Le Procope
The Procope, the oldest restaurant in Paris and the first café, opened in 1686. The owner was Francesco Procopio Dei Coltelli. In 1689, the Comédie-Française moved to opposite the Procope and, between shows, the café became THE café for theatre-goers and actors. Voltaire, Rousseau and Diderot were loyal regulars and the Encyclopaedia was born under the crystal centre-lights of the Procope. During the revolution, Danton, Marat could all be found here. Benjamin Franklin even fine-tuned the American constitution here.
