Your CartIce cream, is there anything more decadent and delicious than this? I’ve tasted my share of ice cream from around the world, and while a current favorite at FrenchGardenHouse is the organic Limoncello Gelato from Sprouts, the ice cream in Paris seems to taste better than pretty much anywhere else. Ice cream has a long history, and used to be quite an expensive and labor intensive treat to serve in the 1800’s. We have sold our share of beautiful antique hand painted Limoges ice-cream platters, gilt special shaped ice cream spoons, and scoops here in the shop. And while the best flavors of ice cream are a hotly debated subject, what shop makes the best ice cream in Paris is not. Today, I’m sharing our Favorite Shop in Paris, Berthillon.
Tour guides, guides to Paris and most importantly, local Parisians all agree, Berthillon makes the best ice cream in the city of lights. If not the whole world. For obvious reasons, any time you go to the shop at rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Ile, there will be a line around the block. If you want to get a quick fix, many other shops also sell their ice cream, but it will not taste the same. The ice cream at the original Berthillon is the best, perhaps because all the other shops put theirs in the deep freeze, and it crystalizes just a tiny bit. For the total & original experience, just queue up early. Honestly, they open at 10 and for true ice cream lovers, that’s not too early, is it?
This Parisian glacier {ice cream maker} makes what many consider the absolute best ice cream in the whole world. Long a tradition in Paris, my favorite is the one made with frais de bois, those small wild strawberries. And the blackcurrant sorbet. And…oh well, can I just suggest you go there on your next trip to Paris?!
The original family has been making and selling their delicious ice cream since the 1950’s. Their ice creams all have the truest flavors, without any artificial additives or flavors. It’s a closely guarded secret, and no wonder. They have a salon de thé too, with indescribable pastries, tea, coffee and chocolat.
In true French fashion the shop is closed for summer from Monday July 26th until Tuesday August 31st. {!!}
GO THERE:
Berthillon
31, rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Ile (4th)
Tél: 01 43 54 31 61
Métro: Pont Marie or Sully-Morland
(Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, the second half of July and all of August.)
Always a fan of ice cream, we love to serve ours up with antiques, and are always on the hunt for ice cream platters by Limoges, and special antique ice cream spoons, even scoops. Here are a few of our latest finds:
Antique Vermeil Ice Cream Shovels
It’s the end of summer, eat lots of ice cream!
You can follow Berthillon on Instagram
or Facebook
What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?
A BIENTOT
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How divine Lidy!! Wish I would have known about it when I was in Paris!
Blessings, Edie Marie
Edie Marie, here’s hoping you can make a return trip!
Oh my, I bought a spoon similar to yours years back. I didn’t know what it was named. Just liked the unique look. It reads on back: sambonet 18 20 Italy
Thanks for the information. Sure would love to taste that ice cream….
What a lovely visit to Paris today… thank you!
Have a lovely week ahead my friend.
I couldn’t agree more, Lidy. I remember my first Berthillon trip (and my first Paris trip). You’d think Paris would be enough but then you have that ice cream and you realize there is “better” and “best” — and it’s no contest!
Je cherche une tête de lit cannée style Louis XVI