My friend who lives in Lille brought me to this restaurant for lunch. It was amazing!…read more We had the carbonnade à la flamande, which is Flemish beef stew where beef and onions are simmered in Belgian ale until the meat is tender, the onions are sweet, and the ale has cooked down into a rich, dark gravy. It was very homey and full of flavor. The french fries/chips were also good and I believe homemade. Like many restaurants in France, we could sit outside for the full European experience. It was absolutely incredible and probably my favorite meal in France so far. I certainly recommend this restaurant in Lille.

Restaurant wise there is not a great deal of interest open on a Sunday night in Lille. Fortunately…read moreI had a couple of recommendations from a local pal on Twitter and so it was that we ended tramping across town to L'Gaiette. L'Gaiette is situated in the student area of town and there are plenty of bars in the street for a pre or post dinner drink although not many caught our eye. We had a cheeky pre dinner beer in the Sherwood which was fine, friendly and had a good selection of ale. We sat down for our meal in the pretty, traditional, comfy room just after 7.30pm having taken the precaution of reserving a table in advance. By 8pm the restaurant was full of youngish local folk who obviously appreciate the reasonably priced well cooked local dishes. Our waiter was friendly and helpful. We were mulling over the idea of the veal kidneys when he suggested that while this was a tasty dish it was possibly a little high risk if we had not tried it before - sound advice which was not unwelcome. Unable to make a decision we ordered the chicken with a local cheese sauce and the carbonnade flamande which we shared (strange combination I know). These dishes came with a large stainless steel bowl full of what I thought were exceptionally tasty home made frites although B was much less complimentary. Big portions of hearty food with big robust flavours would probably best sum up the cooking style at L'Gaiette - fine dining this is not but I liked it a lot and would recommend this place to anyone who wants an authentic taste of the region at a very reasonable price. Not much on offer on the wine list but you will get a decent bottle under 20€ and there are plenty of interesting beer to help wash down your feast from Flanders. Enjoy!!

Outstanding fondue and raclette! Great treat if you are in Lille...a must visit…read more East walk (about 15 minutes) from the city center. Staff are exceedingly friendly and speak English. They were very accommodating to our three young children and helped us decipher the menu. We ordered cocktails (excellent), some great bordeaux wine (tasty), appetizers (all very good) and two kinds of fondue (more than enough food for the five of us). Everything we had was great. The place was packed (clearly very popular), the staff were helpful and professional, and the food was tasty (and fun). Worth a visit. Great 4-star restaurant. Strongly recommend!

When I first saw this place my initial assesment was "like a classic American restaurant - if it…read morewere French." It turns out I was pretty close; the plates are HUUGE and the food is pretty average. The produce is good for the simple salads - as is the, but those are *very* simple. For starters I had a "Croque Ancienne" (with salad) which was decent, but which I couldn't differentiate from an above average cheese toast and I couldn't determine what was "ancienne" about it - though that might be my own failing. My mother had a salad with a goat cheese and lardons which she seemed to like - the chevre itself was exceptional - but which was quite large for a starter. My entree (or main) was a Turkey filet in a Calvado cream sauce topped with camembert. The turkey was overcooked and dry; the sauce was *extremely* rich and the Calvado was lost in the sauce. My mothers main was also turkey (better) cooked in a (different) cream sauce - which was the same size as her starter and *also* came with a salad. My starter and entree *also* both came with salads, which didn't bother me as I had ordered them separately, but my mother had ordered hers as part of a *full menu*. Overall the food was decent, but the portions were over-large for the starters particularly and the food was quite rich. It was basically simple comfort food done with exceptional products. I should add that I tried two different blonde beers and they were both quite good.

Le moyen lieu on pourrait dire peut etre!…read more This is an OK café in Lille. The hot chocolate was average, which was a shame as it is often exceptional in France. The mulled wine was very nice though. The service was Okplace wasn't really very busy, so not much of a challenge.

Hidden in a back alleyway, Les Compagnons de la Grappe is the place to come to try out Northern…read moreFrench dishes in a gorgeous garden or dining room setting. The service here was extremely friendly and attentive, offering us careful explanations of all their best dishes and accommodating all of our requests! The item to order if you don't know what to choose is the L'Assiette du Nord, a sampler plate which came with small square bowls of four of the Northern French specialties on the menu. The carbonnade was a sweet and savory stew made with tender chunks of beef and onions; the Welsh des Compagnons was a decadent dish of beer boiled with cheese, served over a slice of ham and a slice of bread (pain d'epices); the Pot'jevleesch was a cold terrine made with chunks of pork, chicken, and rabbit in a savory jelly; and the croquette de crevettes was a fritter made with a creamy batter mixed with little shrimps and served with a thick, creamy dip with herbs (almost like tzatziki). Every item on this plate was absolutely delicious, but I was a particular fan of the Welsh (great for spreading on more bread), the Pot'jevleesch (surprisingly flavorful yet refreshing), and the croquettes (the crispy exterior, the creamy, umami interior, and the cooling cream sauce went perfectly together). In addition to the sampler plate, I also ordered the Filet de Bar, or sea bass in a crispy parmesan crust, served over a tomato-onion compote in an iron plate. On the side also came a "bouillabaisse" in a tiny metal pot--this was a boiled soup made with seasonal summer vegetables including eggplant, zucchini, red onions, and tomatoes. This was a light and delicious seasonal dish, and the presentation and flavors of all the food here were extremely on point!

This was my favorite restaurant while visiting Lille…read more This cozy restaurant is set like family style... it has that warmth and shabby chick that you get as you walk into someone's dinning room. Very unpretentious and nice inside... outdoor you will find an open terrace with warm lighting and heaters for those winter days. It is a beautiful place. Having said that, the best part of this restaurant is the food... heart warming dishes, incredibly tasty bread, awesome wines and service couldn't get any better. Service here was friendly and very attentive. I usually heard of people in France being rude... but I could not disagree more. All of the people in this place were friendly... even other people at the restaurant with whom we talked for a bit and got a few recommendations as they are regulars here. We had a salmon tartare, raw tuna steak (very good), steak and fries and a lamb stew that was delicious all followed by a dessert that had a lot of things... I forgot the name but it was huge. Everything here was delicious. Prices are "very" reasonable. This place is a most visit when coming to Lille. Thumbs up.