Café du Roi René sur Aix-En-Provence

20/09/2024: My wife, daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter spent two in the south of France, one in aix-en-Provence and the second in Saint-Raphael. While in Aix-en-Provence, we stopped for a wonderful lunch at le Brasserie de la Mairie in the central, older part of town. The majority of this restaurant’s seating is outdoor in a cobblestone town square under parasols. It makes for a quintessential Provence setting, quaint, relaxed, with excellent food and wine. This restaurant has a wide-ranging menu of both food and drink, extending from croque monsieur to hamburgers to entrecote maitre d’hotel, from fine French wine to local beer. We started with drinks, including some local beer and two Aperol spritz, which is made from equal parts of Aperol and Prosecco with a splash of club soda. The drink is Italian, having been created in Venice around 1920 according to urban legend. Aperol spritz is a wonderful, summery drink and was perfect for lunch. Our lunch orders included Italian-style steak tartar, two Salade Nicoises and a Salade nordique, the latter being my selection. The steak tartar was excellent and was served with fries and a small greensalad. The Salad Nicoise contained tuna, anchovies, sliced hard-boiled egg, peppers, green beans, small potatoes, olives and a wonderful dressing. My Salade nordique included a very generous portion of smoked salmon, avocado, hard-boiled egg, peppers, potatoes and a Caesar salad dressing. The Salade nordique was excellent with the amount of smoked salmon included was enough for two people. The service at the Brasserie de la Mairie was excellent, the food was served in a reasonable time and the setting, as mentioned was wonderful. This is an excellent choice for lunch or dinner if you’re lucky enough to ever visit this gorgeous area of France.

10/09/2024: Very nice place to enjoy a coffee. Fast and friendly service.