The most useful café in Meaux for the visitor: positioned directly opposite the cathedral's west façade, it serves coffee and croissants from early morning and transitions to wine and beer by midday without any fuss. The terrace has the best view of the cathedral's doorways in the city. Go in the morning when the light hits the stonework from the east, or in the late afternoon when the shadow play on the three portals becomes theatrical. The interior is unremarkable — a standard French café in the old manner — but nobody comes here for the décor.