The Best Cafés in Geneva to Escape the Winter Cold

As I close my eyes before bed each night, I look forward to the process of making coffee in the morning. I anticipate its smell, which alone makes me feel more alert. I’ve created a morning ritual of preparing our morning brew in a moka pot. Even on the most hectic of Mondays, I begin the day slowly, filling the moka pot chamber with water, layering it with freshly ground beans, setting it on the stove, and patiently waiting for a snake like hissing followed by a noise like a bubbling witch’s cauldron.

I’m properly addicted to coffee, with splitting headaches if I miss a morning. This addiction I once strongly desired, because every cool girl who studied writing in college drank coffee. Oh, how I so badly wanted to like coffee. Adding sugar was for the weak. With time, that initial disgusted feeling became something I affectionally adored – much like how I imagine an arranged marriage.

If you are in Geneva and are need of caffeine, I beg of you, please skip Starbucks. The city is home to countless independent coffee shops that craft fantastic concoctions that put global chains to shame. Below are a few favorites organized by neighborhood: 

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Les Eaux-Vives

La Paire

La Paire takes me back to the days before marriage and a corporate 9-to-5 — a time of drinking wine and coffee from mason jars, and hunting through Salvation Army racks for vintage patterns to turn into homemade clothes (my experiments with DIY shampoo and sewing were short-lived).

“C’est tres hipster ici,” my polo wearing, tennis playing husband remarked as we sipped coffee from mismatched dishware.

La Paire is my favorite café in Geneva. Its charm lies in its simplicity: the brunch menu offers just two savory and two sweet options, thoughtfully curated and changing with the seasons — a guarantee of fresh, quality ingredients.

The atmosphere is intimate and refreshingly local, far from the expat-heavy cafés like Boréal or Oh Martine. Beyond coffee, La Paire doubles as a vintage clothing shop, displaying a small selection of pieces in the café itself, with the main boutique located just a few streets away.

Address:  Rue Maunoir 18, 1207 Genève  |  Website: https://www.lapaire-cafefriperie.com

Chou

The wind quiets for a brief moment on a rainy Saturday afternoon — just long enough for children to enjoy their afternoon goûter. For older generations craving something small yet decadent, this charming café on the rue des Eaux-Vives offers just the thing: un chou à la crème — a delicate French cream puff best enjoyed alongside a strong, punchy espresso.

Chou refers to the airy pastry dough that forms the base of many of France’s most beloved desserts. When glazed, it becomes an éclair; shaped into a ring and dusted with almonds, it transforms into a Paris-Brest filled with caramelized praline. At weddings, chou pastry puffs are piled high like wooden blocks of a Jenga tower in a traditional cake known as a croquembouche.

I appreciate the slim coffee selection – in my book, this guarantees products of a higher caliber. Even more endearing is that print journalism isn’t a lost art at Chou: a rack of well-thumbed newspapers and magazines stands by the entrance, refreshed each morning and worn from use by loyal regulars.

Address:  Rue des Eaux-Vives 79, 1207 Genève  |  Website: https://www.chougeneve.ch

Oh Martine!

Oh Martine carries with it all of the bells and whistles that make it loved by so many. For one, it has a coolness to it that doesn’t smell pretentious. The décor seems like a 90s teen boy’s bedroom, with less dirty socks and more posters of Bruce Lee and Tupac, shelves held up by skateboards. Yet the space is not a watering hole for hipsters- au contraire. Expat bankers flock here before 9am meetings, preferring Oh Martine to the more commercial Starbucks. Mid-thirties moms with beanies order matcha lattes with oat milk with their fashionably clad children, while generations that read newspapers chat over embroidered cardigans and turmeric lattes.

Oh Martine is my go-to for so many reasons. First, its two locations in Geneva are conveniently located next to the train stations. Second, it’s spacious, leaving plenty of room to read or write (with headphones, of course, unless you are able to concentrate while hearing early 2000s hits from Nelly to Ciara). Finally, the staff are kind, and, the many times I’ve been, genuinely seem to enjoy their job (or they are simply well-paid actors). The café even welcomes dogs, leaving both a large and small water bowl for four-legged companions.

