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Map of Jewish Paris
Kosher Paris Map
Kosher List-July 2015 or Here.

RESTAURANTS (the best of)

There are hundreds of kosher restaurants in Paris.  The locals generally don't eat the meat under Beis Din as they don't require Glatt meat.  But they will eat everything else under Beis din.

Search for restaurants by cuisine and hashgocha here.


NameLocationMetroTypeHechsherNotes
Darjeeling17thArgentine-1MeatRottenberg
Sar Eden19thOurcq-5BakeryRottenbergOrganic bakery
Charles Traiteur19thOurcq-5BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur20thSaint-Mandé-1BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur11thRue-Des-Boulets-9BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur16thVictor-Hugo-2BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur17thWagram-3BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur Halavi17thWagram-3BakeryBeth-Din Chalavi
Korcarz4thSaint-paul-1BakeryBeth-DinIn the Marais
Ardely’s19thOurcq-5Milk ChocolateKatz
Damyel19thOurcq-5Parve ChocolateRottenberg
L’As Du Fallafel4thSaint-paul-1FallafelBeth-Dinin the Marais
L’Inte Cafe12thMiromesnil-9,13DairyBeth-Din15 minute walk from the Park Hyatt
Kosher pizza4thSaint-paul-1PizzaRottenberg
Le Shine17thPorte Maillot-1ChineseLubavitchnear the Arc
Soumsoum11thVoltaire- 9MeatLubavitchGreat Israeli restaurent, there is a second one in the 8th
Doron ba Laïla19thGare Saint-Lazare 3-12-13-14MeatRottenbergNice meat restaurant
Tibs19thOurcq-5DairyKatz
Thai One2ndSentier-3MeatRottenberg
Le XXV16thTrocadéro-9-6BakeryRottenberg Chalavi
Le XXV8thTernes-2BakeryRottenberg Chalavi




Activities:
-Segway Tour. Please do not PM Ergel with requests for coupon codes. The codes are long dead
-Seine River Tour
-Eiffel Tour (Metro: Trocadero -6,9)
-Versailles Palace and Gardens. Never wait on line to buy tickets. 1. Use museum pass 2. Buy in advance 3. There are vending machines near the bathrooms (you have to poke around to find them) without lines. (if you go during a really busy time and the line seems endlessly long, go to the gardens first and return to the palace in the afternoon when lines are shorter). To get an audio guide, you usually proceed across the Royal Courtyard after passing security. If the lines for the audio guides are long, turn left in the Courtyard, to the Apartments of the daughter's of Louis XV’s. There you'll find another counter where you can get audio guides, with no lines at all. You can then exit the apartments and continue along the tour, bypassing the longer line.
-Louvre Art Museum (Closed Tuesday) (Metro: Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre -1,7) Shushan/Purim artifacts that can be seen at the Louvre, per the book Purim and the Persian Empire.
-D'Orsay Art Museum (Closed Monday) (Metro: Solférino -12)
-Musée de l'Orangerie des Tuileries (closed Tuesday) small museum featuring Monet's lilies (Metro Concorde: -1,8,12)
-Centre Georges Pompidou modern art museum open 11-9. closed tuedays (Metro: Rambuteau -11)
-Tuileries Gardens. (Metro: Tuileries -1)
-Paris sewer museum Smells really bad but an interesting look at the sewer system
-Champs Elysees shopping (Metro: Champs-Élysées - Clemenceau -1,13)
-Arc de Triomphe (Metro: Charles de Gaulle - Étoile -1,2,6)
-Operan National De Paris opera house. tours daily 11:30 and 2:30. Admission included in Museum Pass, tour extra
-Montmartre (Great neighborhood to walk around with boutiques, artists, and great views, and a funicular that kids will love) (Metro: abbesses -12, Anvers -2)
-The Great Synagogue (La Victoria) is beautiful but the main shul is only open on Shabbos mornings for Shacharis, but definitely worthwhile if you're there over Shabbos (Metro: Notre-Dame-de-Lorette -12)

Hotels:
-Park Hyatt Paris (Hyatt cat 7) is an outstanding value for your points. They used to give a phenomenal kosher breakfast but now it's barely even worth requesting.  Still rooms are a decent size for Paris, the Spa facilities are very nice, and the intoxicating smell used throughout the hotel for forever be linked with the romance of Paris. Ideally located between the Opera and Tuileries metro stations.
The Park Hyatt has free parking, though driving and parking elsewhere in Paris is very difficult.
The Park Hyatt has also complimentary bikes for guests.
There is a backdoor for entry on shabbos.

