When I stayed in Paris, my apartment was quite close to Ile St Louis, so Berthillon was often on the way back from our outings. Getting ice-cream from the counter is something anyone in Paris for the summer should do. The ice-cream is a frozen custard style ice-cream, made with egg yolks as well as cream and sugar. It is truly the best ice-cream I have ever had. All the flavors I tried had a depth and richness of fresh flavor unlike any store bought ice-cream. The wild strawberry (Fraise du Bois) is intense and bright, paired perfectly with the super creamy vanilla. Ice-cream in France, or at least in Paris, is served in funny cones. If you want two scoops, you get a cone that holds the scoops separately, side by size which makes it seem even more special. If you are watching your weight, Berthillon's sorbets are delicious and refreshing. I suggest the melon flavors and the lime flavor. Enjoy!

I actively searched for Berthillon on the Ile St Louis after I had heard such magnificent things about it. What I did not expect was to find most of the cafes on the island advertising that they sold Berthillon ices. As I had no idea where the original shop was or what it looked like, I was constantly fooled by these vendors.

During a relaxing lunch of a citron presse and a croque madame in a cafe, I realised that ice cream cones were being carried from a certain direction. When I'd finished and paid up, I walked towards that direction, and there it was!

A peek through the little window open to the street showed a lady sitting on a chair and a freezer next to her with all the ice cream sitting inside. There appeared to be a cafe within the shop but it was closed, presumably since it was November. Next to the window was a multi-coloured display of the various ice creams available--new availabilities were added on a hand-written slip of paper posted to the menu. I was glad this menu was large, as I took much time deciding what exactly it was I wanted--a decision also based on how much my stomach could handle!

Finally, I stepped up to the window and ordered. I wanted a two-scoop cone with praline aux pignons (praline with pinenuts) on the bottom and cassis (black currant) sorbet on the top. The cone is a very long and thin waffle cone--I vaguely remember choosing this cone for a slightly higher price--and normal wafer cones were also available. I think I paid approximately €4.

The praline was average--a very creamy and rich with caramelised pinenuts. The cassis, though, was extraordinary. Slightly tart, it tasted of black currants more than black currants themselves could taste! Delicious! The balls of ice cream are smaller than one would normally expect in the UK or North America, but the flavour coming from them is 10 times that in return.

From what I did try, I would recommend sticking with the fruit sorbets, as their flavours are amazing. However, I wouldn't mind going back to try *all* the varieties of ice cream and sorbet on offer.

They have a website at http://www.berthillon-glacier.fr, where it states that they are closed on Monday and Tuesday.

We got ice cream from the window outside. My mom had some chocolate mix, my dad had some melon sorbet, my aunt had cafe, and i had vanille. It was good, but I've had better. And they were mean to dogs inside. They wanted me to lie down under the table but I'm too big.

My brother-in-law loves ice cream, so he insisted on taking us to what he calls the best ice cream in Paris. At first I wasn't too enthusiastic about the thought of taking an excursion across town, away from our normal planned itinerary I had hoped to stick with (much like Chevy Chase in the movie European Vacation). This excursion turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip for me. Not only did it turn out that this supposed ice cream shop served some of the best ice cream I'd ever had, it also was smack dab in the middle of a small island on the Seine River. Not an island like you'd normally think and actually just more than a mound of real estate with the Seine splitting around it. Nevertheless, the island, known as Ile St Louis, is actually a tourist destination for many due to its charm. Its like the City of Paris in miniature. We saw quaint restaurants and at least two hotels there. Kind of reminded me of the old-world charm of the walled city Rotenberg, Germany I'd seen being raised moons ago. Anyway, we waited in line at Berthillon's which gave us plenty of time to choose from the multi flavors. I had a cup of three balls of sorbet which were unbelievable. The pear sorbet was more like pears than pears themselves, the green apple was great, and the wild strawberry ("fraise du bois") was among the best things I have ever tasted. Fantastic. Beyond words. Bertillion is a mandatory stop for all but the most cursory visits to Paris.

The best ice cream in Paris. At least that's what I was told by my guide books. Since it was the only place we ate ice cream I would have to agree. This little stand with a line of people a mile long offers homemade ice cream in countless flavors and cones up to 3 scoops - but bear in mind French scoops are more petite than American scoops. With flavors like cocunut, vanilla, chocolate, pistachio, berry, peach, melon, coffee etc., there is something for everyone. And at 2-3 francs not so hard on the purse strings either. Plus you get the bonus of eating the cones on the banks of the Seine with a view of Notre Dame, not bad for an afternoon out.