Restaurants in Dieppe & Normandy Food Specialities
There are bars, cafes and restaurants in Dieppe in Normandy serving a range of delicious cuisine. The most common foods are local seafood. Both fish and crustaceans dominate the town’s restaurant menus in Dieppe. The key area to dine out is along the harbour on Quay Henri IV, lined with eateries for alfresco dining. The principal streets of Dieppe town centre also offer options, including some delightful cafes. Most eateries and bars are dog-friendly, and lots of people dine out with their pets in tow.
Visitors can choose from extravagant fine dining to simple budget meals. I tried both on my visit. The most flamboyant and popular dish with visitors seems to be the fruit de mer, or seafood platter. There are a few local delicacies that are very special: marmite Dieppoise and tarte Normandie.
France is not famous for its beer; however, menus contain quality Belgian beers. They also have a selection of cider made in Normandy. These are flavourful, and I have subsequently purchased a few bottles of cider at the local markets.
Best Restaurants in Dieppe, France
These are the best restaurants I dined at and bars where I enjoyed a beer or wine in Dieppe, France.
Le New Haven: Seafood Restaurant
On the harbourside, on Quay Henri IV, is the delightful restaurant Le New Haven. They have outside seating overlooking the water and seating in the restaurant. We opted to dine outside overlooking the marina, as it was a sunny day.
We left the apartment intending to push the boat out and enjoy a fruit de mer seafood platter. This met all of our expectations. The platter included delights such as lobster, crab, langoustine, prawns and more.
To complement the fish, we drank some local wine and a few beers, including Pater Linus, a Belgian Abbey blonde.
La Marine
Also on the harbourside is La Marine, a restaurant serving mainly seafood. We had read about the many daily set menus and thus sought restaurants that offered them, and found La Marine. They had the option of roadside, harbourside, or indoor seating. Since it was a sunny day, we chose to overlook the water outside.
For starters, we opted for seafood, including poisson terrine and fish soup. Both were fresh and tasty. The terrine was light and fluffy, served with a salad, a sauce and fresh bread. The soup had optional cheese.
For mains, I had to try the local delicacy Marmite Dieppoise, a fish stew. This was delicious; the seafood included turbot, langoustine and mussels. The sauce was creamy with a slight cider-apple undertone. They served this with potatoes, ideal for mopping up the sauce.
For dessert, apple tart and crème caramel were the orders of the day. These were both tasty and had great flavours. They make fantastic apple desserts in Normandy.
Café des Tribunaux
Café des Tribunaux is a distinctive, dog-friendly café in a historic building. This is the oldest and most popular café in Dieppe. The building is from the 18th century and looks fantastic. Café des Tribunaux is a hive of activity throughout the day, with people enjoying a coffee, wine, or a meal out. Their tarte normande is rather special and tasted delicious. The other food coming out looks equally tempting. The service here was very efficient, whether eating out or just having a daytime drink. They also have Leffe, a strong Belgian beer, on tap at Café des Tribunaux.
Le Bar O Mètre With Sea Views
On the west end of the beach and promenade is Le Bar O Mètre. This is a delightful place with outdoor seating overlooking the sea. This is a handy place, as it is next to the dog-friendly section of the beach, thus ideal for a post-walkies beer. They had some top beer options, including Stella, Leffe, and Hoegaarden.
Inside, it had a beach bar feel and comfy seating. They provided table service and offered snacks with your order. They also have an outside crêpe stall.
La Place: A Relaxing Cafe/Bar
In the town square outside Église Saint-Rémy de Dieppe, there are lots of outdoor seats. These are specific to particular bars and cafes, so where you sit defines who serves you. We sat in the seats provided by La Place, a bar with good beer, next door to an interesting record shop.
They had a few Belgian draught beers. I thoroughly enjoyed a Grimbergen Blonde, an abbey beer. They founded the abbey in 1128; thus, they have been making beer for over 9 centuries. The beer was a smooth blonde ale with ripe yellow-fruit flavours, a spicy note of clove, and a dense, cream-coloured foam. La Place impressed me with their beer options and delightful location.
Le Régent
In Dieppe town centre, the main high street is Le Régent, a cafe/bar. They had a friendly vibe, and customers and staff alike made it a fun evening out. The dog probably helped along with this, as he was out with us for the evening.
Travelling with a dog seems to make meeting and chatting with people very easy, even with language barriers. Le Régent has both indoor and outdoor seating and serves Belgian beers and French wine. They also serve food to customers; however, we didn’t eat here.
Dieppe Kebab for late-night food
A new experience for me was the approach to food at the kebab shop in Dieppe. We visited Dieppe Kebab on the way home after a few beers. We expected to take home a kebab; however, they offered us a table. They then gave us the menu. This included a beer-and-wine section. Leffe was the standout on the menu, so I ordered it with two kebabs.
The kebabs came out served on plates with a fresh salad and a bread basket to share. We had a selection of sauces; their Algerian sauce was divine. I would love a bottle or the recipe. Their kebabs were delightful and put English kebab shops to shame with their presentation and dining experience.
La Potinière a bar with outside seating
To the rear of Église Saint-Rémy de Dieppe is La Potinière, a small cafe-bar. They have both inside and outside seating. The outside area is in a narrow side street with some nearby street art to look at. I enjoyed a Stella Artois while walking the dog.
Local Food Specialities in Dieppe, Normandy
These are some of the local specialities that I ate while dining out on my visit to Dieppe in France.
Fruit De Mer
One delight of fishing port restaurants is the fresh seafood, and the star of the show is the fruit de mer. This is a seafood platter featuring lobster, crab, langoustine, oysters, prawns, and other shellfish.
They usually serve fruits de mer with fresh local bread, butter, and a sauce or two. Restaurants have their own take on it; however, they are all beautifully presented. These were quite pricey, at 39 euros per person. However, the sharing platters make for a treat, especially for date night. Eating fruit de mer is a slow process, as you need to work for your food. You get a selection of tools to help with eating, from nutcrackers for crab or lobster claws to pins for extracting winkles.
Tarte Normandie
They traditionally made Tarte Normandie, or Norman Tart, with shortcrust pastry. On top of the pastry, they put sliced apples and a cream made from crème fraîche, Calvados, egg and sugar. Some restaurants serve it with nuts, cinnamon and decorative cream. Normandy is known for its apple orchards, hence the importance of this local dish.
Marmite Dieppoise
Marmite Dieppoise is a culinary speciality from Dieppe in Normandy. It is a stew-like dish containing fish and crustaceans. Its name comes from the city of Dieppe, where the dish originated. The ingredients are fish and shellfish served with vegetables. It also contains herbs, butter and cream and is simmered in cider or dry white wine. Fish used include locally caught turbot, sole or monkfish.
It can either be a soup or a main course; either way, it is delicious, and the flavours work. The ingredients influenced me to make something similar back in the apartment after visiting the fish market.