Esta-minet
Saint Venant, Hauts De France
Esta-minet is a restaurant and tea room with resident cats on the main square of Saint-Venant, a small town in the Pas-de-Calais between Béthune and Aire-sur-la-Lys. The name plays on the estaminet, the traditional café-restaurant of northern France, and minet, a word for cat. Behind a glass frontage, the cosy room has vintage decor and several cats that move around the tables at their own pace. At lunchtime the kitchen serves fresh homemade dishes made with local produce, and in the afternoon the venue becomes a tea room with cakes, macarons and hot drinks. It also runs occasional activities, such as children's workshops at Easter, and hosts small celebrations.