Estaminet La Vieille France is a french regional restaurant in Vieux Lille, Lille.
Editorially verified August 3, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Carbonade flamande, Poulet au maroilles
Must order: Carbonade flamande, cooked long in brown beer.
Tip: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday at lunch. Sixty-five covers fill up, so a weekend evening needs booking.
Address: 51 Rue de Gand, 59000 Lille
Au Vieux de la Vieille spills onto the cobbles of Rue des Vieux Murs in Lille, the terrace estaminet locals send visitors to for carbonade and welsh.
Signature: Gratin de la Vieille, Carbonade flamande
Order: Gratin de la Vieille, a pancake baked with endive, ham and maroilles.
Tip: The courtyard terrace fills first on a warm evening. Plat du jour runs at 9.90 or 14.90 euros.
Chez la Vieille on Rue de Gand in Lille is the maroilles house of the strip, a cluttered estaminet where the cheese turns up in almost every course.
Signature: Croquettes au maroilles, Poulet au maroilles
Order: Maroilles croquettes first, then the chicken in maroilles sauce.
Tip: Same family runs four estaminets in Lille. This is the one to pick if maroilles is the point of the meal.
L'Estaminet du Welsh on Rue de Gand in Lille builds its whole card around welsh, a dozen versions of cheddar melted in beer over bread and frites.
Signature: Welsh au maroilles, Potjevleesch
Order: The welsh au maroilles, if you want the northern version rather than the cheddar one.
Tip: Closed Wednesday and Thursday at lunch. A vegetarian welsh is on the card.
La Petite Table has run on Rue de la Monnaie in Lille since 2003, a small estaminet doing carbonade, welsh and potjevleesch properly by hand.
Signature: Carbonade flamande, Potjevleesch
Order: Potjevleesch with the house frites.
Tip: Finish with the spéculoos mousse rather than the café gourmand.
Les Compagnons de la Grappe hides down a corridor off Rue Lepelletier in Lille, a courtyard terrace serving welsh, carbonade and grilled meat non-stop.
Signature: Welsh, Onglet frites
Order: Onglet frites, cooked over the grill.
Tip: The kitchen runs straight through the afternoon, which makes this the answer to a 16:00 arrival.
Au Vieux de la Vieille spills onto the cobbles of Rue des Vieux Murs in Lille, the terrace estaminet locals send visitors to for carbonade and welsh.
Signature: Gratin de la Vieille, Carbonade flamande
Order: Gratin de la Vieille, a pancake baked with endive, ham and maroilles.
Tip: The courtyard terrace fills first on a warm evening. Plat du jour runs at 9.90 or 14.90 euros.
Chez la Vieille on Rue de Gand in Lille is the maroilles house of the strip, a cluttered estaminet where the cheese turns up in almost every course.
Signature: Croquettes au maroilles, Poulet au maroilles
Order: Maroilles croquettes first, then the chicken in maroilles sauce.
Tip: Same family runs four estaminets in Lille. This is the one to pick if maroilles is the point of the meal.
L'Estaminet du Welsh on Rue de Gand in Lille builds its whole card around welsh, a dozen versions of cheddar melted in beer over bread and frites.
Signature: Welsh au maroilles, Potjevleesch
Order: The welsh au maroilles, if you want the northern version rather than the cheddar one.
Tip: Closed Wednesday and Thursday at lunch. A vegetarian welsh is on the card.
La Petite Table has run on Rue de la Monnaie in Lille since 2003, a small estaminet doing carbonade, welsh and potjevleesch properly by hand.
Signature: Carbonade flamande, Potjevleesch
Order: Potjevleesch with the house frites.
Tip: Finish with the spéculoos mousse rather than the café gourmand.
Les Compagnons de la Grappe hides down a corridor off Rue Lepelletier in Lille, a courtyard terrace serving welsh, carbonade and grilled meat non-stop.
Signature: Welsh, Onglet frites
Order: Onglet frites, cooked over the grill.
Tip: The kitchen runs straight through the afternoon, which makes this the answer to a 16:00 arrival.
Le Barbu d'Anvers is a 130-seat Maître Restaurateur estaminet near Rihour in Lille, serving northern regional cooking across three panelled rooms.
Signature: Carbonade flamande, Welsh
Order: Carbonade flamande, the beef stew braised in brown beer.
Tip: A la carte runs 17 to 25 euros. The room closes for a summer break, so check before an August visit.
