Dining
Discover Our StoriesFood for all tastes…
The traditional eating establishments are called Estaminets; Estaminet Au Vieux De La Vieille is a favourite (but book). There are quite a few. Local dishes include mussels and chips, Le Welsch, a heart-attack of cheese, beer, ham and bread, Carbonade Flamande, a rich beef beer stew with chips. The local cheese in Maroilles; very pungent. Many of the bars do meat/cheese platters (Planches) which are often huge (with bread of course) and very good for about €15. Best patisserie/cake place is the world-famous Méert in the old town. Plenty of other restaurants, lots of more ethnic ones in the Wazemmes district. A friend owns a very fine Indian establishment – L’été indien. All the usual fast-food suspects are present. Very, very good ‘proper’ burgers at L’Adresse, 34 Bis Rue des Boucher.
La Bellezza, Rue Esquermoise, is an excellent Italian restaurant. Always big queues.
There are quite a few sushi places, deeply average in my experience. Some weird ‘fusion’ joints – Coté Sushi – a Peruvian/Japanese experiment: no me neither. Lots of couscous (France’s adopted cuisine; like curry for us) restaurants, particularly in the Wazemmes area.
There’s an English tearoom in the old town, Elizabeth’s on rue Basse. Good in my experience; quite small. But, as mentioned previously, for the full-on tearoom/cake experience Méert is stunning!
People queue endlessly for meringue-based local specialities from Les Merveilleux de Fred, Rue de la Monnaie. The Merveilleux consists of meringue, chocolate, whipped cream, coated with shavings of dark chocolate. [There’s one at Lille-Flandres too and they have recently opened an outpost at St Pancras in London].
Waffles are quite a big thing here too. Covered in whipped cream!
For cheap food, most patisseries/boulangeries do very good, large sandwiches (€3.5-5ish), or they will make them for you. The chain Paul, which is in the UK, was founded in Lille. Perfectly acceptable, but not the best.
If you’re in the mood for fine dining, there are three Michelin-starred restaurants in the centre: Guide Michelin
Other Estaminets
Au Vieux de la Vieille at the Place aux Oignons and along Rue de Gand you’ll find Estaminet La Vieille France, Estaminet du Welsh et Estaminet Chez La Vieille.
Chez La Vieille 60 Rue de Gand estaminetlille.fr/chezlavieille/
Le Barbue d’Anvers 1 bis rue St Etienne, www.barbuedanvers.fr
Chez Raoul 56 Rue de Gand www.chez-raoul-estaminet.fr
Lots and lots of restaurants on Rue du Gand in the old town.
Most bars are really brasseries, so do food. Simplistically you won’t be disappointed. The French are obsessed by food, so apart from the fast-food joints and ubiquitous kebab shops, places don’t survive if the food isn’t good or is overpriced.
Chips are a big deal here! You’ll find the various Friterie Meuniers (one in Grand’Place another close to Lille-Flandres) are utterly reliable for huge portion of frites and stuff! If you all want to eat different things (!) then there are two food halls: Kitchen Market Lille (rue des Tanneurs) and Grand Scéne (rue de Béthune).
Breakfast, apart from the ever-present croissant, is not such a thing. The only place I’ve found for a decent brunch-type offering is the Australian Paddo Café, by the cathedral on rue du Cirque. Busy and no reservations. Excellent food and service. Soho Urban Food (rue Léon Trulin) is highly rated for a big buffet-type meal; I’ve not been. I find the Indian restaurants in France pretty bland by English standards, with the exception of my mate Harsh’s aforementioned L’ete indien!
Snacks and Fast Food
All the usual suspects are present and correct.. sadly!
If you want to prepare your tastebuds in advance, I’d suggest you have a go at a nice Carbonard Flamande. This BBC Good Food recipe is actually pretty good…
Discover Lille
Lille, the vibrant capital of Flanders, is known for its stunning architecture, rich history, and welcoming atmosphere. Explore the charming old town, indulge in delicious French cuisine, and experience a unique mix of French and Flemish cultures.
Culture and History
Bars and Cafes
Dining
Shopping
Vieux Lille
Safety and Security
Plan your visit
How to Get Here?
Getting to and from Lille. Obviously, you’ll have booked what you’ve booked. Just some general observations. Gare Lille-Europe (Eurostar) is fairly central and on the Metro (line M2/red), about a three-minute walk/one Metro stop, from Gare Lille-Flandres, the regional hub. If you’re heading back on Eurostar, the actual international part of the station is quite small, so expect to queue. UK (and French) passport checks are done there. Once through, the lounge is small with a tiny ‘Relay’ shop: basic sandwiches, drinks, confectionary and cigarettes. No Duty Free.
If you’re travelling by bus (Flixbus, etc.) they stop and pick-up outside Lille-Europe.
By Road
If you’re arriving by ferry or Eurotunnel, it’s all fairly obvious. However, be aware that the major roads that approach and go through the city often have variable and/or constantly changing speed limits. So, you can quickly go from 130kph to 110 to 90 to 70. And there are lots of cameras which are quite hard to spot (Waze is pretty good). As stated earlier street parking in Lille is mostly paid for in the centre. And there are quite a few, very central, underground car parks, for example underneath Grand’Place.
Crit Air sticker. If you are bringing your car in the city you will need a Crit Air Vignette (pollution). You can purchase them online here: https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/
And remember post-Brexit the rules on passport validity are being enforced. Your passport must:
- have a ‘date of issue’ less than 10 years before the date you arrive
- have an ‘expiry date’ at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave the Schengen (France) area
And at French border control, you may need to:
- show proof of your accommodation
- show proof of your travel insurance
- show a return or onward ticket
- prove that you have enough money for your stay
The new ETIAS/EAS visa system keeps being delayed. There is talk of some roll out starting in November, so no issue for Tour de France visitors.
Airports
Lille-Lesquin is the city’s airport. Not a major hub. The closest major airport are Brussel and Paris-CDG.
Where to stay ?
Hotels in the city center, budget options, and nearby accommodations
What to Bring ?
Comfortable walking shoes, event tickets, and your excitement!
Stay in the loop
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