Lou Pistou & the Old-Town Restaurant Quarter
The pedestrian lanes fanning out from Rue Carnot in Gap's old town hide a cluster of genuinely good restaurants where mountain and Provençal traditions collide on the same plate. Lou Pistou, a long-standing local favourite on Rue Pérolière, is the benchmark: honest, seasonal cooking built around Hautes-Alpes ingredients with zero pretension.
What to Order
The menu changes with the season but the daube d'agneau de Sisteron — slow-braised lamb from the famous flocks of the Sisteron plateau — is a recurring star. It arrives in a terracotta pot with gratin dauphinois and a glass of Côtes du Luberon rouge that the patron will have chosen specifically for it.
In summer, look for dishes featuring truffles from the Baronnies, wild mushrooms from the Dévoluy plateau, and river trout from the Durance. The set lunch menu (menu du jour) typically offers two courses plus a carafe of house wine for under €20 — extraordinary value.
The Broader Food Scene
Beyond Lou Pistou, the streets around Place du Général de Gaulle and Rue des Cordiers host a handful of brasseries and wine bars where you can graze on charcuterie boards and local cheeses with a glass of Clairette de Die. The area buzzes from noon and again from 19:30 — follow the locals' timetable.
For a quick, standing lunch, the covered market stalls near Place Jean Marcellin sell freshly made sandwiches stuffed with local chèvre and tapenade — eat on the fountain steps like a true Gapençais.
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