Cafés and restaurants

[Dungo]

Good morning funsters, we will be meandering through france to the med have you got any recommendations of restaurants or cafés we should not miss this would influence our route as we have no route planned, we sometimes use a coin left or right and this has worked out well so far found some lovely place's but would love to add a few more thanks in advance

 

[Figaro]

Restaurants and cafes have never influenced my route and I don't go out of my way to find any.
Rather scenic hills, forests, rivers, mountains, coastal areas and other beauty spots and places of interest are what influences my decisions.
After all you carry your own facilities on board, so why pay 15 pounds for two drinks and two slices of cake when you can diy for about 2 pounds max ?
We're all different I suppose.

.

 

[chaser]

Good morning funsters, we will be meandering through france to the med have you got any recommendations of restaurants or cafés we should not miss this would influence our route as we have no route planned, we sometimes use a coin left or right and this has worked out well so far found some lovely place's but would love to add a few more thanks in advance

Try the app, truckfly, it has most of the restaurants that do plat de jour, as well as Les routiers, mainly for truck drivers, but we use it quite a bit, got stops and services on there as well.

 

[appydaze]

First of all, don't go for lunch after 12 pm next don't ask if they speak English. We stopped once at pm 1.30 pm and had lunch and about 3hrs. later I was as sick as a dog. I can't forget the smug face of the waitress as we paid. AND I TIPPED

 

[sylvester1954]

The beauty of pootling through France is the abundance of independent cafe's and attempting to make recommendations defeats the pleasure of exploring these super rest stops. Really cannot understand why some on here pull a face at paying for a coffee and cake in France, maybe instant coffee and a Mr Kipling is exciting for them, who knows?

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[denisejoe]

Try the app, truckfly, it has most of the restaurants that do plat de jour, as well as Les routiers, mainly for truck drivers, but we use it quite a bit, got stops and services on there as well.

chaser - do you have to Sign Up and Log In to use the app or can you just use it without registering.

 

[Barryh]

Some meals just stick in your mind for different reasons. One of our favourites is in the covered market at Narbonne. It’s a cafe full of locals where you eat at the counter with the usual plat du jour and formule type menu. We had the most memorable bavette and chips there. When they run out of meat the cafe owner shouts to the butcher on the next stall and the meat is thrown across the aisle. One of the simplest and best meals we’ve had.

 

[St3v3]

meandering through france

Have you ever been to Honfleur? It's very North, but if you are looking for a restaurant there are 1 or 2 (!) around the marina.

Honfleur · France

France

www.google.co.uk

 

[chaser]

chaser - do you have to Sign Up and Log In to use the app or can you just use it without registering.

Can't remember to be honest mine just kicks up.

 

[vzac]

Good morning funsters, we will be meandering through france to the med have you got any recommendations of restaurants or cafés we should not miss this would influence our route as we have no route planned, we sometimes use a coin left or right and this has worked out well so far found some lovely place's but would love to add a few more thanks in advance

If you get the chance travel via Figeac several cafes, restaurants and did might still have a tea shop served in bone china, its also a historic town and has to aires. Rockamdoure (might not be spelt correctly) is a great place has stone age cave art and a town built into the hillside also has several cafes etc. i would also recommend a drive through he volcano national park great scenery.

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[chaser]

The beauty of pootling through France is the abundance of independent cafe's and attempting to make recommendations defeats the pleasure of exploring these super rest stops. Really cannot understand why some on here pull a face at paying for a coffee and cake in France, maybe instant coffee and a Mr Kipling is exciting for them, who knows?

I wasn't suggesting them because they were cheap particularly, but mostly they do other stuff besides the dinnertime stuff and we have found some brilliant out of the way places with truckfly.
In any case we can identify with truckers.

 

[chaser]

chaser - do you have to Sign Up and Log In to use the app or can you just use it without registering.

This is just an example around Calais with just restaurants selected, you can zoom right down to each one.

 

[vzac]

First of all, don't go for lunch after 12 pm next don't ask if they speak English. We stopped once at pm 1.30 pm and had lunch and about 3hrs. later I was as sick as a dog. I can't forget the smug face of the waitress as we paid. AND I TIPPED

yes its not like england plate de jour (dish of the day) can be iffy and also great, depends but go no later than 12.30, if you want to get a place to sit and get it while its hot, some places only serve that one dish at lunch times but its usually cheaper than buying al a carte. best advise if its full or filling it will more than likely be good, as its often the local people and tradespeople who go. most reasonable sized villlages have them. If the village/town has a store, bakery it is likely to have a bar that serves a lunch. we never found a problem with french/ english translation, the more we tried to speak french the more helpful they were. once in 5 yrs we came across a french man who hated us english. great place

 

[denisejoe]

Thanks chaser. Have downloaded; will actually sign up just before we next go to France. Looks like it could be very useful.

 

[The general]

once in 5 yrs we came across a french man who hated us english.

Very lucky there .

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[Pusscat]

Can’t remember where it was, other than on a crossroads with loads of trucks and cars parked outside. It was lunchtime, we were hungry. Both of us said it at the same time ‘looks interesting…’

We stopped, turned back and went around the back to park the MH. It was a bit of a state but we found a place to park, got screamed at in French by a ‘lady’ with a face like smacked arse ( t’was the next door, we’d inadvertently parked in her yard), re parked and went in.

full of truckers, workmen and businessmen. I ca’t recall any women present other than Madame. A little bar, we ordered a couple of ‘petite pression bière’, smiles from our standing companions and asked for two plat du jour. Madame waved at a long buffet table with a whole load of salads, terrines and pate and said something about entrecôte , we smiled nodded and sat communally.