-The InterContinental Paris - Le Grand is not far from the Park Hyatt. It cost 70k IHG points per night or you can use IHG free nights. It is a good alternitive if the PH is not available or if you don't have/don't want to spend 30k Hyatt points per night.

-The Westin (SPG cat 6) is not as luxurious at the Park Hyatt but is located nearby and does the trick if you only have Starpoints and not Chase or Hyatt points.

Shabbos meals:
-Chabad of Champs Elysees has great shabbos meals and you're sure to bump into other tourists there as well to share tips.
It is a 30 minute walk to the Park Hyatt, but the walk is quite lovely via the Tuileries Gardens and the Champs Elysees.
Reservations are required: http://www.chabadchampselysees.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/888847/jewish/Shabbat-at-Chabad-Champs-Elyses.htm
-if you don't/can't eat at Chabad, they suggest getting takeout from Ben & Cook located in the 8th. Hashgacha: rabbinate Lubavitch De France 33 1 45 61 03 95. 35 Euro for 2 challas, 2 dips, meatballs with noodles or veggies for 2. they close at 3pm on Fridays (in the summer). call for more info
- Friday night meals at Grand Synagogue http://www.tiny.cc/chabbat

There is no eruv in Paris. Consider taking the metro to shul with your talis bag along with return tickets for motzei shabbos.

Transport from CDG:
-If you are going to the Opera area you can take the RoissyBus (pronounced Wahsee-Boos as you will get blank stares if you ask for the Royzee-Bus) which goes there nonstop. You can pay by credit card in the RoissyBus waiting station or on the bus.  The cost is €10.  It is a 5 minute walk to the Park Hyatt.

-There are also train options from CDG: the subway is located in terminal 2E/2F, to get to paris its ligne B (Blue) it should take approximately 30minutes to get to Gare Du Nord
it cost 9€10 each way per person

- Mendy Taxi: 0(1133) 6 50 99 82 93 http://mendystransport.com/en/
- Shimon taxi: 0(1133)6 98 27 16 08  Tamidshuttle@gmail.com

- Uber, Bolt are the best option to get to paris cheapest and fastest

Metro:
The subway is fast, efficient, and cheap. A book of 10 tickets is 13,30€ for adults and 6,65€ for kids.
The subway closes between 12:30 and 2am.

Map:
Streetwise Paris cannot emphasize enough, this is really a must. Of course, if you have GMaps and data you don't need this map unless you really like paper.

Guidebooks
Rick Steves' Paris 2013
Fodor's Paris 2013 (Full-color Travel Guide)

Other Tips
-If you plan on visiting several of the items covered by the Museum Pass - make sure to check it out and price out your options.  Many times it is worth it to get a one-day or multi-day Museum Pass to save some money and more importantly, time (see link for more details: http://en.parismuseumpass.com/)
-Double check days when museums/sites are closed as many do close on different days of the week.
« Last edited by yitzy93 on November 27, 2023, 04:50:39 PM »

Author Topic: Paris Master Thread  (Read 944182 times)

Offline Avid Reader

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #140 on: February 16, 2011, 09:41:50 PM »
Paragraphed version(from now on I'll try to use paragraphs.)

Trip report for Paris:


I got the Iberia $251 deal(Shkoyach Dan!!) and booked a ticket JFK-CDG on 1/31 returning Milan-JFK 2/15. I live in Miami so it was hard to swallow the separate fares to NY(almost as much as the international fare!). Having the Amex Plat(thanks again Dan!) helped with the luggage fees(let's not forget the Admiral's Club ).

