I was certain I didn’t have jetlag until I woke up on Sunday at one in the afternoon. For someone who’s hard-pressed to sleep past nine back at home, this certainly wasn’t normal. As we bustled around the house in a frenzy to dash out and make up for our lost morning, we were faced with a few questions: where to eat on a Sunday in Paris? where to eat lunch on a Sunday in Paris? where to eat lunch on a Sunday afternoon in Paris? L’As du Fallafel was our solution, providing us also with the opportunity to return to the Marais, where we had been the night before.
Our view from the back of the (very long) line.
L’As du Fallafel perplexed me. It was on nearly every list of “must-visit” places that I’d found from Parisian natives or American expats, and yet, it had little to no presence in any of the official travel literature my mom had brought. But at that time on that day, we couldn’t afford to be choosy – or indulgent – so we made our way over.
The place is certainly a dive, with just a window opening into a dark, crowded kitchen to connect customers with their warm pockets of crispy falafel. Sunday afternoons are apparently busiest, so when we finally found it in the Jewish section of the Marais on the charming Rue des Rosiers, we found our place in line with fifteen to twenty hungry others. A man in a “I Heart Falafel” t-shirt promptly came up to us, confirmed that we each wanted falafel (also on the menu are shawarma and… two other things I failed to note), and gave us a ticket in exchange for 10€. It was a quick and dubious exchange and Jenna remarked on how it would be a brilliant tactic for Paris’ homeless to snag money, but sure enough, we wound up at the window (in far less time than the long line would suggest; the guys in the kitchen know what they’re doing, so there’s a really fast turnover) and got our lunch no problem.
A warm, gaping pocket of pita embraced heaps of diced tomatoes, julienned cucumber, pickled red cabbage, a dollop of hummus for good measure, scrumptious marinated eggplant, and sure enough, a generous serving of those blistering-hot balls of fried, garlicky chickpeas. For 5€, it was a satisfying and, most importantly, DELICIOUS meal. Of course, it would be difficult to seriously and detrimentally cut corners on such a basic thing that is inherently street food, but the vegetables were crisp and the falafel well-spiced; what needed to be hot was hot, and what needed to be cold was just cool enough. I forgot to ask for sauce piquant, but I fixed that error (and was so glad I did) when we returned to L’As du Fallafel the following Friday and they answered my request with some sweet-hot harissa.
Note: As you may have surmised, these sandwiches are messy. Unless you happen to wield a superhuman dexterity when it comes to napkin maneuvering and pita negotiation, it’s best to resign yourself to the occasional smudge of sauce on your nose. Just a warning – you might also find a particularly sneaky piece of cucumber clinging to your forearm. Relax. Enjoy. In fact, why not walk over to the Place des Vosges and eat your falafel in the grass, where pigeons would be more than happy to clean up the mess when you leave?
Whether L’As du Fallafel is a tourist trap, a local favorite, or a bit of both, I’m not qualified to say. And, yes, if you find yourself in Paris, pita pockets of chickpeas and eggplant may not be on the top of your list of foods to try. But trust a little… eat a quick, cheap lunch here and you can just spend more later that night on an elaborate French feast.
L’As du Fallafel
34, rue des Rosiers
Paris, France
01 48 87 63 60
Closed Friday afternoon and Saturday for Shabbat.
Dear Remy,
When I lived in Paris, I would walk with my roommate every Sunday to the Marais to get falafel. Although I have eaten at L’As du Falafel and agree that it is good, I believe Chez Hanna farther down Rue de Roisiers is better. They give you a heartier portion, especially of the grilled salty, oily eggplant on top which makes the sandwich more than your typical mediterranean dish, and do not rely upon hauling people in line or making claims that “Lenny Kravitz says it is the best falafel in Paris”. The owner of Chez Hanna, who runs the restaurant with his wife, know his customers and values them. After a year of being away, he remembered me and slapped on another juicy eggplant to thank me for my loyalty. In my opinion, nothing gets more genuine than that.
Hi Claire! I never got to thank you personally for your fantastic guide to Paris. We were in love with Fromagerie 31, and La Grande Epicerie was a dream come true. Despite my obsessive planning and negotiating, we never made it out to Berthillon, which I’m still lamenting… in any case, you compiled a great little list of favorite places.
I hope to check out Chez Hanna next time I’m in Paris (I’m sure there will be a next time, since I’m hoping to go to culinary school at the original Le Cordon Bleu) – I meant to try it and compare, but again, we just never got around to it… a week in Paris is far less than we thought it would be.
I’m not actually a huge falafel freak at home, but countless different recommendations for L’As du Fallafel convinced us we had to go. Your comment has me TOTALLY craving that falafel and that neighborhood, as well as the service you describe that is admittedly lacking at L’as. I’ll be certain to put Chez Hanna at the top of my must-see list next time. Thanks so much for the feedback.
I am glad that you had a great trip, Remy!
Paris is so wonderful that it is hard to see and to eat everything in one week. The good news is that now you have something to look forward to on your next vacation. Good luck with your plan to go to Le Cordon Bleu. Just in case you haven’t read it already, My Life in France, the memoirs of Julia Child is a fantastic book for foodies and future chefs. I read it 2 years ago and I couldn’t put it down.
Anyway, best wishes to you and your future food adventures!
Remy, I enjoy your photograpy and you have some great pictures from your Paris trip. Let me share a great salad recipe I found out accidently. Can’t find your email adress though. Kind regards, Phileas, The Hague.
Hi, Phileas. Glad you like the photos. I’d love your recipe! My email address should be in the “About” section – it’s passionfruitbutter [at] gmail [dot] com.
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OH MY WORD. Isn’t Fallafel amazing??
I went searching for L’as du Fallafel when I was in Paris back in June per Dorie Greenspan’s recommendation. Ended up at the place a block or so away called Chez Hannah, which is also a falafel place. They had indoor seating and it was raining, so I think we chose wisely.
Topped it off w/ gelato from Am0rino and a trip to the Musee Carnavalet. A perfect afternoon in the Jewish quarter:)
Can’t wait to read more about your trip!