The buffet was really fresh and people were tucking in but sensibly so…not a sign of anyone overloading plates or pigging out.

A half bottle of red was plonked down, the steak and chips arrived, well cooked on the outside, rare inside. Ok, it was a little tough but boy did it taste good and was really juicy. If that wasn’t enough, several large plates of cheeses were being passed around after the main. Again, no one was being greedy, just a few little pieces then you passed it on…and it was SO cheap!

the whole experience was really memorable in the best possible way. As long as you eat early though (that so pees me off about France, try to down to lunch at 13:00 in small towns and villages and you’ll be lucky to get served let alone find somewhere open). We love that experience and would certainly vary routes to find such places!

As a balance to that, another more traditional truck stop area on one of the larger roads, a open sided lorry was dispensing lunch. The whole area had a whiff of dog ‘exercise’ area which should have been a warning. But hey, this is France… my baguette (my translation had failed me..) had what looked like a spread of slimy grey fat, about 3 minuscule shreds of some sort of tasteless meat and a half an equally grey limp cornishon was absolutely disgusting!

 

[Nirvanauk]

Restaurants and cafes have never influenced my route and I don't go out of my way to find any.
Rather scenic hills, forests, rivers, mountains, coastal areas and other beauty spots and places of interest are what influences my decisions.
After all you carry your own facilities on board, so why pay 15 pounds for two drinks and two slices of cake when you can diy for about 2 pounds max ?
We're all different I suppose.

.

Thankfully.

 

[Glas Robin]

Can’t remember where it was, other than on a crossroads with loads of trucks and cars parked outside. It was lunchtime, we were hungry. Both of us said it at the same time ‘looks interesting…’

We stopped, turned back and went around the back to park the MH. It was a bit of a state but we found a place to park, got screamed at in French by a ‘lady’ with a face like smacked arse ( t’was the next door, we’d inadvertently parked in her yard), re parked and went in.

full of truckers, workmen and businessmen. I ca’t recall any women present other than Madame. A little bar, we ordered a couple of ‘petite pression bière’, smiles from our standing companions and asked for two plat du jour. Madame waved at a long buffet table with a whole load of salads, terrines and pate and said something about entrecôte , we smiled nodded and sat communally.

The buffet was really fresh and people were tucking in but sensibly so…not a sign of anyone overloading plates or pigging out.

A half bottle of red was plonked down, the steak and chips arrived, well cooked on the outside, rare inside. Ok, it was a little tough but boy did it taste good and was really juicy. If that wasn’t enough, several large plates of cheeses were being passed around after the main. Again, no one was being greedy, just a few little pieces then you passed it on…and it was SO cheap!

the whole experience was really memorable in the best possible way. As long as you eat early though (that so pees me off about France, try to down to lunch at 13:00 in small towns and villages and you’ll be lucky to get served let alone find somewhere open). We love that experience and would certainly vary routes to find such places!

As a balance to that, another more traditional truck stop area on one of the larger roads, a open sided lorry was dispensing lunch. The whole area had a whiff of dog ‘exercise’ area which should have been a warning. But hey, this is France… my baguette (my translation had failed me..) had what looked like a spread of slimy grey fat, about 3 minuscule shreds of some sort of tasteless meat and a half an equally grey limp cornishon was absolutely disgusting!

And this is why we love France. And the French. And French cuisine. And French culture.

If I hadn't been lucky enough to be British, I think I'd rather like to have been born French. Or possibly Canadian. Or Italian. Heck - I quite fancy being a lot of things but British these days....

 

[vzac]

Very lucky there .

Yes we were, and yes we were.

 

[vzac]

Also remember, food stops being served at about 1.30, and starts again around 7pm, unless you are unlucky enough to find american franchises, or supermarket food.

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[chaser]

Can’t remember where it was, other than on a crossroads with loads of trucks and cars parked outside. It was lunchtime, we were hungry. Both of us said it at the same time ‘looks interesting…’

We stopped, turned back and went around the back to park the MH. It was a bit of a state but we found a place to park, got screamed at in French by a ‘lady’ with a face like smacked arse ( t’was the next door, we’d inadvertently parked in her yard), re parked and went in.

full of truckers, workmen and businessmen. I ca’t recall any women present other than Madame. A little bar, we ordered a couple of ‘petite pression bière’, smiles from our standing companions and asked for two plat du jour. Madame waved at a long buffet table with a whole load of salads, terrines and pate and said something about entrecôte , we smiled nodded and sat communally.

The buffet was really fresh and people were tucking in but sensibly so…not a sign of anyone overloading plates or pigging out.

A half bottle of red was plonked down, the steak and chips arrived, well cooked on the outside, rare inside. Ok, it was a little tough but boy did it taste good and was really juicy. If that wasn’t enough, several large plates of cheeses were being passed around after the main. Again, no one was being greedy, just a few little pieces then you passed it on…and it was SO cheap!

the whole experience was really memorable in the best possible way. As long as you eat early though (that so pees me off about France, try to down to lunch at 13:00 in small towns and villages and you’ll be lucky to get served let alone find somewhere open). We love that experience and would certainly vary routes to find such places!

As a balance to that, another more traditional truck stop area on one of the larger roads, a open sided lorry was dispensing lunch. The whole area had a whiff of dog ‘exercise’ area which should have been a warning. But hey, this is France… my baguette (my translation had failed me..) had what looked like a spread of slimy grey fat, about 3 minuscule shreds of some sort of tasteless meat and a half an equally grey limp cornishon was absolutely disgusting!

Yes we have done the first many times, nothing wrong with truckers and if the food isn't right they won't be back.

 

[robrace]

Loved watching Rick Stein in France and some of the eating places he visited