Frenchwomen and Frenchmen alike, rejoice: France now boasts a brand-new Fooding awards list, whose winners proudly raised their banners high and sported the national colors (bleu, blanc, rouge) this Monday in Paris. The best new wave joint, the best team spirit, the best bar à délices, the best Basco-Saxon inn, the best free-flowing bistro, the best market cooking, the Fooding crush of the year… A dream lineup cheered on by the crowd as if it were Bastille Day, from the dizzying rooftop of the Centre Pompidou during a masterfully orchestrated evening hosted by comedian Mahaut Drama and lavishly catered by Le Cheval d’Or, Datil, Buttes, Palégrié Chez l’Henri, Ripaille, Kissproof, Choral, Razzia, Atelier Renata, Mắm From Hanoï, Manat and Mamiche.
Fooding d’honneur recipient: Iñaki Aizpitarte
It’s back to basics for monsieur Aizpitarte, who already owns Le Chateaubriand (Le Guide Fooding’s Best Restaurant of 2007), Le Dauphin (Le Guide Fooding’s Best Decor of 2011) and Le Cave in Paris. He’s retreated to his home base, (re)deploying his bistronomic talents in the kitchens of an old Saint-Jean-de-Luz institution that has retained much of its original old-fashioned charm.
Fooding’s biggest crush: Le Flores, Saint-Hilaire-d’Ozilhan
The village of Saint-Hilaire-d’Ozilhan, with a thousand souls to its name, its big bell tower, its Romanesque chapel… and of course its quaint little bistro! Located between Uzès and Avignon, the adorable Le Florès (patterned tiling, whitewashed wooden rafters, flowers on all the tables) is the perfect spot before or after a dip at the foot of the Pont du Gard.
Best sophisticated bistro: Dandelion, Paris
Dandelion – which originates from the French term “dent de lion,” or “lion’s tooth” because of the jagged tooth-shaped edges of its leaves – is also the name of this excellent angular spot that has taken root in the 20th arrondissement. Planted in the 20th arrondissement by Morgane Souris (ex-Parcelles) and Antoine Villard (ex-Septime and Double Dragon), here’s a neo-bistro that doesn’t feel overly so – unfinished walls, vintage Italian light fixtures from the 1970s, Baumann-style chairs, bouquets of flowers by the neighboring floral designer Ortie – where you can nibble on bread from the Ten Belles bakery along with a few of the chef’s harmonious plates
Best sophisticated bistro: 19 Saint Roch, Paris
The bird is in the cage, we repeat, the bird is in the cage! After some high-flying escapades throughout the capital (Vivant 2, Déviant) and Arles (Drum Café), in addition to a few international migrations, Pierre Touitou finally landed majestically on Rue Saint-Roch. His latest nest? A former Japanese restaurant decked out with monochromatic tomette tiles, solid wood furniture and long mirrors, where he sends out a stratospheric menu.
Best free-flowing bistro: Blossom, Vernon
Ahoy, sailors! Docked along his native River Seine, Gabin Rodes (who we’d already come across in the Guérande region at La Mare aux Oiseaux, and in Saint-Jean-de-Luz at Rita) is taking it easy in this Nordic-inspired haven with lovely views. Come admire the blossoming riverside vegetation and the barges passing by, while perusing his menu filled with good Normand products sourced from no more than 100 kilometers away.
Best neighborhood café: Café Enez, Douarnenez
A century ago, the portside streets of this city known for its tinned fish were filled with the angry protest songs of its women workers from the fish canneries; their historic strike marked an important chapter in the history of feminism and labor movement. Perhaps it was this spirit of rebellion and solidarity that inspired chef Mahaut Le Lagadec (who used to work at Bonne Aventure in Saint-Ouen and Les Sardines à la Plage in Lancieux) to take over the former café Le Poullig, opposite the legendary covered market, and open up her neighborhood eatery, Café Enez.
Best market cooking: Bistrot des Rosiers, Strasbourg
As Françoise Hardy once sang, on est bien peu de chose, mon amie la rose… But the friends at Le Bistrot des Rosiers won’t let themselves slip away into oblivion. Blooming over in the Krutenau neighborhood with its small flower-covered terrace and plenty of vintage furniture, this neo-bistro run by Anne-Sophie Barth (who used to work at the local restaurant Binchstub and the Mexican restaurant Aida) and Bérengère Pellissard (the former chef of the now-closed Comptoir à Manger) cultivates elegant, efficient market cuisine that’s plant-forward without being strictly vegetarian, served by staff who really pay attention to the details.
