France Guide
Provence
Cafés and restaurants
1 L'Amphitryon 2–4 rue Paul-Doumer 
04.42.26.54.10 Opening time: Closed Sun, Mon & second half AugEclectic cuisine with market-fresh ingredients, served on a flower-drenched terrace in historical old Aix. An excellent restaurant, which won't break the bank. Price: Menu from €26
2 Le Carton Rouge 7 rue Isolette 04.42.91.41.75 Opening time: Closed Sun & MonCute little bistrot serving traditional, home-made food (plats €22); the owner will help you choose delectable wines to complement your food.
3 La Chimère 15 rue Brueys 04.42.38.30.00 Opening time: Closed SunNew spin on French standards, with dishes like salad of octopus with Provençal herbs or roast sea bream with lemon, tian of vegetables and sauce vierge. Price: Menu €26.50
4 Le Clos de la Violette 10 av de la Violette 04.42.23.30.71 Opening time: Closed Sun & Mon & Wed lunch & middle 2 weeks of AugAix's most renowned restaurant serves unsurpassable gastronomic delights such as fillet of duck with cherries and poached rhubarb. Puddings are equally appealing – tiramisu cream with lemon and olive oil with a warm madeleine cake. Lunch menu €50, otherwise menus start at €90 and if you're going à la carte, the plats alone start around €40.
5 La Crep Sautière 18 rue Bedarrides 04.42.27.91.00 Delicious, fresh crêpes (from €5) to take away or enjoy squashed into the cosy, vaulted and often packed restaurant. Open til late.
6 Les Deux Garçons 53 cours Mirabeau. Opening time: Daily till midnightThe erstwhile haunt of Camus is done up in faded 1900s style and still attracts a motley assortment of literati. Good brasserie food, but not cheap (from €28).
7 
Laurane et sa Maison 16 rue Victor Leydet 04.42.93.02.03 Cool, eclectic restaurant with a garden out the back; there's a large variety of classic dishes – from simple sandwiches to hearty risotto (€10). Fancier dishes, such as succulent tuna with lime and coriander salsa, are more expensive (€15).
8 Le Passage 10 rue Villars 04.42.37.09.00 
www.le-passage.fr Modern, airy three-storey restaurant serving a wide range of traditional Provençal dishes such as mustard-marinated rabbit (from €15). Jazz every evening; and two-hour cooking courses (check out online).
9 πR Pierre Reboul 11 petite rue Saint Jean 04.42.20.58.26 One of the top restaurants in Aix; Michelin-starred Reboul serves impeccable, and expensive, cuisine in his slick, contemporary restaurant. Menus at €75 and €110.
10 Yoji 7 av Victor Hugo 04.42.38.48.76 Opening time: Closed Sun & Mon lunchtimeExtremely popular Japanese restaurant serving sushi (from €3.70) and sashimi (from €12) as well as generous menus from €23.
11 La Zinc d'Hugo 22 rue Lieutaud 04.42.27.69.69 Opening time: Closed Sun & MonSnug wine bar with inventive cuisine; try the tuna steak with raspberry balsamic vinegar, shellfish pate and honey glazed carrots (€24).