I never like admitting that I enter Starbucks in Europe, but I have to say, they, like Starbucks around the world, are totally fine with you buying a coffee, and then sitting down with 8 of your friends to play chess for 3 hours. However, if you're going to pull something like this off, make sure you get there at 14h00 on a Sunday, before everyone else gets the same bright idea.
Sunday cafe space in Paris is always at a premium. This is far enough from the madding tourist crowd that you'll mostly be surrounded by real Parisians (sigh of relief). read more