I have eaten Falafel in Dubai, Seattle, Chicago, New York, Istanbul, and many other places. But, the falafel at L’As Du Falafel in Paris, at the Le Marais, the famous and historical Jewish Quarter, is unlike any falafel I’ve ever eaten.
First off, the reputation of L’As Du Falafel is so big that people stand one or two hours in line to get their hands, and mouths, and tongues, around the falafel pita sandwich. The restaurant is run by an old Jewish family in the neighborhood, and it’s been there for many years.
As she bent to pose, the first, and most delicious part of the falafel, dropped to the ground.
Not too far away from where the restaurant was located, there was an elementary school. I learned that during World War II, during the Natzi occupation of Paris, the Nazi gathered more than 260 kids in front of the school to gun them down, to massacre them. I could still see the bullet points on the walls and some nearby buildings.
The horror of the story was reclaimed by Jewish hospitality. The whole neighborhood was rebuilt during the 1960s. Now the quarter is one of the friendliest neighborhoods in Paris. It welcomes more tourists than any other place and regularly hosts LGBTQ+ parties. I could see many rainbow flags around.
I stood in line for my falafel, but I was very tired. I had already walked more than three hours to fulfill our journey of going to ancient neighborhoods of Paris guided by our ‘Paris Free Walking Tour.’ Before the tour started, I had already walked for three more hours. And now, I had to stand in a long line to wait for my turn to get the famous L’As Du Falafel. My feet were hurting a great deal. Fortunately, I had my daughter alternate turns.
While in line, a staff member came over to ask for my order. I paid € 9 and got a receipt slip.
As I stood, waiting for my turn, I saw people getting their Falafel from the “to go” section of the restaurant. Watching faces light up in exuberant and triumph encouraged me to endure the pain in my feet. What won’t I do for my belly, I wondered.
It took around 50 minutes to finally get to the front of the line. I was tired, hungry, and so ready to devour my sandwich. I filmed a short clip of how they stuffed each falafel sandwich. You can watch it belwo. I had a spark in my eyes when I finally wrapped my hands around my falafel.
They poured tahini sauce on top of the vinegar-soaked white cabbage. Then, I found two crunchy falafel balls beneath the first cover. There were more salad and another crunchy falafel in the middle. The finale is completed by two more crunchy falafels at the bottom bedded in fresh chopped lettuce. I used a fork to unload the first portion before I could close the gap between the pita’s edges for nice, voluptuous, juicy bites.
When I was getting ready to eat my falafel, something happened that would break my heart. I asked my daughter to pose for a quick photo to record my triumph. She did. As she bent to pose, the first, and most delicious part of the falafel, dropped to the ground. That was even more painful than my foot problem.
I couldn’t stand in line for another complete felafel. But, I did go back another time to take my revenge on the previous misfortune.
A short clip of how they fill out the falafel at L’As Du Fallafel
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