Top restaurants that have made Lille a new gastronomic destination

For many years, Lille had to make do with the legendary aura of the late L'Huîtrière, its renowned, iodized address until its closure in 2016, whose Art Deco façade is still an attraction for all visitors.

In the Hauts-de-France region, however, there's no shortage of talented chefs: Alexandre Gauthier (La Grenouillère, La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil), Nicolas Gautier (Auberge de la Grive, Trosly-Loire), Camille Delcourt (Bacôve, Saint-Omer), Christophe Dufossé (Château de Beaulieu, Busnes)... It's clear that Lille has taken its revenge over the last ten years, under the leadership of young chefs who are keen to prove that the northern terroir is a larder that counts. The most illustrious example is, of course, Florent Ladeyn, a fervent defender of Flemish products. Revealed by the Top Chef TV competition, his career is just like that of other talents who have followed in his footsteps, and whose words are highlighted by the Mange, Lille! collective. Focus on these not-to-be-missed addresses that show Lille doesn't count for anything when it comes to dining out.

A helping hand

" We're fully booked for lunch and dinner," says Victor Berthe, chef of this new restaurant, which opened barely a year ago in the Saint-André district. " We chose to set up in Old Lille to make sure we'd have a clientele. Here, there's a soul, a charm and Flemish architecture that's the city's showcase ," he adds. The former Plaza Athénée apprentice surprised even himself by settling in the Flemish capital, since it was originally just a stopover on his chef's journey. " I met Diego Delbecq at Christophe Saintagne's Papillon restaurant in Paris. And I followed him to Lille to help him open the Rozo restaurant ," explains the chef of Picardy origin. And he continues: " In 2018, Lille's culinary dynamism was mainly concocted by the Florent Ladeyn, Clarence and Rozo triptychs, while the Mange, Lille! collective also played a big part in this effervescence ". And then, everything accelerated for a good reason: " we enjoy such a diversity of producers, who work with truly incredible raw materials! at the Recollets farm, I tasted the best raw milk I've ever tasted, and we're not in Normandy! I don't think that the fame of Top Chef, from which many Northern talents emerge, is the only explanation ". After a full-scale test at l'Empreinte restaurant, replacing the chef for three months, Victor Berthe and his sidekick, young sommelier Clément Delécluze, realized that they were finally ready to run their own restaurant. Coup de main (since April 2024).

Where? 112 Rue Saint-André, 59800 Lille

Suzanne

Cooking is often a declaration of love, as it is here in the heart of Lille, a few steps from the Beaux-Arts. Suzanne is the grandmother of pastry chef Elisa Rodriguez, the chef's working partner. The culinary score promises to be full of affection, served up by Lucas Tricot, winner of our Jeune Talent award in 2022. Discovering his passion for the restaurant business during a first experience as a dishwasher at Le Petit Barbue in Antwerp, the toque already already spotted at the restaurant Les Oiseaux, is part of this generation of young chefs who know how to marry textures with malice and honor the products of their region. " Florent Ladeyn paved the way for this showcasing of Northern France's terroir by demonstrating that it's not just about the cuisine. We have everything here! "he says. And he admits that " there's a kind of revenge in the way Lille has succeeded in establishing itself as a gastronomic destination, given that its culinary repertoire has long been summed up in welsh and moules-frites ".

• Where to find us Suzanne, 4 Place Philippe Lebon, 59000 Lille
• See our review of Suzanne

Rouge Barre

Steven Ramon is just one of the many young chefs contributing to the revival of Lille's culinary scene. Originally from the Nord region of France, they've returned to their homeland after honing their skills in the kitchen to take part in this project staged by the Mange, Lille! collective trained as a member of the brigade at La Laiterie, the leading gastronomic restaurant in the greater Lille area (located in Lambersart), of which he eventually became the chef, Steven Ramon took part in the fifth season of the Top Chef competition. after reaching the semi-finals, he was awarded a Badoit grant, which enabled him to finance his move to Vieux-Lille and open Rouge Barre.

• Where? 50 Rue de la Halle, 59800 Lille
• See our review of Rouge Barre

Le Braque

Right in the heart of Old Lille, where locals and tourists mingle, Damien Laforce has found the recipe to get everyone on the same wavelength with a bistronomic cuisine that would (almost) make you forget L'Huîtrière, once recognized as the Flanders capital's only gourmet restaurant (in a totally different culinary style). We already knew the pedigree of the toque whose talent was applauded in the tenth season of Top Chef. Damien Laforce had already proven himself at Florent Ladeyn's Auberge du Vert Mont, then at the Flemish cantine Bloempot, before finally becoming an attraction at the Sébastopol, where his cuisine had already made an impact, showcasing the terroir of Northern France with a modern twist.

• Where to eat? Le Braque, 45/47 Rue de la Monnaie, 59800 Lille
• See our review of Le Braque

Le Cerisier

Like a pied-de-nez to the past marked by the absence of gourmet restaurants in Lille, the success of Le Cerisier proves that good food is now simmering in every nook and cranny of the Flanders capital.good food can now be found in every nook and cranny of the capital of Flanders, even on Avenue du Peuple Belge, a long-deserted thoroughfare. And it's all thanks to Mathieu Boutroy, who serves a gourmet menu upstairs where his sauces and juices are considered serious assets. For meals in a hurry, the brasserie on the first floor offers a menu based on market produce, served in a convivial atmosphere.

Where? 14 Avenue du Peuple Belge second floor, 59000 Lille

Purity

In the Top Chef galaxy that has landed in the capital of Flanders, Gérald Guille is a member of the first generation, with a stint in the TV competition in 2012. The chef learned his trade with renowned chefs such as Michel Roth, as well as local icon Marc Meurin. The Etaples-born chef has finally taken over from the renowned Rozo (from Diego Delbecq and Camille Pailleau, who have moved on to Marc-en-Baroeul, another must-try restaurant), in the heart of Vieux-Lille, rue de la Monnaie. The wood- and leather-tinted decor embellishes Gérald Guille's dishes, which have plenty of room to express their colors.

Krevette

Do we still need to introduce Florent Ladeyn, the troublemaker of Lille's young "toqué" guard? A bistro-gastronomic review of the culinary scene in the capital of Flanders would obviously not be complete without a mention of the work done by the chef of the Auberge du Vert Mont. The dynamism of this former Top Chef contestant symbolizes the revival of Lille's restaurant scene. With a strong presence in Vieux-Lille, this spokesman for Flemish terroir has built up a small universe of good taste to cater for all tastes. After the Flemish canteen Bloempot and the new-generation estaminet Bierbuik, Florent Ladeyn has been devoting a counter to the fishermen of the North Coast since autumn 2024, reminding us that the region also knows how to accommodate the products of its coastline. In particular, the Viking-like chef draws inspiration for his seafood charcuterie.