A Paris institution for over a century and a half, the Café de la Paix opened its doors to its first customers on June 30, 1862.  Facing the magnificent Opera Garnier in the 9th arrondissement, the café and the opera house were in fact designed by the same architect, Charles Garnier.  Café de la Paix was the café and restaurant of the Grand Hotel de la Paix - re-christened shortly afterwards as simply the Grand Hotel, a lavish palace built to cater to the visitors at the Universal Exhibition of 1867.  Through the years the café has been a magnet for writers, artists, designers, aristocracy, nobility, musicians and celebrities. 

Café de la Paix is considered one of the most famous cafés in Paris and legend has it that if one sits at the café, one is bound to see a friend or acquaintance as the bar is so well-known and popular.