I love restaurants which have more locals as customers than tourists! Many locals fill the…read morerestaurant on Friday and Saturday evenings when live music begins at 8pm. La Trinquette's owner actively supports local folk and jazz bands and strives to give them wider visibility. And oh yeah, the food. I love their mussels (Moules) and thought I would never order anything else on the menu. During our last visit the server encouraged my wife and I to try their signature dish, the whole fish. Although I could not understand her description in French I could see her enthusiasm for this dish, and enthusiasm does not require a translation! So we both ordered the whole fish. I'm originally from Seattle and now live in San Diego so I've eaten quite a bit of seafood. Honest folks my wife and I rated this as our favorite fish dinner, ever!
Lastly, La Trinquette sits quietly, somewhat undiscovered alongside Villefranche marina. The main tourist zone and train station are east of the castle. La Trinquette is just west of the castle. Although easy walking distance most tourists don't venture past the castle. Better for me as I can dine with the locals!