When hunger strikes, there can be nothing more satisfying than a pizza. Especially if you are in a distant land. You dont know much, yet you want to have that comforting feeling of being caressed in the lips by the warm crust, the melting cheese. Add to that smiling people who seem to be proud of their art in making pizza, and voila, you have reached lalaland.
Something similar happened on a recent trip to Paris. We were staying close to the Gare De Lyon. The hotel menu did not seem interesting. Weather was very cold to venture out with the little one for a late night adventure, something we would not even think twice about before the arrival of the little one. Thats when i had to consult every travellers best friend, tripadvisor. It showed me a pizza place within walking distance ( 13 mins or so). What blew my mind was the rating the place had. Almost all 5 stars and every review raving about the place. I donned on my foodie cap, bid adieu to the wife and kid and started on my adventure towards Pizza Julia, located in the Bastille area, pretty close to the Gare De Lyon train station.
Now I am a fairly big guy and dont normally get scared about lonely streets anywhere in the world. But I must admit, I did feel a bit apprehensive ( it was around 9.00pm) approaching the street where the place is located. It was small, dark and eerily empty. A part of me wanted to turn around and run away to the warmth of the nearest Mcdonalds, but then better sense prevailed. I marched on.
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The approach.
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And there it was. A small, teeny weeny hole in the wall kind of a place. I rechecked my phone, was i in the right place? Is this really the place everyone is going gaga about. Apparently I was. So I mustered all my courage, prayed to my gods and walked in.
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| Thats exactly as it looks at night. |
The place was crowded. And by that I dont mean there were tons of people. There was a couple inside at the counter and another guy waiting. I was the fourth one inside and could barely fit in. Thats how small the place is. But then your attention is diverted to the wall, their little wall of fame. Apparently they have won/ are still wining a ton of these pizza making contests. Now, i am not familiar with any of these contests in Paris, so the skeptical me was still ruling the roost. After a brief wait, it was my turn to order. And thats when things skyrocketed towards the beginning of a fabulous experience.
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| Its smaller than it looks here. |
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| The master at work |
There were 3 people inside, one manning the counter, one preparing the toppings for the pizza and the master ( damn i forgot his name) preparing the pizza. The guy at the counter was so cheerful and helpful. There were options galore. In line with pleasing the wife, the theme for our dinner was vegetarian. And they had tons to choose from. I will not spoil the excitement for you and tell you what pizzas did I end up buying. But when i git back to the hotel, all i can tell you is that there were 2 people who were simply blown away by how delicious it tasted. Simple. Beautiful. And you could literally taste the love oozing out of the pizza.
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| The wall of fame. |
There is no denying the fact. This is a fabulous place. Manned by fabulous people, who clearly love what they are doing. I cannot lie and tell you that I want to visit Paris just to have their pizza. What I can tell you is that every time I will be in Paris, I will for sure run back to this small wonderland.
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| Feel the love? |
More details, just search for Pizza Julia Paris on TripAdvisor.
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