An estaminet is the Flemish equivalent of a brasserie — a warm, wood-panelled pub-restaurant where the menu runs entirely to local specialities, the beer list is long and serious, and the atmosphere is closer to Ghent than to Paris. Lille has a cluster of genuine estaminets in Vieux-Lille, and they are the best places in the city to eat the local cuisine.
The key dishes: Welsh (a generous rarebit of thick toast, ham, and aged Cheddar or Maroilles baked until bubbling), carbonade flamande (beef cheeks braised slowly in dark beer with a pain d'épice crust, intensely sweet-savoury), and potjevleesch (a cold terrine of chicken, rabbit, and pork in aspic — an acquired taste that rewards the effort). The beers to drink are the regional specialities from breweries like Trois Monts, Jenlain, and Leper.
L'Estaminet du Vieux-Lille on Rue de Gand is the most visited and deservedly so — it has been serving these dishes for decades and the quality is consistent. Chez la Vieille on Rue des Bouchers is quieter and slightly cheaper. Both are worth booking ahead on Friday and Saturday evenings.