Avignon sits at the meeting point of Provençal cooking and the wine country of the southern Rhône, and it is an easy city to eat well in. The food is built on olive oil, garlic, herbs, vegetables, lamb, fish from the Mediterranean and the cheeses of the surrounding hills, and the wines are among the great ones of France. This guide covers what to try, where to start and how to eat like a local.
Start at the market
The best introduction is Les Halles, the covered market on the Place Pie, where around forty stalls sell cheese, charcuterie, fish, bread, pastry, olives and seasonal produce behind a spectacular living green wall. It opens in the morning and is closed on Mondays. Saturday mornings are the liveliest and often include cooking demonstrations by local chefs. Go early, say bonjour to the stallholder before you ask for anything, and buy enough for a picnic. If you prefer a guide, a culinary walking tour of the old town gives you tastings, stories and a good sense of where to eat afterwards.
Provençal dishes to look for
Menus change with the season, but certain names recur. Tapenade, a paste of olives, capers and anchovy, is the classic aperitif spread, and anchoïade is its anchovy cousin served with raw vegetables. Ratatouille, the stew of aubergine, courgette, peppers and tomato, is best in summer. Daube provençale is a slow-cooked beef stew with red wine, often served in cooler months. Aïoli, a garlic mayonnaise served with vegetables and fish, is a festive meal in its own right. Brandade, a creamy salt cod purée, comes from nearby Nîmes. Lamb from the hills, goat cheese in many forms, and fresh melons from nearby Cavaillon in summer are all worth ordering when they appear. In winter, black truffles from the Vaucluse turn up on menus and in the markets.
A sweet for the road
Look in the pâtisserie windows for papalines d'Avignon, chocolate-and-liqueur sweets named for the popes, and for the many almond, honey and candied-fruit treats of Provence. They travel well and make good gifts, as do local olive oil, herbs and honey from the market.
The wines
The vineyards around Avignon produce some of France's best-known reds. Châteauneuf-du-Pape, named for the popes' summer castle, is made from a blend of up to thirteen grape varieties and ranges from powerful and spicy to elegant and perfumed. Côtes du Rhône is the great everyday wine of the region and often excellent value, while neighbouring appellations such as Gigondas, Lirac and Vacqueyras offer more character. Tavel, just across the river, is a famous rosé, and in summer a chilled rosé on a terrace is part of the local rhythm. White wines from the area are fresher than many visitors expect. You can taste on a half-day Châteauneuf-du-Pape tour, which handles the driving, or visit a vineyard in the Luberon, and wine lovers should reserve ahead in high season.
Meal times and etiquette
Lunch is the main meal for many locals, and the set lunch menu, called the formule or the menu du jour, is the best value in town. Most kitchens close in the afternoon and reopen in the early evening, so a late lunch can be hard to find, and dinner often starts around half past seven. Many restaurants close one or two days a week, commonly Sunday or Monday, so check before you commit. Book ahead in July, when the festival fills the city. Greet staff when you enter, and ask for the bill when you are ready, since it will not arrive until you do. Service is included in the price, and a small extra tip for good service is welcome but not required. A carafe of tap water, called une carafe d'eau, is free and a normal request. Bread arrives without being ordered, and it is perfectly acceptable to share a starter or a dessert.
A simple plan
Start the first morning at Les Halles, join a culinary walk or have a long lunch with the set menu, and keep dinner light with a salad, a plate of local cheeses and a glass of Côtes du Rhône. On another day, take a wine tour and eat a slow lunch among the vines. Where you stay shapes your meals too: a hotel with a garden or a terrace, such as Le Magnan or the Hôtel d'Angleterre, makes a pleasant place for a simple breakfast of bread, jam and coffee, and one near the market makes picnic shopping easy. Whatever you choose, eat what is in season, walk between meals and leave room for a last glass on a quiet square.
