Aux Amis de la Route

We stop twice a year for lunch in this archetypical French cafe/restaurant when you travel between the ferry and the Vendee coast. It used to be a transport café, but the trucks now take the Belleville sur Vie Bypass. It is now full every weekday with local...workers most with their regular tables and bottles of wine. The truck park has been converted into a normal car park and bus stop, but when we drive the block, there is always room to park our caravan without any problems. Start by helping yourself from the starter buffet; a good selection of salads and cold meat. While the food, the friendly waitress brings your water, wine bread and takes your order from a choice of four plat du jour. This choice always includes a fish, a beef and a pig dish. After your main she brings you the cheese board while you choose from one of the four desserts in the offer. Finally we like to take our coffee outside in the sun on the front to enjoy a smoke and look down the main road to the old church. Watered, fed and refreshed we pay the invoice €11.80 per head – for a four-course menu including wine and coffee! Although traditional, the café is very clean and modern inside and the toilets are impeccable. Probably one of the best meals you will ever get and a real taste of traditional France. Warning: It is open only on weekends holidays with reservation.

Yay! I'm a fan and I'll tell you why:__It's located in Palaiseau, which is a small city outside of Paris.

We stop for lunch at this archetypal French café/restaurant twice a year when travelling between the ferry and the Vendee coast. It used to be a transport café but the lorries now take the Belleville sur Vie bypass. It’s now full every weekday with local workers most with their regular tables and bottles of wine. The lorry park has been converted to a normal carpark and bus stop but if we drive round the block there is always room to park our car