Avignon, France — Food and Dining
Restaurants in Avignon, France
Restaurants
Recommended restaurants
Cubanito Café
Lively Cuban-style cafe and restaurant with an eclectic, but gorgeous menu. The dishes are combinations of elements from several culinary traditions - Cuban, Peruvian, Spanish and French, to name a few. A flavorsome place with a great ambience and the extra option of some salsa dancing.
51 rue Carnot
Tel: (04) 9086 9804.
Website: www.cubanito.fr
Price: $-$$
La Compagnie des Comptoirs
Housed in a 14th-century cloister previously occupied by Benedictine nuns, La Compagnie des Comptoirs established its Avignon branch in 2001. Run by expert chefs and twins Jacques and Laurent Pourcel, this trendy and popular restaurant offers southern-style dishes in beautiful surroundings. Vegetarians are catered for. Closed Sunday and Monday.
83 rue Joseph Vernet
Tel: (04) 9085 9904.
Website: www.lacompagniedescomptoirs.com
Price: $$$
La Fourchette
This well-established restaurant offers a varied menu at reasonable prices. La Fourchette is particularly popular with business people who come here for classic French fare and friendly service. The wine list features mainly local wines. Closed Saturday and Sunday.
17 rue Racine
Tel: (04) 9085 2093.
Price: $$-$$$
La Mirande
Set in La Mirande hotel's Cardinalice room, this restaurant continues to set the standard for haute cuisine in Avignon. Classic French cooking with some southern elements and modern twists takes place in the kitchen here. For those who want to try the delicious recipes at home, there is even an on-site cooking school.
La Mirande, 4 place de la Mirande
Tel: (04) 9014 2020.
Website: www.la-mirande.fr
Price: $$$$
Le Jardin de la Tour
This is an excellent restaurant run by Jean-Marc Larrue, an experienced and creative chef who also offers cookery courses here. The cuisine is classic French with a Provençal twist, and occasionally elements from other culinary traditions are mixed in as well.
9 rue de la Tour
Tel: (04) 9085 6650.
Website: www.jardindelatour.fr
Price: $$
Le Petit Bédon
This one is a favorite with locals and critics alike, who enjoy the well-priced take on regional and traditional classics. On offer is a great variety of beef and seafood mains accompanied by seasonal vegetables. Closed Sundays.
70 rue Joseph-Vernet
Tel: (04) 9082 3398.
Price: $$-$$$
Restaurant Christian Etienne
The restaurant's eponymous chef, a ‘Maître Cuisinier de France' (Master Chef of France), specializes in a style of cooking he calls 'régional inventif', with an emphasis on seafood and game. The simple set menu is good value, but rarely as ambitious as the more expensive menus on offer. The restaurant enjoys an enviable location next to the famous Palace of the Popes.
10 rue de Mons
Tel: (04) 9086 1650.
Website: www.christian-etienne.fr
Price: $$$
Nightlife
The lively nightspots are situated around place de l'Horloge, place du Palais, trendy rue Carnot and place des Corps-Saints and all become frenetic during the Avignon Festival. Licensing hours are not strict in France and bars stay open quite late, some past midnight, while some clubs are open well into the small hours. Dress codes and admission requirements to clubs are not an issue in Avignon, where smart-casual rules the day.
The Avignon Tourist Office (see Sightseeing) distributes the free monthly arts, events and music listings magazine, Rendez-Vous (also available in arts centers). This is well worth getting, as it provides up-to-the-minute information about what is on in Avignon.
Bars: Bars with a buzz include Pub Z, 58 rue de la Bonneterie. Open until 0130, the bar is owned by a rocker, enamoured of zebras, which dominate the décor. A medley of arty types hang out amid the mirror-lined walls and modern sculptures of Le Grand Café, located at cultural hub La Manutention, 4 rue escalier Ste Anne, where decent food is served. Le Cid Café, 11 place de l'Horloge, is a popular gay bar.
Clubs: Avignon is not a clubbing center, although there are some small venues, such as the eclectic Red Zone, 25 rue Carnot (website: www.redzonebar.com), which plays anything from salsa to house and is open until 0300. Bokao's, 9 bis boulevard quai St Lazare (website: www.bokaos.fr), has a chill-out cafe as well as a dancefloor and VIP area. The biggest clubs are located around a 10-minute drive from Avignon and include Le Privé Club, route de Tavel in Les Angles (website: www.leprive.fr), a techno and house venue in an old quarry.
Live Music: AJMI Jazz Club at La Manutention, 4 rue escalier Ste Anne (website: www.jazzalajmi.com), is a popular jazz venue on Thursday night. Rock is played at Le Bistroquet bar, Quartier du Mouton, on Ile de la Barthelasse, while regular concerts are held at Les Passagers du Zinc, 23 route de Montfavet (website: www.passagersduzinc.com).
