€€€€VegetarianGambettaMon 12:00-14:00; Tue-Sat 12:00-14:00 and 19:00-21:00; closed Sunday
Pickles on Rue Solférino in Lille is a small bistro and wine bar cooking a mostly vegetarian card that changes weekly, with everything made in house.
OrderWhatever vegetable plate leads the week's short card.
TipMenus run 25 to 35 euros and a la carte from 14. The natural wine list is the other reason to come.
€€€€French bistroLille-CentreDaily 12:00-14:00 and 19:00-22:00
Bleu Canard is a long narrow canteen on Rue Pierre Mauroy in Lille, floral wallpaper and moleskine banquettes around Ryo Nakamura's market cooking.
OrderCrispy pork breast with white peach.
TipChildren get adapted portions and something to draw on, which is rare in a room cooking at this level.
€€€€French bistroLille-CentreMon-Sat 12:00-14:00 and 19:00-23:00; closed Sunday
Brigand on Rue de l'Hôpital Militaire in Lille is blond wood and brick, a bistro of comfort cooking and natural wine run by a chef and sommelier pair.
OrderMussels in haddock cream, from the evening sharing plates.
TipLunch is a weekly menu at 25 to 30 euros. Evenings switch to plates built for sharing.
€€€€French bistroMoulinsMon-Fri 12:00-22:00; closed Saturday and Sunday
Café Augustin on Rue de Valenciennes in Lille is retro-chic, a long counter and wooden banquettes serving simple lunches and generous evening plates.
OrderDuck breast with sautéed courgette and blackberry pickles.
TipWeekdays only. Mains sit between 14 and 17 euros, and the room hosts poetry nights.
€€€€LevantineLille-CentreMon-Sat, lunch and dinner service; closed Sunday
Michel on Rue Pierre Mauroy in Lille is named for a Lebanese grandfather, a small Levantine kitchen of mezze and falafel that rewrites its card monthly.
OrderA spread of mezze, ordered for the table.
TipStreet-food plates at lunch, longer cooking in the evening. The vegetarian half of the card is substantial.
€€€€ItalianVieux-LilleSun 11:00-15:00; Mon-Thu 19:00-21:30; Fri 19:15-22:30; Sat 19:00-22:30
Bacio Divino on Rue Saint-André in Lille cooks a dinner card of Italian classics six nights a week, and turns the room over to brunch every Sunday.
OrderTraditional lasagne, from the standing card.
TipDinner runs Monday to Saturday. Sunday belongs entirely to the all-you-can-eat brunch.
€€€€VegetarianVieux-LilleMon 11:30-15:00 and 18:00-22:00; Wed-Fri 11:30-15:00 and 18:00-22:00; Sat 11:30-22:00; Sun 11:00-15:30 and 18:00-22:00; closed Tuesday
De Rode Koe on Rue des Trois-Mollettes in Lille cooks a fresh-produce card that leans vegetarian and vegan, with fish, meat and house burgers alongside.
OrderThe ravioles, from the vegetarian half of the card.
TipPlates land around 15 euros. Saturday runs non-stop from 11:30, which is unusual in Vieux-Lille.
€€€€French regionalLille-CentreSun-Thu 12:00-13:45 and 19:00-22:00; Fri-Sat 12:00-13:45 and 19:00-22:30
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.
€€€€American BBQVieux-LilleMon-Fri 10:00-15:00 and 18:00-00:00; Sat-Sun 10:00-00:00
Le Barbier qui Fume on Rue de la Monnaie in Lille smokes its own meat, onglet and Quebec-style brisket, and runs a weekday lunch formula at 18.50 euros.
OrderBeef onglet with shallots, from the smoker.
TipWeekend service runs non-stop from 10:00, which is unusual for a smokehouse.
€€€€American BBQLille-CentreDaily 10:00-00:00
The Place Rihour branch of Le Barbier qui Fume in Lille runs non-stop from 10:00 to midnight, and puts smoked ham and Galloway cheddar into its welsh.
OrderThe welsh, made with smoked ham and Galloway cheddar.
TipNon-stop service all day means it solves the 16:00 problem in central Lille.
€€€€BrasserieLille-CentreDaily from 10:00 until dawn
La Chicorée has run on Place Rihour in Lille since 1903, three floors of regional brasserie cooking that keep serving long after the bars close.
OrderMoules-frites, at whatever hour you arrive.
TipThis is the room that solves a 03:00 hunger in Lille. The south-facing terrace is heated in winter.
€€€€Modern EuropeanEuralilleMon-Sat 12:00-15:00 and 18:00-02:00; closed Sunday
Restaurant NŪ sits on Avenue Le Corbusier in Euralille with the widest rooftop view in Lille, a panoramic dining room and an indoor cocktail bar.
OrderA cocktail on the terrace before you sit down to eat.
TipThe kitchen runs until late but the rooftop terrace is the point. Set menus start at 29 euros.
€€€€French regionalVieux-LilleSun-Thu 12:00-13:45 and 19:00-22:00; Fri-Sat 12:00-13:45 and 19:00-22:30
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.
€€€€BrasserieLille-CentreDaily, lunch and dinner service
Le Lys occupies a historic cafe facing the Grand-Place in Lille, a brasserie of carbonade, moules-frites and waterzoï with regional beer to match.
OrderWaterzoï, the creamy Flemish stew you rarely see on Grand-Place cards.
TipWaffles and pancakes run all afternoon, which makes the terrace useful between services.
€€€€French regionalVieux-LilleMon-Thu 09:00-00:00; Fri-Sat 09:00-01:00; Sun 09:00-00:00
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.