Meilleure pizza : Oobatz, Paris
With neither a roof nor a wood-fired oven to his name, Dan Pearson truly built up a reputation for himself by temporarily transforming Jessica Yang and Robert Compagnon’s royal Rigmarole into Pizzamarole. The spellbinding trio then decided to team up for good by opening Oobatz (“crazy” in Italian-American slang), with toast-colored tiling in the kitchen, where the wizard of fermentations masters fire and levain for the most fabulous pizzas ever tasted.
Best bar à délices: La Turlutte, Lège-Cap-Ferret
Come check out the catch of the day in Cap-Ferret! On Rue des Goélands to be precise, where Nathan Allard (ex-Le Dauphin, Déviant and Vivant 2) and Tom Netzer (ex-Yachting in Cap-Ferret) expertly prepare both the surf and the turf, crafting elegant meals to pair with carefully-sourced wines.
Best Basco-Saxon inn: Elizaberriko Etxeberria, Hasparren
Activist restaurateur and founder of the Ernest network Eva Jaurena is reconnecting with her roots (near the Ardanavy River, to be precise), alongside her chef partner Alex Mahood and a handful of locals, who together revived an old inn languishing in the heights of Hasparren. There, in a sleek dining room with exposed wooden rafters, the British chef (formerly of Jones in Paris) does more than just breathe new life into the Elizaberri neighborhood with his French-Spanish delights.
Best little luxury: L’Arpaon, Paris
If you needed any additional proof that the 18th arrondissement isn’t lacking in bistrological wonders, consider L’Arpaon from Yann Botbol (who we’d already spotted at Le Servan), Nathan Sebagh (seen at Candide) and Yann Derout (who used to work for Mamagoto). The trio have adopted a formula that has proven its value time and again: a mouthwatering storefront (imperial green), evocative decor that gets straight to the point (bare walls, Thonet chairs, a big mirror) and a kitchen open for all to see.
Best caviste: Gallianne Delaforge à Juste une Lichette, Brioude
Residents and visitors of Brioude who step through the front door of Gallianne Delaforge’s wine shop are in for real a treat. When she’s not picking grapes at her vineyard in the Vallée du Haut-Allier, this former law student who did a stint at Le Saint-Eutrope embraces the terroirs with panache, always aiming to provide her customers with better, smarter drinks.
Best team spirit: Café Belardi, Saint-Jean-de-Luz
In a neighborhood where bistros abound, this cheerful Saint-Jean-de-Luz spot stands out from the crowd – thanks, in part, to the billiard table taking center stage in the middle of the dining room. Seventies light fixtures, an original zinc-topped bar, brown tile floors and cookbooks make up the rest of the decor, in a space run by a winning duo: oenophile Quentin Pierre-Antoine, who used to work at the Toulouse wine shop Poison, and chef Agathe Baulu, who has done stints under Guérard, Bras and at Providence.
Best new wave joint: Rivage, Saint-Pierre-Quiberon
The captains of the legendary Petit Hôtel du Grand Large have set sail for new horizons, leaving Pauline (ex-Bristol) and Thomas Le Morlec (ex-George V, Bristol and Versance) at the helm of their vessel. The duo met at the École Ferrandi before taking over this briny inn, located along the Côte Sauvage of the Quiberon Peninsula – wooden tables, white chairs, ceramic tableware by Cyril Dennery, a big luminous space with views of the bay.
Best comfort food: Glaz, Pont-Croix
At the warm and welcoming restaurant run by sommelier Émeline Macé (formerly of the Rennes wine bar Rewined) and chef Tanois Nakhlé-Cerruti (who did stints at La Cavale, also in Rennes, and Carousel in London), the duo is bringing a little color to Cap Sizun – sea blue tiling (glaz means “sea” in Breton), a sage green wall, large woven rugs…
Best staff (stylish bedrooms): Hôtel du Couvent, Nice
In a former 17th-century monastery, you’ll now find the Hôtel du Couvent! This divine transformation was slowly but surely undertaken by Valéry Grégo, founder of the British-based Perseus group, and his architect brother Louis-Antoine Grégo. Here, the habit does make the monk, with 88 bedrooms, three pools, an equal number of restaurants, plus Roman baths, a farmers’ market on Saturday mornings, a bakery, an herbalist shop and even a library that’s open to the general public.
Best bar d’auteur: Povera, Nice
With its very bare-bones unfinished walls and extremely minimalist decor, Povera could easily be mistaken for an abandoned bar. That is until the clock strikes apéro hour and the owner assumes his position behind the bar (Maxime Potfer, who used to work at the Experimental Cocktail Club), when the place comes to life with the sound of cocktail shakers and ice cubes.