[LM24] Where is your favourite place to eat in and around Le Mans

[Mal]

Simple question - so many of the restaurants close to the track change to a race week menu of steak frites and not much else - Have any of you found good places to eat either in the town or in the surrounding villages.

We have been a couple of times to one called Saint Lo which is near the station in the main town which is pretty good.

Also if there are any you think should be avoided at all costs!

[Tim the Grey]

I could have used this thread 2 weeks back! I took the family to LM to visit the museum, on the way over to Brittany, and an overnight stay.

There seemed to be very few restaurants open, anywhere.

At least I got to drive down Les Hunaudieres in the morning...

[Bentley03]

Head for 'Vieux Mans', the majority of the better restaurants are located there.

My personal favourite is 'L'auberge des 7 plats'. Great food, great service and great value. One possible negative (for some) is that there's no option to dine al fresco.

[Aysedasi]

As James knows, Le Belinois at Monce en Belin is a favourite of mine, although it has limited opening times and presents a special limited (but superb) menu in race week.

The restaurants in the Le Mans square itself are good - if it's still under the same ownership, I can recommend Le 1930 and Le Fontainebleau.

[Richy_Rich]

Originally Posted by Tim the Grey

I could have used this thread 2 weeks back!...

There seemed to be very few restaurants open, anywhere....

Yeah, France basically shuts down in August. That's when you go on holiday Even if you run, say, a restaurant in a place that's likely to attract tourists...

[nobster]

the Le mans legend restaurant in town is a nice place to eat, food is good and the walls and ceilings are covered with old Le Mans memorabilia. You can even encouter some drivers there on the friday evening after the parade. A few years we had a nice conversation there with Gunnar Jeanette and his father.

[The Badger]

i used to like the Mandarin Du le Mans oppsite the train station , was disgusted when it turned into a suchi bar !!!

Stay away from the Ghandi , I paid 2 years ago 118 euro for dinner for 3 !!!

I found a few Vietnamese come chinese around the town , which are normally pretty good .

And the Brasserie oppsite where they had the scrutineering this year is very good , but a bit pricy I thought . They do snails there too ..... have any of you guys found it difficult to find a restaurant that does snails in Le Mans . I only found that Brasserie that I mentioned above ?

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by The Badger

i used to like the Mandarin Du le Mans oppsite the train station , was disgusted when it turned into a suchi bar !!!

Stay away from the Ghandi , I paid 2 years ago 118 euro for dinner for 3 !!!

Is that a lot then? 40-odd euro each? I've certainly paid a lot more than that at times....

Originally Posted by The Badger

And the Brasserie oppsite where they had the scrutineering this year is very good , but a bit pricy I thought . They do snails there too ..... have any of you guys found it difficult to find a restaurant that does snails in Le Mans . I only found that Brasserie that I mentioned above ?

I have to say the very last thing I look for in France is a restaurant doing snails. I eat most things, but I draw the line at snails....

[The Badger]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

Is that a lot then? 40-odd euro each? I've certainly paid a lot more than that at times....





I have to say the very last thing I look for in France is a restaurant doing snails. I eat most things, but I draw the line at snails....

Well Ayse , you can normally get a decent dinner for two at a Ghandi for 40 euro . Its about double the price of what a meal for 3 would cost in Innsbruck . So yeah , I found that expensive , but it tasted great .

You might be surprised at people eating Asian when in Le Mans but , maybe you would too if you didnt have a good one where you live .

But I do enjoy my French food when at Le Mans ..... Best bit about the snail thing is probably the parsley butter with a nice fresh crisp French bread . As far as Im concerned , French food stands among some of the best in the world .

[Aysedasi]

I'm not saying that when in France you should eat French - I'm up for Indian, Chinese or whatever. But you're right, the French eat well, from simple things like croissants that taste completely different to the things that go under that name here in the UK, right up to foie gras and the like. I love it!!

[The Badger]

Ooohhh ..... That foie gras is rich stuff . I once had a lovely salad in Le Mans with foie gras and warm sliced duck .

Cant eat too much of that . And the tins they sell in the supermarkets are too big I find , cuz im the only one who likes it in my family . I normally end up chucking some out , which is a terrible sacrilage .

[lemansfan]

Was searching for this old Thread and found it back . For the Friends of French cooking I can recommend the Restaurant Vieux Moulin in Neuville sur Sarthe .

