Tiny little wine bar & restaurant on a small street near the harbor but definitely off the main…read moretourist paths. The wine was fine, and there's of course cidre available as well. Food options were mainly written on small chalkboards around the restaurant and you'll find cheese & charcuterie, traditional things like galettes, and various other items - similar to a brasserie there were items like lasagna on the menu and it was house made & quite good. There were a couple small tables on the sidewalk and then seating for probably 20 inside. Service was very friendly, though we arrived early so it was just the [presumed] owner and it probably helped that my wife speaks French pretty well. Shortly thereafter a server arrived who spoke English so I wouldn't hesitate to check out this wine bar even if your French isn't perfect. It's definitely a local place, but that's why you travel is to find great little places like this.

The food is ok. The service is bad. I would literally push up out of my chair to make eye contact…read morewith the waitress and she would just walk by. I finally had to push up out of my chair and get her attention verbally. Didn't pass by once to ask if we needed anything else. We had to ask two other staff what we needed. If you want bad service come here and get your fill.

We ordered to be split between 2: Soupe de Poisson…read moreMatelote à la Honfleuraise (a house special) The soup was great . The house special Matelote was OUTSTANDING! It arrive extremely hot and remained hot until the last bite. The soup (Matelote) came in it's own pot. There was a variety of fish and shell-fish and potatoes. The sauce had a fantastic fish flavor sitting on top of a buttery-cream sauce. Perfect for a cold day! Ample quantity of each dish to split. The wait staff were attentive and helpful . Come here!

For our second night in the coastal village of Honfleur we decided to have dinner off the boat…read morebasin, giving up the idyllic ambience, but hoping for a better meal because the kitchens would have to try harder to attract patrons since they don't have the view to draw people in. We picked well with L'Estuaire. Three women were taking care of everyone in the front of the house. One seemed to be the owner and the other two, dressed in black pants or skirt with white blouses and black sweaters, were the height of efficiency. Not that they didn't get a bit confused in bringing us and others dessert before the cheese course that was expected, but I marvel at how French restaurants don't rely on busboys and food runners. Everyone does everything with way fewer people and if you need something from someone, you just ask anyone. August may not be a month with R but I knew I had to have moules (mussels) on this trip to France. Not surprisingly, they're a regional specialty along the Normandy coast where you can get versions made with brut cider, cheese sauce, and cream. Brian had had the cider version the day before so I went for the Moules Normande, made with cream. By that description alone, what's not to like? Fresh mussels cooked with cream, onions, and herbs: shut yo' mouth! In his usual attempt to eat healthfully Brian had the salmon toasts and for our mains we went with red meat this night accompanied by a really nice bordeaux from St. Emilion. Rounding out my list of trying the French classics while here I had steak au poivre and Brian had grilled lamb rib chops. Never mind that seafood is the thing in these parts! Both were cooked as ordered: medium to medium rare and it helped that the waitress was able to explain to us that it would be "entre rouge a rose." And the frites! The French just really know what to do with a freakin' potato! Something so ordinary at home is once again sublime here in La France! Very young cheese being the thing in this region we specifically chose a restaurant with a cheese course as part of the set menu. Really, one serving of cheese would have done for us both and we could have shared a dessert but of course we both had cheese plus our own desserts. Livarot cheese was the discovery this night, which had a markedly distinctive tang compared to the very smooth Camembert and the in-between Pont L'Eveque. Brian had a delicious Livarot crepe the next day that really outshone my Pont L'Eveque version. Dessert more than held its own as usual. I had to have the apple tart in this region also known for its apples. It was delicious and seemed to have layer of apple sauce on the bottom, something I've seen in recipes for French apple tart. I was a bit surprised that there was bit of a scorch on some of the apples but then I saw a recipe with a picture and sure enough that seems to be an expected feature of the tart. Brian's chocolate fondant in a pool of creme anglaise was also impeccably delicious, needless to say.

This was a fabulous place for lunch after a tour of the area. We had the fish & chips, mussels and…read moreCaesar salad. Delish! Magnefiquè! The service was also superb. Highly recommend!

Had a very good meal here. Set menu (fixed price) was tasty, straightforward, not overly expensive,…read morewith good service. Comfortable room with pleasant wait staff. Really for me a 4.5. Would definitely eat here again.

For our last weekend in France we decided to do an excursion to the Normandy coast and so ended up…read morein Honfleur, a picture perfect port village where the Seine opens into the English Channel. The prettiest (read: touristy) part of Honfleur centers around the boat basin, which is lined with numerous restaurants and some shops, the better to soak up the unbelievable beauty of the boats, the water, the restaurants, and the gorgeous old buildings. Even the ride to Honfleur by bus from Deauville was jaw-droppingly sumptuous catching glimpses of huge homes and inns along the coast. Obviously seafood is the thing here though the area is just as well known for apple beverages like calvados and cheeses like camembert and pont l'eveque. L'Ostreau was recommended by our hotel and the meal was pretty good. I ordered an unusual seafood choucroute (sauerkraut) stew as my main and Brian had taglietelle aux fruit de mer in a rich cream sauce. (The Normans do love their cow products!) We also had good starters: a hot pureed fish soup with croutons, parmesan and rouille and a shrimp cocktail with perfectly cooked shrimp. Dessert was also very good, a berry cobbler for me and berries and whipped cream for him. English is not widely spoken in these parts but we all soldiered through. It was the rare occasion where my pathetic French was on a par with the server's English. That's certainly no criticism on their part. Frankly I've gotten to enjoying communicating in a language I can't claim to speak. The small things seem like such a triumph!

Fine example of moderate priced French restaurant in Honfleur…read more Ambience friendly with helpful staff. Staff great help with menu selections. Everyone in group tried something different. All of us very satisfied. All menu items good choices with great variety. Casual dress fine with no shorts, no flip flops, no tank tops.

Very torn for this rating of Le Marin...it is beautifully situated on the stunning harbor of…read moreHonfleur, with overall very good food (excellent mussels and frites/fries), but very poor, inattentive service. On the positive side, they offer a variety of different mussels (we tried several and they were all good, particularly the curry mussels), and their fries are quite good (though you seemingly have to beg for ketchup). The negative, however, outweighs the positives...staff is preoccupied, stuffy, arrogant, and inattentive. Food gets a 3/4, staff get a 1/2...averaging out to a 2. Keep the chef...replace the staff/change the attitudes, and you will be on to something.

Mediocre at best. Food was nothing to write home about. Service rather unfriendly and we had to ask…read moretwice for bread, coffee, water and the check. Better to try your luck at a different restaurant nearby as they abound and have the same nice view onto the port of Honfleur.

Wanted to go to 2 other restaurants that where recommended but they were full with tour groups…read more Ended up here for lunch. We had the lunch special. I had the crevettes which were the small shrimp ever. Impossible to peel & eat. The moules marinieres were just ok. My wife the fish which was just ok.

Mediocre. Pas bon, pas mal! Fast and OK service, but their moules marinières and frites are a…read moredisapointment ... I suppose we are not returning. ..