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.

Very nice food and nice service. Try the menu they offer and good choice of deserts too to enjoy.read more

I am a huge fondue fan and so I really enjoyed my meal here. However, that said generally fondues…read morethat I have had previously have been better than this one was. I was expecting a lot from a goat's cheese fondue, given my love of the chevre, but the meal didn't quite deliver. The taste was far too mild. We had bread and potatoe to dip in and for some reason a side dish of various presentations of pig. I have only had potatoes with fondue once before and they were served warm. Here the potatoe was cold, which wasn't that good. The service was efficient but not particularly friendly. I would still suggest that this place is worth a look if you fancy a fondue in Lille. I am just being harsh because I know it can be done so much better. When we were here it was very quiet but the fact that he told us we would need to vacate the table before 9pm (rather unnecessary I thought as this gave us 2 hours!) tells me that this place can get very busy (the other reviews back this up). Have an early lunch and go at 7 would be my tip!

Found on TripAdvisor, this youthful and funky restaurant has excellent service and food. I was…read moresurprised that little English was spoken, but nonetheless they were able to interpret my bad French to come up with a vegetarian dish. I had a fish that was served cold with coriander and avocado while my friend had the swordfish. Good cheesecake, a bit heavy perhaps. I love the decor!

This place was lovely. We did not have a reservation and we also speak very little French. The…read morestaff were extremely helpful, moving tables to accommodate us, verbally translating the menu, etc. The food was great. It arrived promptly, piping hot and delicious. We enjoyed a lovely, relaxed meal in a friendly atmosphere with very attentive and professional staff. Thank you!!

From the owner: Whisky, rhums, vins et Champagnes. Epicerie fine et fromagesread more

Excellent lunch at this honest and friendly place with one menu of the day... the food was…read moredelicious! The service was great! Price-quality fantastic! I visited this small restaurant this week with family and decided to order salmon for myself and veal for my two-year old... I shared with him and cannot tell you which of the two dishes I liked better... they were both soooo nice! The salmon came with a cauliflower sauce and a variety of fresh and very tasty vegetables. The veal had a wonderful sauce with purée and vegetables. It's not that we hadn't eaten well for a while... on the contrary... but for all of us this was our highlight of the past week food wise... Enjoy! I'll be glad to eat there again if in the area.

A cute and cozy little restaurant with good quality tasty food and service with a casual intimate…read morefeel. They offer meals that are fixed price appetizer plus main plus dessert, appetizer plus Main, or main plus dessert for a discount off the menu prices. We had the regional specialties of Welsh Complet which was slices of bread and ham covered in a rich mixture of cheddar cheese, mustard, and beer topped with an egg and Carbonade Flamande, a Flemish beef stew made with beer, gingerbread and sugar. Both were served with a generous helping of French fries.

We had dinner at Le Petite Table on Saturday night having taken the precaution of reserving a table…read morea few days in advance. It's a small, nicely decorated, casual dining place with a few tables on the ground floor and four or five more on the top floor which is where I would recommend taking your supper if you have the choice. The menu is split into choices from the "North" and the "South" - as you would expect the southern dishes are a little lighter and have a more Meditteranean flavour while the northern dishes on offer are pretty much the Flemish classics you will find all over town. There is an English menu available if you need help with the translation. The wine list is very compact with a choice of 3 or 4 unremarkable whites and reds around the 20€ mark. There is a reasonable choice of beer including the local trois monts and a few other decent brews by the bottle. We shared a shrimp croquette to start which was quite light and tasty. It came with a cream cheese accompaniment and some nicely presented salad. Good dish to start with and plenty for two to share. My main course of carbonnade flamande was a pretty good version of this local classic but lacked a little bit in terms of depth of flavour. The beef was good but could perhaps have benefited from being teamed up with a more interesting beer in the pot. On the plus side it came with some decent home made frites. B went South and had the carbonara poulet gorgonzola which she declared to be tasty but not a dish to knock the socks off. We were full by this point so we skipped dessert and had a cafe with an armagnac to finish what had been a pleasant but fairly average meal. If you know where to look you will find much better in Lille but I can see why Le Petite Table gets good reviews,that are well deserved, on the tourist websites.

