Published: 15 December 2021
Pau is a really charming city that is often overlooked by tourists. Former royal town, it is situated at the foot of the Pyrenees mountain chains which acts as a natural border between France and Spain.
While my family and I were in Pau, we had the chance to try a lot of different halal restaurants. Our first stop was a Turkish food joint called “Chez Refik” for some homemade kebabs!
The fresh bread that wrapped the kebab was perfectly seasoned with nigella seeds and was not too thick, nor too thin in texture. There was an option for chicken or lamb kebab, both served with a homemade white sauce which seemed to be made out of some sort of delicious savoury yogurt.
Contrasting the soft meat, the shredded carrots and red cabbage provided a very satisfying crunch.
The food was really delicious and the narrow, cozy street where it was located really set the tone for a feel-good experience (especially at night when the street lights turned on).
We waited roughly 45 minutes for our food but we all agreed it was definitely worth it!
Our next stop was a Moroccan restaurant called “Le Ouarzazate”. It had really good ratings online so we just had to check it out!
Eating Royal couscous at a restaurant is often a hit or miss experience for me. Thankfully, this one did not disappoint and provided a harmony of flavours and textures that really hit home for me.
Side note: I wish it had pumpkin! If you’ve never tried pumpkin pieces on top of your royal couscous, you absolutely must!! Unfortunately, it seems like a rare practice in the restaurants i’ve been to.
A visit to Pau isn’t complete without a stroll down the Boulevard des Pyrénées. When we arrived, we encountered this ridiculously long line of people in front of a blue truck.
Upon further inspection, we realised this was Georgio, the famous artisanal ice cream truck in town. “This is the BEST ice cream in the area, you HAVE to try it before you leave!” told us a lady waiting in line. So, off we went, at the end of the line, waiting patiently for our turn to pick our flavours.
There was a pretty long list of artisanal flavours to choose from, all of which come served in their homemade ice cream cones.
Georgio’s ice cream is truly high quality AND for a reasonable price.
It’s well worth the wait! We actually ended up there several times before leaving. What can I say….as the quote goes, “curiosity has its own reason for existing”. My personal favourites were: yogurt, raspberry, pistachio and hôjicha tea.
The large queue of people patiently waiting for their sweet cold treat is the biggest telltale sign that this iconic ice cream truck is a MUST if you ever visit Pau. Maybe just bring a sun hat on those hot summer days. No one wants a sunburnt scalp with their ice cream!
The magical truck is usually stationed at Place de la Liberation Mondays to Saturdays and at Aragon Square on Sundays. Sometimes a line will start forming before the truck even arrives which is really wild to witness!
Our last foodie experience before heading back home was authentic Lebanese food. We stumbled upon a family-run business near the place we were renting called “Goût d’Orient”.
Very clean cooking which is always really appreciated, especially when you eat out a lot. The mezzé set was so refreshing, especially the savoury yogurt sauce which really complimented the meat dishes.
For dessert, we went for a variety of homemade specialities including Knafeh, a delicious traditional pastry soaked in a sugar-based syrup and layered with cheese on the inside. YUM!!
