The best place to start exploring the traditional cuisine of Aquitaine is at Biarritz's La Maison Blanche (58 Avenue Edouard VII), where reviews of the service and food are overwhelmingly positive. The pork kebab in a spicy sauce, meat stew, stuffed pigeons with porcini mushrooms and fried calamari in sherry sauce are particularly popular with tourists.
Biarritz's national cuisine restaurant Le Crabe Tambour (49 Rue Espagne) is no less famous. The specialty here is monkfish with a side of baked potatoes.
For even more exotic fish and seafood, head to Le Bistrot d'Antan (1 Rue Jean Bart). In addition to seafood, here you will be treated to marsh snails in a sauce based on red wine and aromatic herbs.
Restaurant Le Bar Jean (5 Rue des Halles) will surprise with original recipes. The specialty is mussels marinated in white wine, cream and curry. Prices in these famous Biarritz restaurants are not the most democratic: the average bill is 70-100 EUR per person.
Among inexpensive Biarritz restaurants with national cuisine and average bill from 20-30 EUR we should mention Negresse & Co (44 Rue Luis Mariano). Order here shrimps with dried fruits under spicy sauce, pork or veal medallions. You can also eat hearty and cheap in Fumoir Marin, L'Etable, Le Pim'pi, La Grappe à Fromages, Le O2 Verdun. Be sure to try the raw oysters with grilled sausages or the lampreys braised with leeks, blood and red wine. Don't forget to leave 10-15% for tea. In expensive restaurants, the tip is already included in the bill.
If you do get sick of Aquitaine's cuisine, check out restaurants with Italian (Biarritz Pizza, Dino Pizza, Pizza Victoria), American (Le Cab, Le Victoria, Moony, HD Dinner), Japanese (Tsukemono, Sushiland), Chinese (Bong Mai).
You can have breakfast or a snack during the walk in cozy cafes in Biarritz. Prices here are reasonable. For example, a big hamburger costs only 5 EUR, and a cup of cappuccino - 3-4 EUR. The average cost of one dessert (fruit salad, cake or a piece of specialty pie) is 7-10 EUR.
En Aparthé is one of the best budget cafés in Biarritz. It's crowded in the mornings, with locals and visitors alike lining up for freshly baked croissants, pancakes and fruit-filled pastries.
