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.

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!!

food only delicious. forma the main course to the dessert:…read moretry the special "pain perdu" welcome very nice as pprofessionnals know in this area to drink with these, you can choose, good beer or wine.

Many more local reviewers are hard on the The Little Court- as an obvious outsider I think this…read moreharsh. The food is unapologetic Flamand, by and large. There is a respectable wine list; the staff are excellent and highly professional, not to mention mostly at least bilingual. The place is buzzing; even out of high season you really need a booking. I would come back in a shot.

A modern and vegetarian friendly french restaurant, very well located and nicely priced. I…read morerecommend the salmon starter and risotto main!

Very good restaurant. Upscale restaurant for that special…read moreoccasion or just to pamper yourselves as we did that night. We showed up here without a reservation but it wasn't full so we got seated immediately. With a very nice wine list and even nicer menu choices this restaurant deserves praise. Only 2 people in the dinning room area for waitressing and putting orders and it runs perfectly. We had so many good things... I can tell you that anything out of that kitchen will be delicious. My wife ordered the surprise menu... which was a three course dinner of anything the chef wants to prepare for you. Everything was perfect. Beautiful presentation and all explained to you by the waitress. We also ordered a seafood dish with a lobster sauce that was delicious as well as my fish. All cooked perfectly. Great Restaurant, great service, awesome food.

Superb fish focused restaurant, a must try if you are a fish lover…read more Went on an offer from restaupolitan where you get a free dinner for 1 for a minimum of 2 people booking (must be a la carte and order minimum of 2 drinks) My parents went for that offer but I went with the discovery menu (4 courses for 38,5€). First the table gets an amuse bouche of coconut milk creme with seabass, coral lentils and sea lettuce. As starter we had the Monkfish and panais puree and for me the salmon on caramelised chicory. for mains we had the turbot wit carrot puree and shitakee and gingerbread. I had the pollock with pleurote, celeriac and bulgur risotto. I had a dessert, as included in the menu and it was a delicious apple and cinnamon souffle with an apple granite! The fish is fresh and perfectly cooked and staff is super nice and good service! I will comeback next time I'll be in the area

What a great little restaurant this is. We were in town on vacation for just one day and selected…read morethis place. Very happy we did. My wife had a salad with goat cheese that she says is the best she has ever had, and she has had that many places throughout France and the US. As the photo shows, the goat cheese was baked onto a piece of wonderful bread, so it was almost like getting a salad and sandwich. I had a stew and our friends with us each had a ham and cheese bake of some kind. Forgive me for not remembering all of the details, but it was in French. Overall though, this was an excellent experience in every way. Great service, great food, convenient location. Note that we did not have a reservation, but the owner squeezed us in. I would highly recommend it because even at 1:30 on a weekday, this restaurant was packed.

Northern French food with an emphasis on the Maroilles cheese. The cheese itself is a bit strong…read morefor me. This review is biases because I was here on a day where it was 95 degrees hot.. no air conditioning in the restaurant nor did they have ice.. but I'm sure it would be much more enjoyable on a cooler day.