RestaurantsLe Caveau

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77 out of 100 (1 Source)

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Fritzthecat (41)
Essex, United Kingdom

98%

very good

Le Caveau is a centrally located Brasserie, overlooking the Place du Général de Gaulle. All the attractions of the town are in easy walking distance, which makes it a good choice if you just want to sit down for a while to have a drink while enjoying the view over the square.

100/100

Accessibility
70/100

"Must See"-Factor
90/100

Budget Friendliness
70/100

Ambiance
90/100

Food
90/100

Service
During our holiday in the Pas-de-Calais area we stayed near Montreuil-sur-Mer and as we loved the charming medieval town we went here regularly for shopping and dining even after we were done with the sightseeing.
The Place du Général de Gaulle is more or less the main square in the small town, the local market takes place her on Saturday morning, and apart from shops there are quite a number of restaurants and bars located here.

The Le Caveau doesn't have its own parking lot which isn't a problem at all as there is plenty of free parking available on the square. Actually, most of the square is public parking, apart from Saturdays when part of the square is reserved for the market. Even then we didn't have a problem to find a space for our car.

The restaurant comes with a large outside sitting area. Part of it is located under a sunscreen right in front of the entrance. There are only small, bistro style tables here and this area is for drinking only. Which makes sense as those table are hardly large enough to fit their large plates. You can have a leisurely drink here and enjoy the atmosphere of the square.
The larger part of the outside sitting space is located on a wooden decking towards the square. There are large parasols to shelter you from sun and rain, half wooden, half glass screens surround the decking to keep you and whatever is on your table safe from the wind. The tables here are slightly larger and square shaped, still only big enough for two and if you come in a larger group it needs some re-organizing. We really liked to sit out here and be able to see what is going on around us while having our lunch and were a bit disappointed when we went back a few days later and were told that dinner is served only inside of the restaurant. We'd have preferred the outside sitting area, especially as the inside was a bit too warm, too cramped and too brightly lit for our taste.

The interior is decorated in a modern-rustic style with lots of blackboards for the latest specials around, wooden wine racks, a large collection of old-fashioned coffee grinders on shelves, etc. At the entrance there is a small bar, not really big enough to sit at it to have a drink but then again the Le Caveau is not exactly a watering hole to which you'd go to have a few drinks at the bar. The tables are the same as on the decking area which gives them the advantage that they can be moved together easily if a larger group should arrive. Not that there is much space to move much around as they've really used all the space by putting as many tables as possible. If you are having a drink outside and need a toilet you will have to squeeze your way through which can't be that comfortable for the people who are eating at the tables on the way. What we liked was that there always seemed to be some locals too. If it's popular with the people who live there it can't be the worst place in town

Our table was on a slightly raised area in the corner of the restaurant from which you can overlook the restaurant nicely. I dont know if they did it on purpose or if they reserve that area for their English speaking guests but we were soon surrounded by English couples while all the native speaking customers where placed in the lower area.
You are close enough to overhear the conversations from the tables around; we were soon engaged in a chat with the couple two tables away and really didn't need to raise our voices to communicate. Nice if you are a sociable person, bored or nosey but not great if you want a quiet or romantic dinner. We had our kids with us, so quiet or romantic wasn't on and we didn't mind.

The menu offer local dishes, a selection of Flammkuchen, Pizza, some meat dishes and salads. The children's menu is as unimaginative as in most English restaurants. Steak hache, sausages and the likes, accompanied with chips or pizza. Not that our girls did mind, imaginative doesn't really impress them and they are fine with the fast-food style food. They had pizzas and sausages on the two occasions we ate here and liked it. Deserts and drinks are included in the kid' meal, they'll get ice cream which ours, of course, loved. I had the Salad Nicoise for lunch and the portion, served with fresh bread, was huge and really enough. For dinner I tried the fish soup which wasn't too my taste at all. I can't blame the restaurant for this. I'd had fish soup in Southern France and absolutely loved but wasn't aware that the recipe used in this area is totally different. I'm sure it was cooked as it should be, I just didn't like it. Can't shoot the chef for that
The pizza I had was lovely with a generous topping.
Husband tried the steak and liked it and also loved the chicken breast fillet with white wine sauce. All portions are big and there wasn't really a need for a starter.

We didn't try the wine, husband still had to drive us back to our cottage and I stayed with the soft drinks as I felt sorry for him. They do have a large selection though and as this is France I bet you can find something very drinkable on their wine list.

None of us grown-ups had enough space for a desert, for us it was coffee while the kids had their ice creams. The staff is all rather young but very friendly and attentive.
The toilet facilities are not new but very clean. We had a bit of a problem to work out how to get the tap to work. There is a pedal underneath the sink which you will have to push if you want to wash your hands. Very popular with our girls who'd never seen that before and from that moment on needed to go "urgently" every 5 minutes. Sigh!
We really enjoyed eating here but would have preferred the outside area for dinner. If we ever return to the area I'll happily go back, they still have enough on their menu we didn't try yet. The prices are reasonable, a bit cheaper than the rest of the similar restaurants around the square.