Eating in Vire

If there’s one thing Vire isn’t lacking, it’s good food. We lost count at about 12 boulangeries within a 10 minute walking radius. There are also a few cafés, pizzerias, crêperies, kebab (gyro) places, Asian restaurants, and supermarkets. Every Friday, there is a huge market in the center of town. They have tons of food stands, some (bad) clothing stands, and the random dvd, dog food, and mattress stands. Many of the places in town we go to either have no name or have easily forgettable names so instead, their locations are described.

At any of the bakeries, or at the market, they always ask “avec ce-ci?” which, when written, is obvious (With this? Anything else?). I mention this because I was never taught this phrase in my French classes, and I wasn't sure what it meant, but i heard it constantly. At first I thought they were saying “Avec saussice?” But of course, I didn’t want any sausage with my croissant. Here is a listing of the eateries/stores we frequent:

Boulangeries – There are many, and they are all good.
• “Sandwich Lady” as we call her. Right near the main traffic circle, near La Mie Caline. The sandwiches at this place are really good, and all of her baked goods are very good. The woman who runs the store is extremely friendly and always eager to see you return.
• Maison Paul – Not to be confused with the chain seen around the country. This place has excellent croissants, and everything here is excellent. It tends to be a bit crowded!
• The place near the bus station – Has excellent chocolate chip cookies! Also, they have Pain au Beurre sometimes, which is really good.
• The place down the street from Notre Damn – They have lots of organic and funny kinds of bread. But generally very good.
• The place down the hill from the center circle, near the Cambodian place. If you’re in that end of town, give it a shot.
• The place next to the laundromat isn’t bad.
• La Mie Caline – This is a chain bakery, but it isn’t bad by any means. It is also the most convenient, open 6h-20h every day. Right on the center circle.

Cafés
• Café du Theatre – This is the closest food establishment to the school. The food here is very good, as is the beer. They like to know the assistants every year, so go get something to eat early in the year and introduce yourself as the new assistants at the high school. Their croque monsieurs are delicious, as are their omelets and desserts.
• Vivaldi – This is right across from the Hotel de Ville and has good lunches. They have excellent 2 course meals for like 8€, quite a steal. They also have good coffees and hot chocolates (as does any café).

Crêperies
• La Fringale - This crêperie is very close to the school and excellent. Go to Café du Theatre, turn left down the hill and it’s about 2 minutes. The woman that runs it is super friendly, and everything in the place is delicious. The Super-Parisienne and the Super-Complete are particularly good. They also have amazing Tartiflette.
• The one that’s to the right of the Hôtel de Ville is also really good, just like the one above. The other one is just closer to the school.

Pizzerias
• Pizza Christina – Their pizzas are rather small but delicious. At 6.50€ for every pizza on the menu, you can’t go wrong. The woman who runs it (her name is actually Christiana which doesn’t make any sense) is very friendly. They also have the best ice cream in town. The ice cream menu alone is 7 pages long.
• Le Triskell - This place is on the corner across from the bus station is also really good. Their pizzas are a bit bigger, but a bit more expensive, starting at 8€. They are really good regardless. They also have extremely good Lasagna.
• Raf et Lie – This place is very close to the school. It's between Café du Theatre and the crêperie. It has very large, inexpensive pizzas and you can take out. The pizza is quite good. It's not as good as the places mentioned above, but not bad at all.
• Welcome Pizza (across from the Cambodian place), Gege Team Matt, and Dominute are not as good. Welcome Pizza and Dominute aren’t bad, but are rather bland. Gege Team Matt uses Emmental (Swiss) cheese instead of mozzarella… not a very good substitute.
• Le Robbery is supposedly good, but is rather expensive (at least 10€ per pizza)


Asian
• “The Cambodian Place” – It’s on the street that goes downhill from the main circle, on the left, before Saint Anne. The food here is very good. Not too spicy, but not too bland either. You can always ask for spicy sauce. Their samousas and nems are really good. We went here every Sunday and the ladies who run it recognized us. In January, they invited us to their house for dinner and we had a delicious meal. This is a take-out place.
• The Chinese restaurant across from the bus station. This is an eat-in place and has a large menu. The food is very good, although I got the “Spicy Thai Chicken” and it wasn’t by any means spicy. If you want it spicy, just ask.

Kébab (gyro)
• The place next to Notre Damn. Right across the street from Pizza Christina. This was the only place that we frequented, but their kebabs are delicious.
• Unfortunately, there are no places (yet) to get falafel.

Bars
• There a bunch of small bars, but the one we frequent is Le Gambrinus which is right next to the Hôtel de Ville. It is very large, has a cool atmosphere, a wide variety of beers and drinks available, and has a friendly staff.

Friday Market – Every Friday, year round.
• All of the fruit and vegetable stands are good. It never hurts to ask what’s new or in season.
• There are two crêpe stands in the square next to Notre Damn, but the good one is right in front of the Caisse d’Epargne bank. It’s run by an English woman and her French husband. I’m a fan of their beurre-sucre crêpes. Get it as a double-crêpe!
• There as a guy who runs an Asian restaurant in a different town who sells sealed portions of various Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Chinese dishes. It’s very good and reasonable. He’s right near the crêpe stand.
• There is a Fromagère stand right next to the crêpe stand. They have many different kinds of cheese and also have some food butters.

Supermarkets
• Coccinelle – This is the most convenient grocery store because it’s right in the middle of the town. It’s on the “other side” of the Porte Horlage from the main circle. It’s a small grocery store, but it has the essentials.
• Carrefour – This is one of the larger supermarkets in town. It’s outside the center of town, down near the train station. They have an excellent selection and very good prices. Madame Roupenel (German professor) takes us there every Wednesday afternoon. Make sure to ask her about it.
• Leclerc – This is the other big supermarket in Vire, and is also outside the center of town. It’s towards the east. Go up the hill from the center circle (towards the post office) and keep following the roads, taking a left where it forks at a circle with fountains in it. Leclerc and Carrefour are equal in size and selection. The main differences are distance and incline. Carrefour is downhill on the way, and uphill on the way back (steep!!). Leclerc is a little farther, and is uphill on the way there, and downhill the way back. However, Leclerc’s walk isn’t as steep. There are also buses that go from Carrefour up to right next to the school, just check the timetables.