I've been visiting Cannes for over two decades and until recently, there was little in the way of specialty coffee in the French Riviera city — unless you count the pourovers I brewed at my parents' place! Over the past few years, that's started to change and in this guide, I'm rounding up some of my favourite specialty coffee shops in Cannes.
Whether you're exploring Cannes' film history, hitting the beautiful beaches or wandering through picturesque Le Suquet, it will probably be coffee o'clock before too long. There are still many traditional cafés, but it's refreshing to now have spots that put the 'special' in specialty coffee. Explore my guide for brews with sea views, excellent espressos and carefully crafted filter coffees.
Amamo – Rue Meynadier
If you only have time to visit one specialty coffee shop in Cannes, Amamo's first café next to Marché Forville on Rue Meynadier would be my top pick. With branding and décor inspired by Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuși, Amamo is the very definition of 'petite but perfectly formed.'
Inside, a tactile granite coffee bar takes up most of the space, with a few stools at the window and a couple more seats next to the doors, which open when the weather is fine. They roast their own coffees and there are usually multiple single-origin coffees available either as hand-brewed filter coffee or on espresso.
I've visited a few times, sampling several lovely pourovers (the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe I tried most recently was particularly flavoursome), as well as many impeccably brewed cortados. The split shot pictured above featured a tasty Costa Rican coffee.
They also sell retail bags of coffee beans and serve apolline (flaky, crescent-shaped pastries with sweet fillings) and other sweet treats.
Amamo is located at 74 Rue Meynadier. Instagram.
Amamo – Boulevard Jean Hibert
I was jogging along Plage du Midi, just west of Cannes' port, when I spotted that Amamo had opened a second coffee shop on Boulevard Hibert. This Amamo is just as beautiful as the original, with its minimalist and elegant design, and only slightly bigger, although it does have more seating on the pavement out front.
The coffee menu focuses on espresso-based drinks and they also serve apolline, as well as croque monsieurs, avocado toast and other breakfast dishes.
As I was mid-run, I opted for a cortado, brewed with a coffee from William Segura in Costa Rica. The beautiful beach is literally steps away, so I took my coffee for a walk on the sand, enjoying the views of the dramatic Esterel Mountains, looming behind the azure sea.
Amamo is located at 12 Boulevard Jean Hibert. Instagram.
Copenhagen Coffee Lab
I first came across Copenhagen Coffee Lab in Copenhagen (quelle surprise!) but I've also visited one of their coffee shops in Lisbon. They opened their first Cannes coffee shop on Boulevard Carnot in 2019 but I'm not often in that neighbourhood, so I was glad when they launched another café next to Marché Forville.
The spacious café is a great option for espresso drinks accompanied by pastries, sandwiches, salads and brunch dishes. On sunny days (most of the time, then!), you can sit on the outdoor terrace and watch the market traders and customers in action!
Copenhagen Coffee Lab is located at 5 Rue du Marché Forville (and 1 Boulevard Carnot) — Marché Forville location is closed until March 2026. Website. Instagram. You can also find them in Antibes.
Good Mate Coffee
If you like your coffee shop with a little Aussie influence, look no further than Good Mate Coffee on bustling Rue Hoche. The slim coffee shop is more spacious than it looks as there's a small mezzanine seating area, as well as seats outside on the terrace.
The coffee is roasted in partnership with Cafés Indien, a Nice-based roaster that's been in business for 100 years. The house espresso is a blend of coffees from Honduras and Ethiopia and it has a balanced, sweet taste when brewed with a little milk in a cortado. My dad very much enjoyed his flat white too.
Good Mate is located at 28 Rue Hoche. Instagram. You can also find them in Antibes.
Itinéraire Café
Itinéraire Café was the first place I found in Cannes that served single-origin espresso and hand-brewed filter coffee. That was back in 2015, and I've been back many times since then. They serve coffee brewed with a variety of methods, including Chemex, V60 and siphon, and sell retail bags of single-origin beans.
You can take a seat at one of the stools by the counter or grab a table in Rue Hoche, which is great for people-watching.
Itinéraire Café is located at 10 Rue Hoche. Website. Instagram. Full review.
Saddle
The first time I tried to visit Saddle it was at the brunching hour on a hot sunny in September and there was a queue for tables at the Cannes outpost of the Dubai coffee company. I didn't have time to wait but I did get a cortado to go, which was beautifully brewed in my KeepCup.
When I returned, it was a chilly December afternoon (well, chilly for Cannes) and so there were plenty of tables available. I ordered a cortado and was really impressed: it was sweet and smooth, with chocolate and fruit flavours coming through nicely.
There are various signature drinks on offer as well as espresso drinks and V60 pourovers, and the food menu is extensive, with everything from crêpes and filled croissants, to breakfast bowls, brioches and toasts.
Saddle is located at 10 Rue Hélène Vagliano. Website. Instagram.
Planning a trip to Cannes? Check out my guide to spending a day in Cannes on a €50 budget, my Cannes long weekend guide and my many other posts about Cannes.
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