 I took my wife and 2 children along(both infants). The hardest part of the trip planning was deciding which stroller to bring. We have a Graco Quattro Duo train(oh, I mean double stroller) which is a pain maneuvering around paved roads, never mind traveling with(40 pounds plus the kids!!!). After hours of research we decided with the Britax B-Ready, which is similar to the phil and ted double decker. A side by side is an impracticality in Europe with its narrow doorways and sidewalks. It came from amazon a few hours before the flight to NY and I was able to assemble it just in time. Though we have traveled with our oldest daughter to places as far as Australia, it was not as challenging as traveling with 2 infants(youngest 3 months ka"h).

 Since this is a Paris thread I will be brief with our five day stay in NY: After a cancelled flight we re-booked ourselves on the last flight coming into LGA. Snow, snow, snow!! It was such a shlepp carrying luggage and a stroller fully loaded! Anyways, being that taking the RER train from CDG to Paris wasn't feasible with two kids and 3 suitcases, I reserved a private van with car seats taking us directly to our place.

 After many days of research I got a vacation rental in the Pletzel. It was a better value than most hotels for the price. I initially wanted to book the Prince Galles, however 9000 points plus $150 wasn't worth it based on the reviews I read on tripadvisor. When we came it was pitch dark until about 8:30AM. The apartment was listed as a 6th floor apartment with an elevator; just what I need considering I'm shlepping two kids on a stroller and baggages.

 When we arrived to our apartment building we were utterly dismayed that the elevator was 2 by 2 feet. I'm not kidding; this was the smallest elevator I've ever seen. We had to made several trips. Also, we had to go down 1 flight of stairs. Besides for the reaching-the-apartment(and back) inconvenience, the apartment was decent albeit petite. A laptop with internet(weren't able to properly use it due to the french configurations) in addition to free WIFI. This was neccessary, as my wife teaches on the online Shluchim school. Food wasn't an issue as we were staying as mentioned above at the Pletzel(Jewish Quarter). I filled up the sim card provided by the apartment owner to make outgoing calls(incoming was free).

Instead of going in the Eiffel Tower we decided to get a view OF the ET. We got off on the station Trocadero. Nearby is a square with the best view of the tower. We went at night to see it in its full glory. Those peddlers trying to sell mini towers were just so annoying . We visited the Louvre museum and obviously saw the Mona Lisa. To get there you have to pass through the Italian section which features a lot of Avoda Zorah images Jews shouldn't see. We blocked our children's eyes with the stroller canopies. The palace rooms of the museum were just amazing. Such Grandeur! We skipped Versailles due to the extensive commuting it would take(It's overhyped anyway; I was there before).

To save luggage space I decided to wash and press my shirts in Paris so as to bring fewer clothing. What a shock it was to me that 6.60 Euro was asked of me for each shirt!(It's twice as much in Switzerland btw). The violence antisemitism widely believed to be present in Paris is overblown. Paris is very safe to walk around dressed like a frum yid. Obviously you have to avoid the suburbs and dangerous neighborhoods at night. The architectural layout of the city is very unique albeit dirty.

What I observed about Europe in general is that this whole continent smokes like there's no tomorrow! Also, many Europeans have a habit of parking themselves in the middle of the sidewalk and casually block pedestrian traffic as they converse amongst themselves. Friday we asked Bochurim on Mivtzoim to help shlepp our baggages to Brunoy; we were to spend Shabbos there. I learned in Brunoy 5765-6, so it was a most nostalgic experience. We stayed at a nice family. Friday night I learned a sicho with a shliach whom I've known from before. Shabbos day I learned Chassidus with the same Bochur and enjoyed a Brunoy-Shacharis. I reunited with friends and Mashpiyim/Roshei Yeshivah and spend the rest of the day eating and farbrenging with the bochurim(My wife let me). After minchah I joined a farbrengen with one of my favorite mashpiyim which went till almost 10PM. This Shabbos was by far the peak of the trip. The radiating holiness that permeated the place was exhilirating. Early Sunday morning we took a taxi to the Gare de L'Est station to take us to Lucerne.

