A Montmartre corner bistro named for two windmills — and made famous across the world as Amélie Poulain’s café.
At a glance
The Café des 2 Moulins sits at 15 rue Lepic, on a corner in Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement. A classic Parisian bistro with a zinc bar and red banquettes, it has stood here since 1911 and became, in 2001, one of the most recognisable cafés in cinema.
History
The café takes its name from two nearby windmills that once crowned Montmartre — the Moulin Rouge and the Moulin de la Galette — and has kept its zinc counter, red seats and neighbourhood bistro character since it opened in 1911.
Its fame came from the screen. In Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s 2001 film Amélie (Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain) the café is where the heroine works as a waitress. The film was an international success — winning four European Film Awards, two BAFTAs and four Césars — and turned the café into a place of pilgrimage. The in-film tobacco counter was removed in 2002 when the café changed hands.
What you see
The café keeps the look film-goers know: the long zinc bar, red leatherette banquettes, tiled floor and mirrored walls of a traditional Montmartre bistro.
Its corner windows open onto the rue Lepic, one of the steep market streets that climb toward the Sacré-Cœur.
Cultural significance
The Deux Moulins is a rare case of an ordinary café becoming a global landmark through a single film. For a generation of visitors it is the image of Montmartre itself, and it keeps Amélie‘s gentle, idealised Paris alive on the rue Lepic.
Key facts
- Since: 1911, at 15 rue Lepic, Montmartre
- Name: after the Moulin Rouge and Moulin de la Galette windmills
- Film: Amélie’s workplace in Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain (2001)
- Awards for the film: 4 European Film Awards, 2 BAFTAs, 4 Césars
- Change: the film’s tobacco counter was removed in 2002
Practical information & getting there
The café is on the rue Lepic in Montmartre. Nearest Métro: Blanche (line 2) or Abbesses (line 12). It is open daily as a bistro; expect other Amélie fans at the tables.
Sources & resources
- European Film Academy — Café des Deux Moulins, Paris
- Café des Deux Moulins — official site: cafedesdeuxmoulins.com
- Grande Arche — “Le Café des Deux Moulins, le célèbre café d’Amélie Poulain”
- Montmartre Addict — “20 choses à savoir sur Amélie Poulain”
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