Address:  Rte de Chêne 6, 1207 Genève  |  Website: https://www.ohmartine.com

Old Town

Pages and Sips

Pages & Sips is victim of its own success.

A small sign asks customers to wait to be seated, as a queue forms outside the English bookshop café. I decide to postpone my visit until Sunday morning, just after it opens at 9:00 a.m., and feel utterly spoiled to have the entire second floor to myself. Greeted in English, I wander through the carefully curated selection of books in my mother tongue. When I miss family, hearing or reading English always feels like a small comfort. I choose not one but two cozy autumnal reads — The Tarot Reader of Versailles by Anya Bergman and Autumn Chills by Agatha Christie.

As in true Anglo-Saxon fashion, the scones are overly dry and the chai latte exceptionally sweet. By mid-morning, the café begins to fill — with homesick expats like myself or locals wishing to escape to the United Kingdom for an hour, chatting with the English-speaking staff and switching seamlessly back to French with friends.

Address:  Grand-Rue 37, 1204 Genève  |  Website: https://www.pagesandsips.com

Ferdinand

The décor in Ferdinand is similar to that of the study in a historic manor, paintings of exotic animals in a dimly lit space. Less dust is accumulated, and the coffee is accessible even without a trust fund. The brick walls remind me of gentrified spaces in the United States, places that cover former hubs for drug deals as contemporary art museums and wine book shops.

The reviews of Ferdinand are mixed. My husband and I have enjoyed their plat du jour, kofta, pickled onion and potatoes, which I found surprisingly exotic for a traditional café.  Critics dislike being asked to turn off their computers after long amounts of time online. While this has not happened to me, personally, I do admire the attention to mindfulness, rather than being full absorbed by work, forgetting what expensive beverage you just consumed.

Address:  Pl. du Bourg-de-Four 19, 1204 Genève  |  Website: https://ferdinandcafe.ch

PlainPalais

Colette

Colette is sugar, spice, and everything nice — as the childhood lullaby goes, the ingredients of what girls are made of. Opened in 2021, this café is lovingly inspired by the owner’s grandmother, from her handwritten name used as the logo to Colette’s now-famous apple tart and croissant recipes.

The décor is delightfully whimsical and romantic, a space where the Regency era meets Alice and Wonderland: wide-brimmed hats adorn the walls, blush pink and white flowers frame the entryway, impressionist paintings are hung in vintage frames, and a wooden swing is tucked away on the ground floor.

Chic touches are added in the drinks garnished with rose petals or the tea poured from porcelain kettles. The weekend brunch is well worth reserving — which includes delicacies such as French toast topped with blueberry sauce and kiwi, or perfectly poached eggs bathed in creamy hollandaise.

Address:  Rue Patru 6, 1205 Genève  |  Website: https://www.colette-tearoom.ch

Café Remor

Stepping into Café Remor smells like a small-town Casino.

The heavy curtained door leading to the 100-year-old establishment protects the interior from the cold Alpine winds, while absorbing cigarette smoke that trails from nearby writers, artists, theater goers and students.

On a drizzly Tuesday morning, the café is filled with early risers completing crossword puzzles, the same crowd that pauses to sift through printed newspapers.

My favorite table is the one in the far-left corner with a brown leather booth, next to a large window. The space is dimly lit by light fixtures that look like French cancan dancers in red skirts; bloomers tapped around the bulbs. At 7:30 a.m., classical music plays, helping customers ease into the day ahead. Sipping a cappuccino, Café Remor feels like the set of a 1940s Hollywood picture, or pulled from the pages of a heart-wrenching romance.

Owned by the Remor family for three generations, the café is a Geneva institution. The coffee is fine, as is the food, neither of which are to write home about. The entrance has two large yellow rabbits that, in an odd turn of events, have both been kidnapped on different occasions (one found in the Rhône river), and rightfully returned. Although the tables are wiped down, they seem to have gone through centuries of conversations that cannot be removed, leaving a dull finish.

While it isn’t the cleanest, the most modern, nor the most bustling of cafes, something about the Remor feels like home.

