Le Roi de la Moule — Restaurant in Dunkirk

There’s a reason places like this survive for decades — reputation. Once upon a time, maybe it was deserved. Maybe the mussels were transcendent, the service sharp, the whole thing worth a slow train ride from Paris.

But now? Now it feels like the king has abdicated.

You walk in and they’ve got that polished, almost studied sense of “hospitality” — just enough attention to make you believe you’re getting something special. But behind it, there’s a fatigue, the quiet confidence of a place that knows you came here because of the name, not because they earned you tonight.

The oysters? Fine. Not bad. But when you’ve had Jerry in Perth behind the shucking knife — not a single shard of shell, no grit, champagne frosty enough to make you shiver — these just feel like they clocked in, did the job, and went home.

The steak arrived as two odd, mismatched cuts on a plate, like leftovers from a butcher’s B-side. The fish — a whole sea bass, pan-cooked, flanked by vegetables that seemed like they’d been sentenced to die on that plate. A smear of vegetable purée acting less like a flourish and more like edible glue to keep the garnish from sliding into the abyss.

And before all that, there’s the dance — the wait, the two sittings rule, the mild but unmistakable pomposity about where and when you get to sit. You’re in Dunkirk, not Versailles.

The bill, like the reputation, is bigger than the experience. High prices, middling returns. And here’s the thing — walk a few doors down and you’ll find better options. Friendlier faces, no games about seating times, no haughty theater. Just good seafood, served by people who seem to actually give a damn.

Le Roi de la Moule? Still wearing the crown — but the...

The worst meal I have had in France to date , it has become a tradition to have a moule before I head home after a trip around France . Mono flavour of celery in the moule , liquor flavourless to the point it didn't even see the bread . Moule small over cooked and under seasoned and not what I ordered . Half broken or not opened and pale in colour . Powdery non fresh texture . Bread is pre baked packet baguette. Frites ok. The service from the girl working there was the only redeeming feature and the younger guy serving drinks was good. The other 3 owner/waiters exuded arrogance that was completely toxic to the experience of eating there . To have that level of arrogance your chef needs to serve good food . Always disappointing knowing you could have stayed in ,bought good ingredients and cooked it 100% better yourself . A crime against...

I decided to eat here as my final meal after a month long trip around Europe on my bike. I was camping at a nearby site so decided to treat myself to some good food.

There were two guys serving, the first you get guy was great. A really good host. He was happy and helpful and had stories of his travels to share and really made my night.

The second guy however treated me like he just wanted me out of there as quickly as possible. At one point, dumping my cutlery into my food after asking me if I had finished, without even waiting for my reply that I wasn’t. He made me feel pretty uneasy and couldn’t have wanted less to do with me. I still have a tip, for the younger guy. Which I hope he received.

Besides this, the food, beer and wine was great as you...