It can be a challenge to find a decent restaurant when you’re visiting a bustling town like Sète. You don’t want to end up in one of the many tourist traps. Of course, you can go to the covered market of Les Halles to get yourself a fresh plate of oysters. But I was looking for a nice restaurant to have our Sunday family lunch. That is how I found the unique Hippy Market Café.
Fresh fish
If you are looking for freshly prepared fish and shellfish, the welcoming Hippy Market Café is the place to go. They also serve non-seafood. However, since the restaurant faces the fishing port, I had to order fish. We all went for the menu. Chéri and I choose the “menu du midi” for 18 euros, including starter, main and dessert. The kids had the “menu bambin” for 9 euros, including a main course and dessert. The salads we had as a starter were simple but good. Salmon for Chéri and I enjoyed the warm goat’s cheese version.
Menu
In my opinion, you can judge a good restaurant by its children menu. I appreciate it when a restaurant gives as much attention to the kids’ food as the adults’. If the restaurant serves the inevitable steak haché (hamburger) or chicken nuggets popped out of the freezer, it’s no good. If the restaurant serves a steak haché from the butcher, homemade nuggets and even a fresh piece of fish for the kids, you’re at the right spot. Children also have the right to enjoy food that gladdens the heart instead of only filling the stomach. So we stayed at Hippy Market Café. The kids enjoyed their fish while Chéri couldn’t resist the steak frites and I had a filo-wrapped salmon fillet. Yum!
Chairs
Not only do I judge a restaurant on the children menu (and the adult one of course), strangely enough, I also check the chairs. If a restaurant has put effort into buying some decent looking chairs instead of those horrid plastic ones, most of the time you can be sure you will get served a decent meal as well. Children’s menu at Hippy Market Café: check. Chairs: double check. We finished our meal with a beautiful lemon meringue pie. Dessert: triple check!