Address:  Pl. du Cirque 3, 1204 Genève  |  Website: https://remor.ch

Pâquis

La Vouivre

While gazing at the tassel lampshades and chandeliers spilling from the ceiling, the cozy red walls of La Vouivre brings to mind a lady’s boudoir. I imagine Rebecca brushing her hair 100 times over at Manderley, or a cabaret dancer preparing in her dressing room — a private space, exquisitely feminine.

While beauty is subjective, I firmly believe La Vouivre to be the most beautiful tearoom in Geneva.

Sitting on the corner of Geneva’s Red-Light district, this café is a true hidden gem. Early morning risers leaf through the many newspapers tucked away in a corner, settling into vintage wooden chairs upholstered with delicate embroidery. Large, gold-framed French mirrors expand the space. La Vouivre is an ideal space for romantics and old souls alike.

Address:   Rue des Pâquis 21, 1201 Genève  |  Website: https://cafelavouivre.com

Cottage Café

A small bonfire burns in front of Cottage Café, twinkling lights strung from the windows, wicker chairs covered with faux fur blankets. It feels like Bilbo Baggins at home — if his hobbit hole were a Swiss chalet. I take a table toward the back, the wobbly one propped up with a folded napkin, positioned just a few centimeters from an unplugged air-conditioning unit. The space is cozy, filled with tourists beginning their journey in Geneva. I sneeze, and an American man across the room says, “Bless you.” His daughter nudges him, reminding him that this is not what Swiss people say. Inside I appreciate the gesture, which reminded me of family and friends back home.

Cottage Café’s location is ideal. In December, the marché de Noël is just steps away; in warmer months, CGN boat cruises or a swim at les Bains des Pâquis are equally within reach. The café overlooks the Brunswick Monument, built in honor of Charles II, Duke of Brunswick, who left his fortune to Geneva on one condition: that the monument stand in a prominent location and be an exact replica of the Scaliger Tombs in Verona. Historians describe the Duke as eccentric — lavishly adorned in diamonds, deeply paranoid, and most famously remembered for losing a historic chess match at the Paris Opera House in 1858.

Address:   Rue Adhémar-Fabri 7, 1201 Genève  |  Website: https://www.cottagecafe.ch

Nations

Le Fix

Le Fix stands out like a watering hole in a desert of concrete slab and austere surroundings – a cozy nest amid Geneva’s most internationally recognized institutions. Lunch time crowds pack the café decorated this autumn with pumpkins and colorful squash.

Plates emerge from the kitchen in a vibrant array: bright pink radishes, homemade yellow curry hummus, and harvest-moon orange butternut squash — dishes that shift with the seasons, crafted from ingredients sourced locally within the Canton of Geneva.

A wooden patio framed by lush greenery offers an ideal escape from the corporate world during la pause déjeuner. Sitting outside feels a bit like being Snow White, surrounded by sparrows hoping to steal a crumb of your homemade sourdough.

Address:  Av. de France 17, 1202 Genève  |  Website: https://lefix.ch

My Little Cup

Bertrand led a nomadic life, following opportunity from Sydney to Brussels, Montreal, and London. Along the way, he developed a deep appreciation for coffee cultures around the world — a passion that would later inspire the creation of My Little Cup, founded alongside his brother, Marc.

Today, My Little Cup has a handful of locations across the globe, including two in Geneva’s Nations and Eaux-Vives neighborhoods. Both cafés naturally attract the city’s large expat community; it’s not uncommon to hear more English than French while waiting for your order. The spiciness of their chai latte is by far my favorite in town (which is saying something, I’ve sampled more than my fair share).

The minimalist interiors and modern amenities appear like the pages of a Scandinavian furniture catalogue. Colleagues have even likened My Little Cup to New York City: strong, varied coffee made with beans sourced from Ethiopia and Colombia. Beyond the counter, the café also hosts coffee classes, inviting guests to try their hand at latte art or refine their palate through guided tastings of coffees from around the world.

Address:  Av. Blanc 51, 1202 Genève  |  Website: https://www.mylittlecup.ch