Stay tuned for my Switzerland and Italy trip notes!

Nice report from my Venice DD buddy! Welcome to the forum. Looking forward to more.

Offline Mocha

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #141 on: February 18, 2011, 11:27:44 AM »
where would be a nice place for breakfast in Paris? Bagel/omelet etc
Also are there any good fast-food places? Burger etc

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #142 on: February 22, 2011, 06:58:16 PM »
Anyone ever pray at the Great Synagogue in Paris? On Google Maps its showing up as a 12 minute walk from the PH Paris.

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #143 on: February 24, 2011, 02:03:11 AM »
There is a great cafe chain called tibs

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #144 on: February 24, 2011, 07:25:42 PM »
Anyone ever use Virgin Mobile prepaid SIM when in Paris?

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #145 on: March 23, 2011, 12:51:20 AM »
Can anyone tell me what the closest shul is and what the closest kosher restaurants/stores are to the Park Hyatt?
Thanks

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #146 on: March 23, 2011, 01:43:35 PM »
Can anyone tell me what the closest shul is and what the closest kosher restaurants/stores are to the Park Hyatt?
Thanks

Closest shuls I found were in the 9th. Places like Rachi and Great Synagogue are both there. There are some restaurants right around there as well-depends on what hashgacha you hold by as well.

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #147 on: March 23, 2011, 01:45:03 PM »
Can anyone tell me what the closest shul is and what the closest kosher restaurants/stores are to the Park Hyatt?
Thanks
Did you read my trip report?
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #148 on: March 23, 2011, 02:01:32 PM »
Did you read my trip report?

Yes, and it was an excellent report, thanks. And I just read it again to be sure I didn't miss anything.
I think the gist of it is that there are no kosher options in the immediate area, but there are plenty beyond the immediate area that are easily accessible by metro.

As for the closest shul - there seems to be Chabad shul across the street from the rear entrance of the PH, but I'm not sure how active it is or how regular the minyanim are.  I also know the Great Synagogue is around a 15min walk and there is also Adass Yereim a few minutes further.

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #149 on: March 23, 2011, 02:04:21 PM »
Did you read my trip report?

As for the glatt meat issues, I've been hearing from some locals that many of the Beth Din restaurants will serve you "Beit Yosef Chalak" meat upon request.  I was wondering what you'd heard about this, and what your take is.

Thanks

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #150 on: March 23, 2011, 03:49:19 PM »
As for the glatt meat issues, I've been hearing from some locals that many of the Beth Din restaurants will serve you "Beit Yosef Chalak" meat upon request.  I was wondering what you'd heard about this, and what your take is.

Thanks

If you're worried about your kashrus make sure to also consult your rabbi, not just the rest of us here in the blogosphere. In my tirp report I outlined a number of restaurants and my thoughts on them (and their hashgachas).

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #151 on: March 23, 2011, 05:11:44 PM »
If you're worried about your kashrus make sure to also consult your rabbi, not just the rest of us here in the blogosphere. In my tirp report I outlined a number of restaurants and my thoughts on them (and their hashgachas).

Don't worry, I was going to askmoses as well. But I appreciate the experience and input from my fellow dansdealers regardless.

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #152 on: March 23, 2011, 05:41:13 PM »
Don't worry, I was going to askmoses as well. But I appreciate the experience and input from my fellow dansdealers regardless.

Sounds like a good plan. For a quick suggestion, if you're planning on doing some good sightseeing definitely check out Rick Steves' {aris 2011 (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1598806610/?tag=cl03f-20).

Enjoy your trip. If I get a chance to finish up my reviews of the activities we did before you leave, then I hope it helps (if not, I'm sorry).
« Last Edit: March 23, 2011, 06:13:10 PM by Dan »

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #153 on: March 24, 2011, 03:30:49 AM »
Sounds like a good plan. For a quick suggestion, if you're planning on doing some good sightseeing definitely check out Rick Steves' {aris 2011 (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1598806610/?tag=cl03f-20).

