03 August 2015

The Cannes Caffeine Chronicles: Itinéraire Café

I've been going to Cannes two or three times a year for the past decade or so, but it has always been difficult to find good — or even decent — coffee in the town. Over the years, I learnt that the French for macchiato is noisette and, from time to time, I've had a decent enough noisette at a few places around town. Da Laura, an Italian restaurant on rue du Vingt-Quatre Août and a family favourite of ours, often performs well in the noisette stakes: this little beauty arrived at the end of lunch on my first day in town on Friday.


I had pretty much given up on the idea of finding a decent V60 or Aeropress brew in Cannnes, though, until I came across Itinéraire Café on rue Hoche after Googling various combinations of Cannes+coffee+cafe+independent+aeropress+V60. Itinéraire is just down the block from Da Laura, so I've probably walked past dozens of times, but the lime green shop front and touristy vibe never seemed to merit a second look.


I went back on Saturday morning, though, and I was impressed. Itinéraire roasts its own coffee in their small, in-café roaster. They had a wide range of single-origin coffees (pures origines), including a 70kg bag of beans that had just arrived from Colombia. You can buy whole beans and ground coffee to take home — my parents will be pleased they no longer need to bring theirs with them from Quarter Horse, lovely though the latter is — and the knowledgeable and friendly owners will happily chat to you about your favourite coffees.



There are also a few (lime green) bar stools at the counter and some more tables outside. I perched at the table, because I had already eyed up the siphon the day before and knew that that was how I wanted my coffee brewed. V60 and Chemex brew methods are also available as well as the standard espresso-based drinks, and you can also order an iced coffee (café glacé), though not yet a cold brew; it's coming, I'm sure, especially in a town with as warm a climate as Cannes.


Although it was a hot day and I was a little dehydrated, my siphon brew tasted great with the rich, chocolatey Colombian brew (€3.70). I almost ordered an iced coffee to go, but decided I'd probably caffeinated enough for one day.


If you are in Cannes and seeking a more interesting coffee drink than a sad café crème, you should definitely head to Itinéraire Café, which is only a minute away from the rue d'Antibes and a few minutes from the Croisette. There are several other nice eateries along or near rue Hoche, including Da Laura and San Telmo, which makes what I believe is the best pizza in town. Alternatively, if I'm in town, I might be able to make you a lovely pourover with some Quarter Horse or Monmouth coffee; just don't let them fob you off with a Nespresso!


Itinéraire Café. 10 rue Hoche, Cannes, 06400, France. Website.

2 comments:

  1. What a lovely find! Not that I've been to Cannes in ages, but should I find myself there, I'll know where to go. I agree with you about the lime green seats though; not the sort of thing that would entice me in off the streets!!

    Thanks,
    Brian.

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  2. Thanks, Brian. Cannes isn't exactly a top coffee destination, but it turns out that it's not as bad as I thought! :)
    Bex

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