KB CaféShop – Trudaine

KB’s corner on avenue Trudaine is a useful place to begin a Montmartre day. The café sits below the hill, where rue des Martyrs meets the avenue, with a terrace that belongs to the everyday life of South Pigalle as much as to visitors heading for Sacré-Cœur. It gives a coffee stop a clear position in the day: breakfast or a pastry here, then the climb into the upper streets.

Specialty coffee at the original Trudaine shop

The business began in 2010, early in Paris’s specialty-coffee movement. Its own roasting followed in 2015, allowing the team to choose and develop coffees for the style of drinks they wanted to serve. Espresso-based drinks and filter coffee give you different ways to try those beans. The selection changes, so the useful conversation at the counter is about the coffee being served that day rather than a permanently fixed origin or tasting description.

The Trudaine shop is the original café, distinct from the larger Back in Black operation on rue Amelot. That matters when choosing a visit: the latter’s roastery and extensive kitchen are across Paris, not facilities to expect behind this corner shop. At Trudaine, the appeal is the combination of coffee, house-made pastries and a neighbourhood café setting. A sweet bite can make it a breakfast stop without turning the morning into a long restaurant meal.

The terrace below Montmartre

Wooden tables and benches keep the inside informal, while the outdoor seating opens towards the surrounding streets. The corner position means the terrace is part of the experience, especially on a mild morning when the route uphill can wait until after the cups are cleared. Tables are working café space, with the usual movement of people ordering, finding a seat and continuing on their way.

KB works particularly well with a later visit to the basilica or an afternoon at one of Montmartre’s museums. It also gives visitors staying below the hill a reason to explore the rue des Martyrs approach rather than arriving directly at the top. This is a coffee-led choice with a modest food stop alongside it; a planned sit-down lunch at Bouillon Pigalle or Le Coq & Fils offers a different scale of meal.