Bernard et Léon is a bistro restaurant in Vieux Lille, Lille.
Editorially verified August 3, 2026 by Elliot Marsh, TableJourney editor. Source.
Why locals love it: A lunch-only canteen on Rue de la Clef whose bowls are named after the founders' own grandfathers, Bernard and Leon.
Tip: Lunch only, and it shuts at 14:30 on weekdays. Saturday runs half an hour later.
Guided tour · 2 hours
Discover the best of Lille on a guided walking tour. Explore the Grand Place, Vieux-Lille, and the Notre-Dame de la Treille Cathedral, and get tips on where to taste l...
Guided tour · 2.5 hours
Join a beer-themed scavenger hunt in Old Lille. Your game includes discovering the city, the history of Lille beer, and tastings!
Private tour · 105 minutes
Discover Lille's culinary scene on a guided food tour. Taste local specialties like fries, waffles, and pastries, and visit the city's oldest restaurant and a surprise...
Address: 3 bis Rue de la Clef, 59800 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.
Why locals goA cluttered maroilles house on the historic Rue de Gand, with a summer terrace looking straight at the Porte de Gand.
TipReservations are essential in the evening. The room fills with regulars before the visitors arrive.
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.
Why locals goIt sits on the tiny Place aux Oignons rather than the main circuit, which keeps the terrace calm on a busy Saturday.
TipTake the terrace on Place aux Oignons rather than a table inside. It is the quieter side.
L'Estaminet Lillois on Rue de la Barre in Lille pours around twenty regional beers and cooks carbonade, potjevleesch and chicken in maroilles.
Why locals goClosed Monday and Tuesday, with Wednesday dinner only, which keeps it a locals' room rather than a tourist stop.
TipWednesday is dinner only and Sunday is lunch only. Check before you build an evening around it.
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.
Why locals goSixty-five covers doing the regional canon rather than a tourist carte, on the busiest estaminet street in the city.
TipClosed Tuesday and Wednesday at lunch, which catches out most people who just walk up.
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.
Why locals goA cluttered maroilles house on the historic Rue de Gand, with a summer terrace looking straight at the Porte de Gand.
TipReservations are essential in the evening. The room fills with regulars before the visitors arrive.
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.
Why locals goIt sits on the tiny Place aux Oignons rather than the main circuit, which keeps the terrace calm on a busy Saturday.
TipTake the terrace on Place aux Oignons rather than a table inside. It is the quieter side.
Le Barbu d'Anvers is a 130-seat Maître Restaurateur estaminet near Rihour in Lille, serving northern regional cooking across three panelled rooms.
Why locals goA 130-seat Maitre Restaurateur estaminet that long-time Lillois keep returning to, hidden a street back from Rihour.
TipService is fast even when the room is full, which is why the lunchtime regulars keep coming back.
L'Estaminet Lillois on Rue de la Barre in Lille pours around twenty regional beers and cooks carbonade, potjevleesch and chicken in maroilles.
Why locals goClosed Monday and Tuesday, with Wednesday dinner only, which keeps it a locals' room rather than a tourist stop.
TipWednesday is dinner only and Sunday is lunch only. Check before you build an evening around it.
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.
Why locals goSixty-five covers doing the regional canon rather than a tourist carte, on the busiest estaminet street in the city.
TipClosed Tuesday and Wednesday at lunch, which catches out most people who just walk up.
Kousbi on Rue Brûle-Maison in Lille runs a short Levantine card built on falafel, and five euros more turns any dish into a full sit-down meal.
Why locals goBuilt deliberately to feed the Wazemmes Sunday market crowd, with a short Levantine card and five euros to turn a dish into a meal.
TipSunday is the day to come, when the Wazemmes market crowd fills the room.
