€€€€French regionalLille-Centre
Le Broc on Place de Béthune in Lille builds its whole card on cheese, melted on toast, roasted, folded into sauces or scraped over potatoes as raclette.
OrderRaclette, scraped at the table.
TipMenus start at 16.90 euros and the kids' menu is 9.90. It runs seven days a week.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
The Vieux-Lille branch of Le Broc sits on Place Louise de Bettignies, the same cheese-led card of fondue, raclette and tartiflette in a wood-lined room.
OrderFondue, if there are at least two of you.
TipBoth Lille branches keep the same hours and the same card, so pick on location alone.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
Le Porthos on Rue de la Monnaie in Lille is a brick-walled estaminet cooking the regional card: carbonade, potjevleesch and welsh, served all day at weekends.
OrderCarbonade flamande, with the house frites.
TipThe kitchen runs 12:00 to 14:00 and 19:00 to 22:00 on weekdays, then straight through from 12:00 to 22:30 on Saturday and to 22:00 on Sunday.
€€€€French regionalVieux-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.
OrderGratin de la Vieille, a pancake baked with endive, ham and maroilles.
TipThe courtyard terrace fills first on a warm evening. Plat du jour runs at 9.90 or 14.90 euros.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
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.
OrderMaroilles croquettes first, then the chicken in maroilles sauce.
TipSame family runs four estaminets in Lille. This is the one to pick if maroilles is the point of the meal.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
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.
OrderThe welsh au maroilles, if you want the northern version rather than the cheddar one.
TipClosed Wednesday and Thursday at lunch. A vegetarian welsh is on the card.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
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.
OrderPotjevleesch with the house frites.
TipFinish with the spéculoos mousse rather than the café gourmand.
€€€€French regionalLille-Centre
Le Barbu d'Anvers is a 130-seat Maître Restaurateur estaminet near Rihour in Lille, serving northern regional cooking across three panelled rooms.
OrderCarbonade flamande, the beef stew braised in brown beer.
TipA la carte runs 17 to 25 euros. The room closes for a summer break, so check before an August visit.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
La Ch'tite Brigitte on Rue des Bouchers in Lille is Clément Richevaux's estaminet, built on the northern dishes his grandmother Brigitte cooked.
OrderThe maroilles croque-monsieur, or the mixed northern platter.
TipThe room takes bookings only, and it spreads across two shopfronts on Rue des Bouchers.
€€€€French regionalSaint-Michel
Le Chat qui Fume on Rue Henri Kolb in Lille is a neighbourhood estaminet doing carbonade, andouillette in beer and a maroilles potato gratin.
OrderThe full welsh, made in house rather than assembled.
TipBook by phone. The kitchen does not take reservations by email.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
Bierbuik is Florent Ladeyn's brewpub on Rue Royale in Lille, wood-fired Flemish street food downstairs and the Bloemeke estaminet menu upstairs.
OrderFrites with maroilles sauce, from the ground-floor brewpub counter.
TipThe upstairs Bloemeke runs a three-course estaminet menu at 30 euros. Beers use Mont des Cats hops.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
Chez Raoul on Rue de Gand in Lille is named for the singer Raoul de Godewarsvelde, an estaminet of chicken in maroilles, fricadelle and charcuterie boards.
OrderGratin de chicons, endives baked in ham and béchamel.
TipClosed Monday and Wednesday lunch. Saturday runs a long afternoon service then reopens late.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
Au Soyeux on Rue de Gand in Lille runs 44 covers of ch'ti cooking, potjevleesch and carbonade with maroilles croquettes and roasted bone marrow.
OrderPotjevleesch, the jellied terrine of four white meats.
TipOnly 24 seats indoors plus a 20-seat terrace, so book for a weekend evening.
€€€€French regionalGambetta
La Ducasse has anchored the corner of Rue Solférino in Lille since 1979, an estaminet of welsh, carbonade flamande and andouillette casseroles.
OrderThe welsh, cheddar melted flat under the grill.
