Y’all, I’m so excited to write this post. I didn’t go into La Petite Rose thinking I was going to write a full on review on it but after the night ended, I knew I had to. You don’t just have dinner at La Petite Rose des Sables. You have an experience, and not just a dining experience but a life experience. One that can not be missed when traveling to Paris.

Disclaimer: La Petite Rose Des Sables is an extremely small restaurant. The place itself only holds four small tables. A reservation is RECOMMENDED/REQUIRED unless you walk by faith and hope there’s room for you when you show up. 

In regards to my disclaimer, I will say that it is hard to get a reservation. You have to call (but the owner owns a nokia phone that loses signal – more on that later) ahead or you would have to show up during lunch time or days before to tell them in person. Imo, it’s worth showing up days before and letting them know in person. If you can’t make it days before, I recommend showing up 30-45 minutes before they open at 8PM (we went for dinner so I don’t know how lunch is) and waiting to see if a table is open.

La Petite Rose opens at 8PM every night for dinner except on Sundays. Our uber dropped us at 8:15PM (Paris traffic is cray cray). When we arrived we were greeted with 2 signs on the door stating that there were only three tables for the night. When we looked in, all 3 tables were already seated and getting their orders in. There was a flower pot in front of the door kinda like a “we’re closed” sign, lol. There was another couple outside waiting with us who shortly left after reading the signs.

Another Disclaimer: I read a bunch of tripadvisor reviews. A lot of people had said how the owners do not speak English, are blunt/stern/mean, etc. Knowing this I knew that we may or may not be received well. Please note, once you actually get a table, you’re treated like royalty. 

So me being me, I stepped over the flower pot and pushed the door open. I saw the owner taking orders (she never acknowledged me). At this point, another couple had walked up who spoke English. The girl poked her head in beside me and asked “Do you speak English?” and the owner said “Only French” in French, lol. Well, that couple left and it was just me and trae. I had read the reviews so I knew what I was getting myself into, I didn’t get there 30 minutes before opening, I didn’t make a reservation… I could have just counted it as a loss and went home. But I didn’t because you don’t know me if you really think I’m going to be following rules. Sidenote: I suck at following rules, I don’t listen, and as trae says I don’t read thoroughly either.

Well, about 15-20 minutes pass by and we’re just waiting outside and the owner whose name is Mamie, pours us some sangria. As she’s pouring the sangria she keeps calling us “Patient!”. Another 5-10 minutes pass and she welcomes us in on the 4th table (remember, she only was working with three tables that night). We’re seated on two small tables pushed together and we were sat on stools. Everyone else was at a normal sized square table with comfortable chairs, but seeing as how we barged in basically we were happy that she made room for us. This was the start of us realizing that Mamie really goes above and beyond for her CUSTOMERS (you will read very angry reviews on tripadvisor of people who did NOT get to dine with Mamie and they are upset with things besides her, the food, and the experience). Mamie hands us the menu and tells us that a couple of the menu items aren’t available that night because the chef (her husband) is sick. Which looking back may or may not be the reason she only wanted to serve 3 tables that night.

We both ordered the beef with potatoes and a bottle of wine. The plates are huge, they barely fit on the table so don’t worry about leaving this place with an empty stomach. Upon receiving our main course, Mamie threw in a complimentary order of fries. While we were eating our main course, Mamie walked out of the restaurant and came back with two regular sized dining chairs. We aren’t sure where she got them from but we were surprised at her attention to detail. We got out of our stools and sat way more comfortable in the chairs. The space was extremely tight but it made it feel that much more homey.

Things started getting good when it was time for dessert. Between courses, Mamie came around with a complimentary shot for all of us. I wish I remembered what she gave us but I do remember that it tasted like moonshine. With every shot she poured she kept shouting: Aphrodisiac, Aphrodisiac! Making the whole room bust out laughing.

Trae ordered the creme brulee and I ordered the chocolate dessert. I told Mamie that it was my birthday and she wrote me a Happy Birthday note, turned off the lights, sung me happy birthday, and had sparklers in my dessert. So she keeps walking around, speaking french, we all don’t know what she’s saying and we all just keep looking around at each other amused. She told trae he wasn’t eating his dessert right and gave him extra whipped cream and some chocolate candy to add to his dessert. She is now making her way around the room with an orange and ANOTHER shot for everyone.

Once dessert is over at a restaurant you usually pay the bill then leave. Not at Mamie’s. She started asking us where we were from and then proceeded to tell us about her children. One of her sons is a doctor who immigrated to the states (philly) and married a Vietnamese lady. Mamie accompanied her story with a photobook. She showed us her son, herself at a younger age, and photos of famous french people who came to dine at her restaurant before. During the dinner, Mamie kept having to go outside to get signal and answer her Nokia phone. She told us a story about how she does not have an Iphone because she got pick pocketed when she owned one. She told us that a nokia is “no problem, no problem!”. So, if you’ve tried calling Mamie for a reservation I hate to break it to you but I would for sure show up in person and get a reservation for a future date.

Think we’re done? Not quite. Mamie walks around with one last shot. This time I got the name of the liquor and it’s called Five Calvados. It literally burned my throat, but I took like a champ. We all got our bills, hung around while Mamie pulled out her old school calculator and did the math and chatted with each other. She gave one couple a complimentary wine bottle for their anniversary, gave the other tables candy and more. For us, she sent us away with a pink bag full of candy, a french hat, a french scarf, waffles, a mirror, and a wallet.

If you’re ready to make this dinner a part of your night, hear 100% french, be amused by Mamie and her contagious laugh and smile, then make sure you visit La Petit Rose Des Sables the next time you’re in Paris. Mamie is the spark that you expect to experience when you visit Paris. Oh, and she won’t let you leave without a picture. I promise you, it’s an unforgettable experience. I can’t wait to go back and hang out with her again.

Xoxo,

Wynee

 

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