Enjoy your trip. If I get a chance to finish up my reviews of the activities we did before you leave, then I hope it helps (if not, I'm sorry).

Forgive me if I missed this: Can you point out some of the best things you saw in the museums?
Thanks

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #154 on: March 24, 2011, 02:39:48 PM »
Forgive me if I missed this: Can you point out some of the best things you saw in the museums?
Thanks

Louvre: Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory

Orsay: Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Degas, Cezanne (all impressionist artists) that are amazing

Orangerie: Monet's huge lilly pads made specially for this venue (when he was living in Giverny).

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #155 on: March 27, 2011, 05:32:10 AM »
Thanks everyone for all the reports / suggestions.

Staying at the Park Hyatt for the weekend. Give the rates here, I can't say I'm that impressed. The service here is amazing - it seems like there is one hotel employee per guest here, and they escort or follow you around every step of the way (but I don't really care much for "in your face" service).  I think we're in a standard room with a view of the courtyard, and it's very nice, but I certainly wouldn't believe that they could charge $700-$1,000 for this.  The shower/bath area of the bathroom is amazing, but everything else in the room is not that impressive, showing some signs of wear, and overall nothing to write home about.

I'm a Platinum Gold Passport member and I asked for a upgrade at check in. They said they would try to find me one, but I think they gave me the standard room.  It's a corner room overlooking the courtyard, so instead of 2 sets of windows with a typical room configuration, this room very long, and has only one set of windows is in the corner at one end of the room next to the beds. I wanted to go back to the front desk and ask whether this was the "best room available within the category booked" (per the Platinum benefits), but it was Friday, we were exhausted, and there was too much to do before shabbos.....

Will try to do a full report when the trip is over...

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #156 on: March 27, 2011, 09:16:41 AM »
Thanks everyone for all the reports / suggestions.

Staying at the Park Hyatt for the weekend. Give the rates here, I can't say I'm that impressed. The service here is amazing - it seems like there is one hotel employee per guest here, and they escort or follow you around every step of the way (but I don't really care much for "in your face" service).  I think we're in a standard room with a view of the courtyard, and it's very nice, but I certainly wouldn't believe that they could charge $700-$1,000 for this.  The shower/bath area of the bathroom is amazing, but everything else in the room is not that impressive, showing some signs of wear, and overall nothing to write home about.

I'm a Platinum Gold Passport member and I asked for a upgrade at check in. They said they would try to find me one, but I think they gave me the standard room.  It's a corner room overlooking the courtyard, so instead of 2 sets of windows with a typical room configuration, this room very long, and has only one set of windows is in the corner at one end of the room next to the beds. I wanted to go back to the front desk and ask whether this was the "best room available within the category booked" (per the Platinum benefits), but it was Friday, we were exhausted, and there was too much to do before shabbos.....

Will try to do a full report when the trip is over...
Hyatt doesn't typically give upgrades to Plats.
Did you have nothing to match to diamond before the stay?  If there was ever a hotel to be diamond at, this is it!
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #157 on: March 27, 2011, 11:47:57 AM »
Hyatt doesn't typically give upgrades to Plats.
Did you have nothing to match to diamond before the stay?  If there was ever a hotel to be diamond at, this is it!

I couldn't come with anything to match for diamond status. Maybe I should've mentioned "dan sent me" at check in. Do you think that would help? 

At least I'm entitled to free internet (although every time I go online, it tells me I'm going to pay 19 euros for 24hrs).

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #158 on: March 29, 2011, 01:25:10 AM »
Just returned from a 3 ½ days in Paris, so I’ll try to recap the important things (i.e., the food). First off, thanks to Dan for the $251 Iberia/AA tickets and the Amex Platinum lounge access. Our hotel stay was sponsored Chase/Hyatt – thanks to momo for the credit card enrollment/free nights tip.  Admirals Club in JFK is a nice place to relax, but they don’t offer any free drinks (other than water, tea and coffee), no packaged snacks, and their wifi seems to be free for everyone but Amex Platinum cardholders. (When I inquired about access, they told me I’d have to sign up with T-Mobile and pay for access, although they seemed to be giving out free-day passes to some people.) The flight was uneventful. Unfortunately, we couldn’t upgrade our tickets because they were though Iberia.

