€€€€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 bistroGambettaTue 10:00-00:00; Wed 11:00-00:00; Thu 10:00-02:00; Fri-Sat 11:00-02:00; Sun 10:00-17:00; closed Monday
Bouillant took over the old Café de la Paix on Rue Léon Gambetta in Lille, seventies furniture and orange paint over a sharp, unnostalgic market card.
OrderBoudin with marinated apples and almond granola.
TipWine by the glass starts at 4 euros and a 50cl pitcher runs 13 euros, which is why the room stays full late.
€€€€BrasserieVieux-LilleWed-Sun 12:00-14:00; Wed-Sat 19:00-22:00
La Brasserie du Cerisier is the ground-floor room under the starred kitchen on Avenue du Peuple Belge in Lille, a weekly market card and a cocktail list.
OrderThe market menu, rewritten every week.
TipIt shares an address and a phone line with the starred dining room upstairs, so specify which one you want.
€€€€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.
€€€€French bistroBois-BlancsTue-Sat 12:00-23:00; Sun 11:00-19:00; closed Monday
Les Sales Mômes on Quai de l'Ouest in Lille keeps more than 800 board games beside a kitchen of burgers, boards and pastries, on the Deûle waterfront.
OrderAn aperitif board, ordered while you learn a new game.
TipLunch service is 12:00 to 14:00 from Tuesday to Saturday, and sharing plates start again at 17:00.
€€€€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.
€€€€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.