La Rochelle eats well. The local cooking leans heavily on the oyster beds of Marennes-Oléron and the langoustine boats out of Les Sables-d'Olonne — most places that look like a seafood restaurant probably are one. The eclades de moules, mussels cooked under burning pine needles, is the traditional regional dish.
Around the Vieux Port you find the busy tourist places — fine for an oyster plate and a glass of cold Charentais white, less reliable for a proper meal. For better cooking, walk into the old town: Christopher Coutanceau, two Michelin stars, is the city's serious seafood restaurant; André does a long, well-priced platter of fruits de mer on the quay at Les Minimes; Le Comptoir des Voyages off Rue Saint-Sauveur is a reliable bistro for inland cooking. The Marché Central in the Halles, every morning, is the best fast lunch in town.