When we arrived in CDG, we took the RoissyBus, which is very convenient and an excellent deal for anyone staying in the area of the Opera. (Thanks for the tip, Dan.)  We arrived at the PH at around 9am, and asked if we could check in early. They told us they didn’t have a room ready yet, but, but they took our luggage and we hung around the lobby a little, and then went out for a couple of hours.

Went to the Pletzel and headed straight for Pitzman. (After all the rave reviews around here, we didn’t waste any time…) We got to the restaurant late Friday morning, and it looked like they were just opening up. We ordered the pizza of course, and tried to order a couple of other things on the menu, but they didn’t seem to have a lot of choices available, and we ended up just having the plain pizza. The pizza was excellent, but we got our first taste of Paris restaurant pricing – every restaurant is overpriced by US standards, and you don’t need to look any further than the 3 to 6 Euro price tag on a small can or bottle of soda in every restaurant. All of the food at Pitzman looked very good (although we didn’t taste anything other than the pizza), but the “waiter” didn’t speak any English, and didn’t seem too interested in us.  If you go to Pitzman, be sure to check out the yarlmuke/mezuah/siddur vending machine hanging on the wall in the restaurant – it’s the first one I’ve seen anywhere.) Next we strolled the Pletzel and picked up some pastries/desert at Korkarz, a bakery on Rue de Rosier, which seems to have a pretty big tourist following. 

Went back to the hotel, where they had checked us in while we were out. One of the hotel’s 5-10 roving reception attendants (yes, there were that many) showed us to our room, where our luggage was waiting for us. Per my post above, I was not too impressed with our room. They had given us a corner room overlooking the courtyard, with a strange configuration, and the only windows located in one corner of the room next to the beds. I don’t know what the pricier rooms look like, but I certainly don’t see how they can justify charging the $800-$900/nt price for the room that I stayed in. Best part of the hotel - it was the nicest shower I’ve ever seen in a hotel (and there was a sink inside the shower too). Worst part of the hotel – There are so many hotel workers, who are trained to be in your face every step of the way at any time you are not in your room.  The spa was very nice, but we had to get past 3 different hotel workers on the way in, and each of them had to show us around and tell us about all the available treatements. When we asked for a fridge, they sent two people to empty our mini bar, so we could use it as a fridge.  When you enter the hotel at any time, there are 3-4 bellhops/concierges waiting at the entrance to wish you bonjour or bonsour and to offer to take your bags. When you walk around the lobby, at least 2 people will stop you and ask if you’d like a table for breakfast/lunch/dinner. While I’m sure there are those who appreciate this type of service, I found it a little annoying.

Headed out to some kosher supermarkets in the 12th district to buy food for shabbos, and bought some challah and pasties at Franck Souffan, an excellent pastry shop that area. (Interestingly, everything in the store seemed to be parve, so there is no milk or cheese in their pastries, and the sandwiches mostly involve tuna.) The Paris metro is great. We went through 30 tickets (though I didn’t do the math, so I’m not sure if the ten-trips were a better deal for us than the one-day or two-day passes).  Blvd Voltaire in the 12th district has a few kosher supermarkets, a couple of bakeries and sandwich shops, a chocolate store and some other restaurants all on a 2-block strip, so it’s a good place for shopping and eating. There’s also a small kosher gourmet grocery store (Koskas et Fils) if you’d like to stock up on foie gras, caviar, and other fancy foods that the French like to indulge in. 