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lemansf...7629275590151/

[GT6]

Obviously the best place to eat at Le mans is in TR campsite around are BBQ and gas stoves, but I also like to eat in a few other places every year and have found the cafe at the carrefore shopping centre excellent and very reasonable. Although we have had many nice meals in the surrounding villages and towns over the last 27 years not had that many really great traditional french experiences, although we did find a nice italian place in la fleche about 4 years ago

[Le Vieux]

L'Auberge des Matfeux, just outside Arnage, heading south.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by GT6

Obviously the best place to eat at Le mans is in TR campsite around are BBQ and gas stoves, but I also like to eat in a few other places every year and have found the cafe at the carrefore shopping centre excellent and very reasonable. Although we have had many nice meals in the surrounding villages and towns over the last 27 years not had that many really great traditional french experiences, although we did find a nice italian place in la fleche about 4 years ago

I think you need to get out more Simon - otherwise you may take root to that spot in TR......

[isynge]

Originally Posted by GT6

Obviously the best place to eat at Le mans is in TR campsite around are BBQ and gas stoves, but I also like to eat in a few other places every year and have found the cafe at the carrefore shopping centre excellent and very reasonable. Although we have had many nice meals in the surrounding villages and towns over the last 27 years not had that many really great traditional french experiences, although we did find a nice italian place in la fleche about 4 years ago

Would largely echo these sentiments - as catering from Mrs Isynge is always peerless and the there are seldom problems getting home from around there...

If you fancy a slightly longer trip (perhaps one for lunch on Weds or Thurs) the food at Le Grand Hotel in Solesmes is really very good, and if you stick to the prix fixe menu, it's fairly cost effective too.

It's also a nice bit of countryside and a decent location to recharge batteries a bit to keep enthusiasm etc high for the weekend.

[Aysedasi]

Solesmes - is that the place we were talking of a while back Ian?

[isynge]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

Solesmes - is that the place we were talking of a while back Ian?

Exactly the same - and see your point re the bar in the hotel - where (a) service is extraordinarily slow and (b) you can get into quite a bit of trouble expense wise.

Restaurant in hotel very good though, and the tabac just down the road is a marvellous archetypally French establishment with decent beer and a friendly proprietor.

[GT6]

we do eat out a couple of times during the 5 days but I enjoy eating with the group and being able to drink without thinking about driving back, plus last year we had a newbie with us who just happened to be an army cook, he made wonderful curries, chilli's and spag bog which always ended up feeding several of our friends camped around us.
thats what i like about eating in the campsite you invite others to join you and get talking, then before you know it it's 2.00am and you think about sleeping off the wierd concoction of drinks that people have brought with them from distant lands. It is to me the spirit of le mans.

[GTfour]

Originally Posted by GT6

we do eat out a couple of times during the 5 days but I enjoy eating with the group and being able to drink without thinking about driving back, plus last year we had a newbie with us who just happened to be an army cook, he made wonderful curries, chilli's and spag bog which always ended up feeding several of our friends camped around us.
thats what i like about eating in the campsite you invite others to join you and get talking, then before you know it it's 2.00am and you think about sleeping off the wierd concoction of drinks that people have brought with them from distant lands. It is to me the spirit of le mans.

Hahaa , so rightly put ! Really lookin' forward to that again.

My girl allways marinates some fine lam and pork tenderloin for our BBQ. It's mostly been in there for two days straight before we actually cook it.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by GT6

we do eat out a couple of times during the 5 days but I enjoy eating with the group and being able to drink without thinking about driving back, plus last year we had a newbie with us who just happened to be an army cook, he made wonderful curries, chilli's and spag bog which always ended up feeding several of our friends camped around us.
thats what i like about eating in the campsite you invite others to join you and get talking, then before you know it it's 2.00am and you think about sleeping off the wierd concoction of drinks that people have brought with them from distant lands. It is to me the spirit of le mans.

Exactly so Simon, exactly so!

[Steptoe]

Totally agree campsites are the best places to eat for the reasons stated. That said at certain times over the week you can't knock the Grand Marnier crepes sold in the village ..yum.

[Aysedasi]

Nor can you knock at least one decent non-BBQ meal elsewhere in the town or environs......

[GT6]

Originally Posted by Steptoe

Totally agree campsites are the best places to eat for the reasons stated. That said at certain times over the week you can't knock the Grand Marnier crepes sold in the village ..yum.

oh boy the thought of grand marnier crepes is already making me long for june to come

[Aysedasi]

As pud after a merguez!