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L'As du Fallafel, Paris


A visit to L'As du Fallafel has been our Sunday tradition for many years now.  Sundays in Paris have always meant a day of wondering the small streets of Le Marais, getting lost and finding our way, getting a nosh at a kosher bakery, sitting on a bench at Place des Vosges, admiring the fresh meats at the butchers along rue de Rosiers, and enjoying a delectable treat at Le Loir Dans le Theiere.  Unfortunately, Le Marais, the area filled with kosher butchers, bakeries, and small boutiques is not what it used to be, something has shifted, that certain innocence is gone.  Yes, small boutiques are still there, as are some really lovely cafes and restaurants, but now, only one kosher butcher, and a couple of kosher bakeries remain.  The area has slowly molded into a terribly crowded shopping mecca with Chanel, COS, and other larger stores opening over the years.  I totally understand that gentrification is normal, it happened in Brooklyn and my beloved Greenpoint, which was once filled with Polish shops and restaurants and now plenty of them have been replaced by curated coffee shops and farm to table vegan establishments.  I'm all for change, but we need to have a healthy variety, a nice coexistence of the old and the new.  

Now, I actually much prefer to visit Le Marais during the weekday when it is not as crowded.  While I used to crave the excitement that Le Marais offered when the rest of Paris was quiet, now, I am fine with enjoying the peace some areas of the city offer on a Sunday afternoon.  Am I getting older?  Have my priorities shifted?

L'As du Fallafel is a great place, worth fighting the crowds for; whether one eats in or takes the food to go.  Normally, we eat in.  Yes, it is crowded, loud, harried, but delicious and fun. 

There are two lines that one will find once standing in front of the establishment.  The line on the right (when facing the store) is to sit inside the restaurant, and the line on the left is for the take out window.  Don't worry if both lines are long, they move fast.

There are young men who are very skilled at managing the lines with great proficiency.  The guy managing the take out line will ask for your order and give you a receipt that you will hand to the man at the window.  This makes the process much faster.



 Inside the restaurant, the tables are close together; this is not a spot for a romantic meal or a break up conversation.





 Bins at the take out window are overflowing with fresh red and white cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, etc. 




This is my shawarma, I admit that it's a bit boring, and not as packed as my husband's, I don't like the harissa or tahini on it. 



 Sometimes my husband gets the shawarma platter which comes with hummus, Israeli salad,  eggplant and fries.



 Other times he gets a shawarma to go.  This overflowing pita is filled with lightly pickled cabbage, hummus, shawarma, tahini and harissa.  This delicious, impossible to eat in a polite manner mess, gets attacked while standing on rue des Rossiers and watching the world go by. 


   Once again, another one of my shawarma pitas, jazzed up with different cabbage.   






L'As du Fallafel
34 rue de Rosiers
Sunday - Thursday - 12 -12
Friday - 12-3
Saturday - Closed.

Joanna


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