TipThe estaminet has kept the same regional card since 1979, cooked from fresh local produce.
€€€€French regionalVauban-Esquermes
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.
OrderThe welsh fumé, made with a blend of classic and smoked cheddar.
TipA vegetarian welsh is on the card. The current owners took the place on in 2022.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
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.
OrderBoulets à la liégeoise, the Belgian meatballs in sirop de Liège.
TipSunday is lunch only, and it runs on bookings. It is the newest estaminet on this stretch of Vieux-Lille.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
L'Estaminet Lillois on Rue de la Barre in Lille pours around twenty regional beers and cooks carbonade, potjevleesch and chicken in maroilles.
OrderThe welsh made with pain d'épices instead of plain bread.
TipClosed Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday is dinner only and Sunday is lunch only.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
Estaminet La Vieille France on Rue de Gand in Lille seats 65 and cooks the northern canon, carbonade, blanquette de veau, potjevleesch and pot au feu.
OrderCarbonade flamande, cooked long in brown beer.
TipClosed Tuesday and Wednesday at lunch. Sixty-five covers fill up, so a weekend evening needs booking.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
Bloempot is Florent Ladeyn's converted carpentry workshop in Lille, cooking Flanders produce hard and plating it plainly on brutalist ceramics.
OrderRed cabbage steak with concentrated meat jus and a cherry quenelle.
TipThe 37 euro weekday lunch is the cheap way in. Beers come from Ladeyn's own Bierbuik brewpub down the road.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
Bierbuik's brewpub on Rue Royale in Lille runs to 01:00 on Thursday and Friday and to 02:00 on Saturday, and the kitchen stops at 23:30 then.
OrderFrites sauce maroilles
TipOn those three nights the bar outlasts the kitchen, so order food before 23:30.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
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.
TipReservations are essential in the evening. The room fills with regulars before the visitors arrive.
€€€€French regionalVieux-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.
TipTake the terrace on Place aux Oignons rather than a table inside. It is the quieter side.
€€€€French regionalLille-Centre
Le Barbu d'Anvers is a 130-seat Maître Restaurateur estaminet near Rihour in Lille, serving northern regional cooking across three panelled rooms.
TipService is fast even when the room is full, which is why the lunchtime regulars keep coming back.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
L'Estaminet Lillois on Rue de la Barre in Lille pours around twenty regional beers and cooks carbonade, potjevleesch and chicken in maroilles.
TipWednesday is dinner only and Sunday is lunch only. Check before you build an evening around it.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
Estaminet La Vieille France on Rue de Gand in Lille seats 65 and cooks the northern canon, carbonade, blanquette de veau, potjevleesch and pot au feu.
TipClosed Tuesday and Wednesday at lunch, which catches out most people who just walk up.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
L'Estaminet du Welsh on Rue de Gand in Lille runs a lunch menu at 12.90 euros and a plat du jour from 9.90, built around a dozen welsh variations.
OrderWelsh au maroilles
TipThe plat du jour starts at 9.90 euros, which is the cheapest sit-down welsh in Vieux-Lille.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
Au Vieux de la Vieille on Rue des Vieux Murs in Lille runs its plat du jour at 9.90 or 14.90 euros, maroilles gratin included in the cheaper price.
OrderGratin de la Vieille
TipThe 9.90 euro plate is a full meal. The terrace on Place aux Oignons costs nothing extra.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
L'Estaminet Lillois on Rue de la Barre in Lille prices its regional card from 13 euros, carbonade and potjevleesch with twenty local beers to drink alongside.
OrderCarbonade flamande
TipIt opens five days only, closed Monday and Tuesday, so check the day before you plan around it.
€€€€French regionalVieux-Lille
Estaminet La Vieille France on Rue de Gand in Lille feeds 65 covers of carbonade, poulet au maroilles and potjevleesch at neighbourhood prices.
OrderPoulet au maroilles
TipClosed Tuesday and Wednesday at lunch, which catches out a lot of visitors.