Le Barcelonne - Lourdes

On our visit to Lourdes during the GS 2014 route to Pyrenees-Tour, we met this Restaurant-Bar with terrace and views of the river and old bridge of the city center. It is a quiet place and on its terrace you can taste in any type of food, drink and pastry, served by a good service, while watching the animation in the streets of the city center.

Love those thick, chunky wine glasses. food was exquisite, and quite reasonably priced. packed out every night we were there. lucky to get a table.

The funny thing about bistros and restaurants near the old market is that they turn out to be good while initially one assumes they are not. This one is no exception. I had some dessert and coffee and they were really nice. The service was also cordial.

Caught in a rainstorm in Lourdes by Les Halles (the Grand Market), we ducked into a tired-looking bistro just across the street for a quick lunch before hitting the road. Not expecting much, we had a terrific lunch of super-fresh mussels, a rich pork stew that was on special for the day, and (of course) some tasty local wine recommended by the owner-server. Funky in appearance, the space had a bar, about 15 tables, a pool table and a computer station for video games. The server, who only spoke Spanish and Catalon was super friendly, helpful and welcoming, and can't emphasize enough how tasty and fresh the food was. Go for the food and the local experience, don't worry about the local-traditional ambiance. It was great, and would go back in a heartbeat.

The funny thing about bistros and restaurants near the old market is that they turn out to be good while initially one assumes they are not. This one is no exception. I had some dessert and coffee and they were really nice. The service was also cordial.