Restaurants in Ajaccio vary from basic bistros to trendy pizzerias and pricey fish restaurants, the majority of which are found in the old town. Bars and cafés jostle for pavement space along cours Napoléon, generally lined with young people checking out the promenaders, and on place de Gaulle, where old-fashioned cafés and salons de thé offer a more sedate scene. If you fancy a view of the bay, check out one of the flashy cocktail bars that line the seafront on boulevard Lantivy, which, along with the casino, two cinemas and a handful of expensive euro-trashy clubs, comprise the sum total of Ajaccio's nightlife .
Le Dauphin , 11 bd Sampiero. An eccentric bar straight out of a 1950s French policier , complete with pinball machine, camp barman and sundry dodgy characters sipping pastis under a haze of Gauloise smoke.
L'Empereur , 12 place de Gaulle. Elegant Art Nouveau salon du thé , overlooking the main square.
Le Menestrel , 5 rue Fesch. Dubbed " le rendez-vous des artistes " because local musicians play here most evenings after 7pm - mostly café jazz,
traditional mandolin and guitar tunes, with the odd popular singalong number "in the club style".
La Rade , 1 place Foch. The most congenial of the cafés fronting the Port de Plaisance and an ideal spot for crowd-watching over a chilled pastis .
Safari , 18 bd Lantivy. One of a row of lookalike cocktail bars next to the casino, overlooking the promenade. Good for a breezy coffee, and for watching Ajaccio's beau monde strut their stuff on Saturday nights.
Snack La Serre , 91 cours Napoléon. Popular budget-travellers' place, close to the train station, serving good-value bistro dishes and inexpensive snacks, including moussaka, roast lamb and adventurous salads.
Restaurants
Le 20123 , 2 rue Roi de Rome (tel 04.95.21.50.05). Decked out like a small hill village, complete with fountain and parked Vespa, the decor here is a lot more frivolous than the food: serious Corsican gastronomy (from charcuterie starter to chestnut-flour flan desserts) is featured on a single €26.60 menu.
L'Aquarium , rue des Halles (tel 04.95.21.11.21). One of the best places in town for seafood - everything comes straight from the fish market across the square. Set menus €10.64-22.80. Closed Mon, except July & Aug.
des Halles , rue des Halles (tel 04.95.21.42.68). Open since 1920, and the favourite lunch venue for market-stall holders and local office workers. They do a great value €11.70 menu with wild boar, fresh fish of the day and a choice of omelettes. Closed Sun in winter.
da Mamma , passage Guinghetta (tel 04.95.21.39.44). Tucked away down a narrow passageway connecting cours Napoléon and rue Cardinal-Fesch, this sound budget choice serves authentic but affordable Corsican cuisine, such as cannelloni al brocciu , roast kid and seafood, on good-value set menus from €9.88 to €22.04 (the last one includes kid). The service is slick, the atmosphere lively, and the house wine's not bad either. Closed Sun in winter.
Rong Vang (Golden Dragon), opposite the Bandera Museum on rue Maréchal-d'Ornano. One of Corsica's few Chinese restaurants, serving French-influenced Cantonese cuisine (frogs legs à la pékinoise or with lemon curry). There are no set menus, but à la carte dishes are reasonable at €9.12-14.44. Closed Sun.
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