Recommendations for local eating places
These are places where the family has eaten and enjoyed our meals. There are plenty more bistros and restaurants where we have not yet eaten. Please add to our recommendations. Be aware that the French generally have different opening hours to our own. We have been caught out a few times. In busy tourist areas the eating places are often open all day or just with a short break between the lunch and dinner servings. Mostly eating places open over lunchtimes, say 12-2.30 and then again at 7 for the evening sitting. It’s always a good idea to check hours first as well as days closed. Restaurants do tend to be closed on Sunday and Monday evenings in France.
Also look out for ‘menu fixe’ at many places where you can choose either 2 and 3 courses for a very reasonable price.
BEAUFOUR-DRUVAL
La Croisée des Saveurs is a friendly bistro in the Main Street which you can walk along the lane to in 15-20 minutes or drive to the village car park. It has reopened on 1 June 2022 under new ownership. The menu fixe is €22 for a 2-course and €26 for a 3-course meal. When we visited in June 2022 it was also doing a roaring trade in takeaway pizzas. Burgers are also available. In addition the bistro now offers 5 different breads every day except Monday.
On Monday evenings from 7 till 9.30 there is a van for takeaway pizza, couscous and paella. It can be found on the car park near the ‘Mairie’ next to the Route de Cresseveuille.
BEAUMONT-EN-AUGE
Auberge de l’Abbaye is a hotel restaurant in a beautiful old hillside village. Over the years there have been several different owners and it has been closed for several periods. However, when we went there recently we had a lovely (if slightly expensive) meal in an old beamed dining room.
BEUVRON-EN-AUGE
La Colomb’Auge is a super family-run crêperie. The menu is extensive and varied with both savoury and sweet crêpes as well as local cider. The atmosphere is friendly and lighthearted. There are four tables outside which are usually in the shade and plenty of indoor seating. English is spoken for any guests who lack confidence in their French.
CABOURG
For an Italian meal La Strada offers plenty of seating indoors and in the courtyard area at the rear. In all fairness the Tripadvisor reviews are very mixed but we have enjoyed some good meals there. Be warned. They are large portions. This restaurant is often open when others are closed too.
The main street of Cabourg is lined with many small restaurants including several crêperies so there is little chance that you would go hungry there. There are also several places to buy some excellent but expensive ice cream along the way.
CAMBREMER
La Crêperie des Jardins is an excellent place for a light lunch. Check the days and times when they are open as we have found them unexpectedly closed. It is a very short lunchtime slot from 12-1.30 and they are strict with the timings. There is a sheltered courtyard with plenty of seating. It does get busy as the gardens are very popular. However it is possible to eat here without visiting the gardens. If you have time, do visit them. They are beautiful.
DOZULÉ
La Pomme Confite is an excellent small restaurant/crêperie with a few tables at the front in the main street opposite the bank. Its food is freshly cooked and delicious. It is reasonably priced and gets very good reviews.
DRUBEC
La Haie Tondue is in a prominent position in Drubec at the roundabout near the A13 Autoroute. It recently reopened under new ownership as a ‘trattoria Français’.
HONFLEUR
Le Crystal is one of many eating places in the town. We enjoyed a beautiful lunch there with good sized portions for a very reasonable price. The waitresses were friendly and helpful. Although the TripAdvisor reviews are mixed, we liked it.
La Trinquette is situated at Le Vieux Bassin, 62-64 Quai Sainte-Catherine, where in September 2017 we enjoyed a €19 3-course evening meal, consisting of soupe de poissons, saumon creole and crème brûlée with orange zest/brownie with crème anglaise. There were four choices for each course but we had similar tastes on this occasion. The food was excellent, the staff friendly and the service prompt. A bottle of Sauvignon was €21 and an espresso €2 so it all came in at less than €30 each.
Honfleur restaurants in general
If you want a cheap meal, (i.e. €22-29 for a set menu) which is child and pet friendly then Honfleur is ideal. Overlooking “Le Vieux Bassin” where many yachts dock, there is a line of restaurants all vying for your business. The meals are basic but perfectly good, if not gourmet, and there are plenty of English menus to tell you what you are eating!
VALSEMÉ
Auberge de Valsemé has changed ownership in the last few years and undergone extensive renovations. The work has been tastefully done and generates a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The hosts are friendly and welcoming. The menu gives a good choice and the food is tasty. There is plenty of parking both by the side and opposite the restaurant.
VILLERS-SUR-MER
Le Mermoz is a popular restaurant on the sea front and rightly so. You can’t book a table. It’s first come, first served, so get there by 7 to be on the safe side. It is reasonably priced and child friendly. As well as eating indoors, there is a large outdoor covered area in which to eat that is well protected from the elements and family friendly.
LOCAL MARKETS
The French love their markets and there are lots to choose from. You need to get there in the morning as often the stallholders are packing up by early lunchtime.
Here’s a full list of markets in Calvados. For market lovers there are very local ones every morning of the week.
One of our favourites is at Pont L’Évêque on Monday mornings. There’s a wide range of stalls, many selling local produce, and several regular stalls including fruti and veg, cheese, honey, chickens (both alive and cooked) and then a choice of cafés for lunch or at least a reviving local cider.
Pont L’Évêque Monday Morning
Dozulé every Tuesday morning (very limited selection of stalls)
Cabourg every morning in July and August. Other months Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning. When we have visited on a Sunday it has not been one of the best local markets
Dives-sur-Mer Fish market at the harbour every morning. We have been told that there is a market on Saturday mornings in the summer months where the stallholders dress in costume but we have not been there – yet!
Honfleur Wednesday morning organic market and Saturday morning. Beware that the Saturday morning market is quite extensive and uses many parking spaces in the town until 3.00 in the afternoon. Unless you specifically want to visit the market then it is probably best to avoid Honfleur on a Saturday because it is always a popular tourist destination.
Houlgate Thursday morning
Trouville Wednesday and Sunday morning. There is a cluster of fishmongers on the port side. Over recent years they have expanded and they have created eating areas opposite their stalls with tables to eat the fresh seafood with a glass of wine. They offer a wide range of fresh fish which you can buy to take home. Most recently we bought the most delicious king prawns and mussels. For those who like fish soup, they sell a litre plastic bottle of freshly made and delicious fish soup together with the accompanying cheese and croutons which easily feeds four people.
Villers-sur-Mer Tuesday, Friday and Sunday morning. This is well worth a visit. A wide variety of stalls can be found throughout the town. You may need to park on the seafront as the car park is filled with stalls.
Cambremer Friday morning. This is only a little village so the market is also small with the usual mix of dairy and fruit and vegetables but it is a lovely village to stroll around in any event and often holds local art exhibitions.
SPECIALIST LOCAL MARKETS
Look out for road signs advertising markets in local villages – be adventurous!
Many local villages hold their own specialist markets especially at weekends.
Most recently, Beuvron-en-Auge held a ‘geranium market’. The main street was closed and it was full of plants and flowers and garden ornaments to buy.
Pont L’Évêque holds an annual cheese market and several antique fairs.
We visited a medieval fair in September 2016 in Dozulé which had demonstrations of medieval crafts and the sale of honey was much in evidence.
CIDER FARMS
La Maison Noble is on the Cider Route. The nearest cider farm is that of Gérard Desvoyes but there are plenty of ciders to sample along the route and choose your favourite. Try the pear ciders too for a change. For cider vinegar lovers you can get stocked up with good quality bottles for salad dressing etc.
For any enquiry and to book your holiday at La Maison Noble you can check our availability and prices on the Simply Owners website or email us at info [at] frenchholidaylet.com.
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