisette with a dash of milk and the café allongé with added hot water.
A Little Montmartre at Home
The Amélie café reminds us that the best moments can be small: a warm coffee, a crackling dessert, a quiet seat by the window. Feel Espresso roasts every order 1–5 days before delivery, perfect for your café crème. Try our dark French Roast for a Paris-style espresso, our Premium Instant Coffee for the crème brûlée, or our Mocha flavored coffee for a chocolate twist.