Appearing originally in Mecca during the XVth century, then in Egypt, Turkey and Venice, Coffee houses appeared in France during the XVIIIth century.
It was in the Triangle that the coffee house tradition started some two hundred years ago. The French Revolution did not alter the allées de Tourny's reputation for chic style, though cabarets were soon replaced by coffee houses.
For the very first time in Paris, a Sicilian -Procopio- opened a coffee house in 1702. Jacques Moreau the opened an establishment in the Allées de Tourny in 1742. During the XIXth century, groups had preferred coffee houses, the politicians at the Place de la Comédie, while the erudite theatre troops met at Chez Beeli, (rue Voltaire) or at the Chapon Fin, (rue Montesquieu).
All of the different quarters of the city bear witness to its history: Saint-Pierre, situated on the very site of the Gallo-Roman port of Burdigala, Saint-Michel and its gothic spire, Saint-Eloi and its winding streets, the cityhall quarter with St André Cathedral and the Palais Rohan, etc...
Art and passion for gastronomy became the pursuit of the prosperous bourgeois, reaching its peak during the Belle Epoque.
It is important to remember that Bordeaux was not only a transatlantic port, but also a fashionable stopover between Paris and Biarritz. The city, inspired by the great resorts, created its own establishments: the Splendid (Allées d’Orléans), the Majestic (Place Tourny) and of course the Grand Café de Bordeaux (Place de la Comédie) "one of the most beautiful cafés in the world".
Enter the "Retro" and the American bars. What remains today? Some strange gardens of stone, ceilings of summer skies, with friezes of irises, turquoise ceramics, views of Arcachon bay, and of course the beautiful stained glass windows, and exotic palm trees...
The decor of cafés in Bordeaux are the rare expression of a certain styles in the city, such as Art Nouveau. A style that is strickingly different from the trAdditional formalism of XVIIIth and XIXth century architecture.
