As with any tourist town, it can be tough to find a tasty meal in Avignon on a backpacker’s budget. There are plenty of great restaurants in the city, but for a sit down meal with starter, main course and wine, visitors should expect to pay at least €20. With the current state of the US dollar, that can be a hard nut to swallow for many a traveler.
Luckily for you, I take my “Avignon Local Expert” position very seriously and have spent the last the last three months eating at nearly every sandwich stand, kebab shop, and pizza joint in the city to supply you with a list of the best cheap eats in town.
Istanbul Kebap:
9, Place des Corps Saints
The owner will be the first to tell you that he has “les meilleurs frites de la région” (the best fries in the region) and it’s true. Most of the kebab shops in town serve frozen pre-cut fries, but Istanbul Kebap serves generous portions of freshly cut potatoes topped with the most savory sauce blanche this side of the Bosphorus. Grab a frisbee-sized kebab frites on fresh flat bread for €5.50 and then snag a bench at nearby Square Agricole Perdiguier for some great people-watching.
Tapalocas:
15, rue Galante
Just a short walk from Place de l’Horloge’s pricy cafes, the dark interior at Tapalocas offers relief from the summer heat and is one of the few restaurants offering free wifi in Avignon. Cool off with a white or red sangria and choose from their extensive menu of tapas starting at €2.70. Save room for a big slice of gateau basque, a sumptuous shortbread stuffed with vanilla custard.
Glaces et Sorbets:
35 rue Saint-Agricol
True. Ice cream doesn’t count as a meal, but on Avignon’s sunny days a cone from Glaces et Sorbets is nothing short of bliss. The oldest glacier in town, this little ice cream shop offers an eclectic mix of flavors such as verbena sorbet and sweet chestnut alongside the old standards. It’s central location, makes it a perfect stop if you’re headed towards the river, Place de l’Horloge, or the Musée Calvet. €2 for a small cone and worth every penny.
As published at PlanetEye
Behind the scenes at Glaces et Sorbets:
Filed under: Avignon, Europe, Food, France, Provence, Travel, Vaucluse | Tagged: Avignon, backpacker, backpacking, budget, cheap, Europe, european, exotic, flavor, Food, France, free wifi, french, gateau basque, gelato, glace, hostel, ice cream, Istanbul, kebab, kebap, life, musee calvet, photography, place de l'horloge, place des corps saints, Provence, rue saint-agricol, rue st. agricol, sangria, sorbet, south of france, southern france, square agricol perdiguier, square agricol perdiquier, tapalocas, tapas, tourism, tourist, tourist attraction, Travel, travel advice, travel tips, traveler, traveller, Vacation, Vaucluse, wifi
Thanks for dropping by my blog! I’m excited to hit the road.
I will most definitely be keeping an eye on yours – and possibly hitting one of these shops for lunch when I’m in Avignon!