I’m not usually someone who enjoys very long drives, especially when it’s raining and the surrounding landscapes are dull. But when my friend Maxine and I headed down to Bordeaux the other week to eventually attend a joint 40th birthday party about a two-hour drive from there, we just had so much fun and great conversations in the car that the time just flew by. How expensive are those French motorways tolls though, right?
After spending our first night in our apartment in the southwestern French city, we headed out for breakfast at a place that had been warmly recommended to us by the owner of Piha, a local café and roastery that we paid a visit to a bit later that same day. Moko Coffee is located just outside the Porte Dijeaux, one of the city’s many gates that still stand today.
Founded by Bordeaux local Thomas Labroue, Moko Coffee is a celebration of modern coffee, great food and stylish retro interior design. In many ways, the place exudes a 60’s interior vibe, which has been artfully translated into a handsome comtemporary coffee shop by local architectural firm Dircks. The space itself used to be a former carpark before it had a brief life as an Italian restaurant and was then discovered by Thomas while searching for a suitable venue for Moko.
Before returning to Bordeaux, Thomas spent many years living and working in Paris where he worked himself up at KB Coffee Roasters, a long-term Coffeevine partner. Just before they opened Back in Black where their roastery is also housed, Thomas and his wife decided to move back to their hometown to join the burgeoning local coffee scene to open his own café. And then Covid came and his plans fell through. Instead, he joined Piha and worked with them for over a year and La Pelle café, another local roaster.
At the end of 2023, he finally found the right space to realize his vision and working with Dircks, he created a celebrated place that attracts a mixed crowd of creatives, visitors, expats and other folk. The big coffee bar sits along the left of the space and I particularly loved the menu on the wall. At the back, there is a square shaped space with more seating.
We kicked off our visit with a delicious coffee and a dirty Chai for Maxine followed by a smashed croissant dish with a poached egg for breakfast. There is cool art on the walls and a wide array of coffee to buy from the retail shelf. All the of the cakes are homemade and looked absolutely divine but we wanted to pace ourselves without going overboard right at the start of the day. Coupled with its friendly and welcoming service, Moko Coffee really is a great place to visit in Bordeaux and warmly recommended by yours truly.