Kashrus in Paris is complicated…. Most locals seem to eat anything (milchig or fleishig) certified by the Beth Din of Paris.  But most visitors from the US will eat only milchig under Beth Din of Paris, and won’t eat fleishig under that hechsher, because the BDP does not require meat to be glatt. The alternatives for meat restaurants are very limited, and there seem to be only a few certified by the local “glatt hechsherim”, with the main hechsher being Rabbi Rottenberg. Unfortunately, most or all of the finer meat restaurants are under BDP, so they will not be in your itinerary if you do not eat meat certified by the BDP.  In the grocery stores, there are a variety of packaged glatt meats available which are either from Israel, or certified by the Strassburg, Antwerp or Manchester hechsherim.  Although there is obviously merit to eating only in those restaurants that are certified by glatt hechsherim, if you are interested in more restaurant options, I would suggest that you speak to someone local that you trust for further guidance on hechsherim and glatt issues.  Some of the people that I spoke to said that BDP’s standards are generally acceptable for non-beef products, when glatt is not applicable. So chicken, duck, goose and possibly even veal may not be an issue. In addition, I learned that many or most of the meat restaurants in Paris have glatt beef available by request, or will arrange for it by request, if you reserve in advance. (They generally refer to glatt as “chalak” or “beit yosef chalak”.), I called a couple of the meat restaurants, and spoke to the proprietors and to the mashgichim.  They all seemed to get the chalak/glatt request pretty often. Some had 1-2 types of meat available in “chalak”, and one (more info below) told me that although they are under BDP, they only use chalak meat, because of the increased demand. Of course, everyone is advised to consult their respective rabbinic authority on this subject, but I thought it would be useful to share the product of my research.

On Shabbos, we davened at the Great Synagogue, locally known as the Synagoga de la Victoire. It is in the 9th district and an easy 12 minute walk from the PH.  The shul is 135 years old, seats a couple of thousand people, and is not to be missed.  On shabbos morning, they had a chazzan and choir, and there were quite a few interesting twists in the davening/program (which I won’t detail here), but it’s definitely worth seeing/experiencing for anyone within walking distance on shabbos. There was also a cold Kiddush after davening, where the locals mix.

After shabbos, we ate at Inte Café, a milchig restaurant (under BPD) which came highly recommended by a couple of people. The restaurant is supposed to be very trendy and casual, and has the soccer and rugby games playing on a few screens.  Everything that we ordered was very tasty, but certainly not exceptional, and like every restaurant in Paris, it’s hard to reconcile the prices on the menu. They did have an English menu though, which was very appreciated.
On Sunday, we ate falafel at one of the stores in the Pletzel. There are 2-3 falafel and/or shawarma stores on the street, and it’s quite a scene on Sundays with the competing store owners pitching their “best falafel” in the street and hundreds of tourists lining up outside the stores, as if the falafel is the biggest attraction in Paris. Falafel was good, but nothing special.

On Sunday night, we ate at O You, a meat BDP restaurant in the 12th district, which is known for its special foie gras (goose liver) menu. On a friend’s recommendation, I had called before and spoke to the mashgiach, who told me that all of their meat is chalak. When I arrived at the restaurant, I spoke to the manager and he told me that they now use only chalak meat, because it is requested by so many of their customers. (Given the prices, I think they can well afford any added expense for glatt meat.) The service was very slow, but the food was all very good. However, like all of the finer meat restaurants in Paris, the prices are in a different stratosphere, so be prepared …..

We checked out of the PH on Monday morning, and I would have had a zero-dollar hotel bill, if not for the hefty bill that they handed me for the toll free calls that I made to access my calling card. I didn’t want to waste time arguing when I had to catch the bus to the airport, but I’ll definitely be taking it up with Hyatt when I get home, since I had asked the concierge before making any calls, and he told me that there would be no hotel charges for the toll free access number.

The Admirals Club in Paris is very conveniently located directly beneath AA’s departure gates and waiting area, so you can hang out there right up until boarding time. They are far more generous with drinks than JFK’s lounge – there are sodas and beer in addition to all the usual drinks, free of charge.  Food on AA from Paris to JFK was catered by Hermolis (of the UK), so it was generally pretty good.

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #159 on: March 29, 2011, 11:37:50 AM »
nice report !!