French regional€€Vauban-EsquermesMon-Sat, lunch and dinner service; closed Sunday
Au Georges V on Boulevard de la Liberté in Lille calls itself the temple of welsh, and runs a smoked version alongside potjevleesch and carbonade.
Signature: Welsh fumé, Potjevleesch
Order: The welsh fumé, made with a blend of classic and smoked cheddar.
Tip: A vegetarian welsh is on the card. The current owners took the place on in 2022.
French regional€€Vieux-LilleTue 19:00-22:30; Wed-Sat 12:00-14:30 and 19:00-22:30; Sun 12:00-14:30; closed Monday
Chez Ronny on Rue de Gand in Lille is a 1970s-dressed estaminet named for the northern artist Ronny Coutteure, cooking northern French and Belgian plates.
Signature: Welsh, Boulets à la liégeoise
Order: Boulets à la liégeoise, the Belgian meatballs in sirop de Liège.
Tip: Sunday is lunch only, and it runs on bookings. It is the newest estaminet on this stretch of Vieux-Lille.
French regional€€Vieux-LilleWed 19:00-22:00; Thu-Sat 12:00-14:00 and 19:00-22:00; Sun 12:00-14:00; closed Monday and Tuesday
L'Estaminet Lillois on Rue de la Barre in Lille pours around twenty regional beers and cooks carbonade, potjevleesch and chicken in maroilles.
Signature: Poulet maroilles, Welsh pain d'épices
Order: The welsh made with pain d'épices instead of plain bread.
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday is dinner only and Sunday is lunch only.
Seafood€€Lille-CentreDaily 12:00-15:00 and 19:00-22:00
Aux Moules de Lille works Place Rihour in Lille as a mussels-and-frites brasserie, with oysters, prawns and seafood platters alongside the pots.
Signature: Moules-frites, Plateau de fruits de mer
Order: Moules-frites, which is the reason the room exists.
Tip: Mussels are best from September onward. The kitchen also runs daily specials and a vegetarian plate.
French€€Lille-CentreMon-Tue 11:45-14:00; Wed-Sat 11:45-14:00 and 18:45-21:30; Sun 11:45-14:00
Au Quai du Wault looks onto the old dock basin in Lille, a 28-cover room with a 32-seat terrace serving regional and traditional plates from 15 euros.
Signature: Plat du jour, Regional produce plates
Order: The plat du jour, chalked up each morning.
Tip: Dinner runs Wednesday to Saturday only. The terrace is the reason to come.
French bistro€€GambettaMon-Thu 11:45-22:00; Fri-Sat 11:45-22:30; Sun 11:45-22:00
Les Casseroles Lilloises hangs hundreds of pans from its ceiling on Rue Solférino in Lille, cooking bourguignon, duck parmentier and tête de veau.
Signature: Tête de veau sauce gribiche, Parmentier de canard
Order: Tête de veau with gribiche, if you want the bistro classic done straight.
Tip: The kitchen runs non-stop from 11:45, which is rare in Lille.