We had lunch at the pretty, cosy Bistrot Lillois on a rainy Saturday late November afternoon - we…read morewere lucky to get a table without having made a reservation. Be warned that all of the restaurants on the Rue De Gand attract a good crowd at the weekend and booking is essential if you want to dine at the most popular places. After bagging the only available table we received a warm welcome from the young waiter and before long the chef wandered over and gave us a lengthy run through the specials of the day (written up on mirrors on the walls). I didn't like to interrupt his flowing French description so I nodded, smiled and murmured ah oui whenever it seemed appropriate. All the classic local dishes were present on the menu (if you are in Lille for long you will not really need to consult a menu as most restaurants offer exactly the same dishes - what is different is the quality). I went for the Le Welsh Complete while B went for the daily special of roast duck leg. Our food turned up pretty quickly and looked quite nice on the plate although it was obvious straight away that our frites were of the frozen mass produced variety as were the sprouts and green beans which came with the duck leg. No matter as we were cold and hungry and in need of sustenance which is what we got from the Bistrot Lillois. I followed the example of the young French fella on the table next to me and perked my Welsh up with a good dose of Worcestershire sauce. B declared that the duck leg was well warmed through and had plenty of flavour. We washed our food down with a couple of beers - we went for the very easy drinking and toothsome Poperings Hommel which was the house beer. Before leaving we went downstairs and paid a visit to the toilets. I don't want to give the game away and spoil the experience for others but a visit to the toilets at the Bistrot Lillois is an absolute must and should be on the itinerary of every tour of Lille - a very strange and weird homage to something or someone I suspect. I wanted to like the Bistrot Lillois more but it really needs to up it's game on the food front. This was most definitely an eat to live experience and not one I will be rushing back to experience (but do go to check out the toilets!!).

We had lunch at the pretty, cosy Bistrot Lillois on a rainy Saturday late November afternoon we…read morewere lucky to get a table without having made a reservation. Be warned that all of the restaurants on the Rue De Gand attract a good crowd at the weekend and booking is essential if you want to dine at the most popular places. After bagging the only available table we received a warm welcome from the young waiter and before long the chef wandered over and gave us a lengthy run through the specials of the day (written up on mirrors on the walls). I didn't like to interrupt his flowing French description so I nodded, smiled and murmured ah oui whenever it seemed appropriate. All the classic local dishes were present on the menu (if you are in Lille for long you will not really need to consult a menu as most restaurants offer exactly the same dishes what is different is the quality). I went for the Le Welsh Complete while B went for the daily special of roast duck leg. Our food turned up pretty quickly and looked quite nice on the plate although it was obvious straight away that our frites were of the frozen mass produced variety as were the sprouts and green beans which came with the duck leg. No matter as we were cold and hungry and in need of sustenance which is what we got from the Bistrot Lillois. I followed the example of the young French fella on the table next to me and perked my Welsh up with a good dose of Worcestershire sauce. B declared that the duck leg was well warmed through and had plenty of flavour. We washed our food down with a couple of beers we went for the very easy drinking and toothsome Poperings Hommel which was the house beer. Before leaving we went downstairs and paid a visit to the toilets. I don't want to give the game away and spoil the experience for others but a visit to the toilets at the Bistrot Lillois is an absolute must and should be on the itinerary of every tour of Lille a very strange and weird homage to something or someone I suspect. I wanted to like the Bistrot Lillois more but it really needs to up it's game on the food front. This was most definitely an eat to live experience and not one I will be rushing back to experience (but do go to check out the toilets!!).

Awesome authentic Creole spot located in old Lille. Dont get deterred if it looks like it's closed…read morefrom the outside, they just have very dimmed lighting on the outside of the restaurant. They have a menu of the day in french posted up in a few places around the restaurant. We got sausage dish and beef dish that came with delicious rice and veggies. The beignets were also to die for. My only complaint is the cocktails which were pretty basic. Basically just a liquor and a juice. Id go back and bring friends but would refrain from buying a drink.

Hey y'all! I'm probably the first English reviewer for this restaurant in the small town of Lille…read more I studied abroad in Europe for a semester and during my travels I chose Lille as one of the places I'd visit for a weekend. Touloulou was a restaurant that is located in Old Lille (Vieux-Lille) and was only a couple minutes away from the hostel I was staying at. My friend and I were looking for a place to grab dinner and we popped into Touloulou. Thankfully we got greeted and seated right away despite it being a little busy (with some tables reserved). Before going in, you're probably asking yourself is this English-speaking friendly. The staff knows English, and there's no English menu, but they are happy to help translate for you! (They helped translate through the whole menu despite being busy). The place itself is not small, but it is cozy and quaint. The decor is cute and makes you like you're visiting grandma's for the weekend. The lights are dimmed lower than usual places but that's not such a big problem! There are about 8 tables in the whole dining room, and they're all fairly close to one another, this may be especially uneasy if you're looking for a private conversation with your company. A first glance at the menu, there are a few selections. My eyes always wander off to the prices first, and my first initial thoughts were that this is pricey but fair enough. I got the bouef shop suey, and my friend got the rougail saucisses fumees. The food doesn't take that long to come out, and the dishes and plates are pretty and proportions are enough to get you full. Most dishes come with rice, and you can ask for sauces if necessary. The food was mediocre. For the price it was at, I didn't think it was worth being 15-16 euros. It was mildly good, but not enough for me to come back. The meat was tender which was good, but it was just meat on top of rice and veggies for me. I tried my friend's dish and it was similar to what I had. Nothing special, nothing worth mentioning. Maybe it's just my palette, but I wouldn't come back for the food. If anything I may come back and get a drink. I must applaud the staff, they were all friendly and very engaging and helpful, especially to us tourists.