Where can you eat the best fries in the world right now? Not in Lille or Brussels, nor in Zuydcoote or Knokke-le-Zoute, the seaside resort of Knokke-Heist in Belgium. The answer lies in Angers. While the French city is known for its gentle climate and culinary specialties like dried pears, few expected it would also be home to top-tier fries.

Ever since winning the world championship for "authentic fries" – a title they earned in September 2024 in Arras – brothers Alexandre and William Laigo, aged 30 and 28, have been riding high. Customer demand surged so much after their victory that they recently opened a new restaurant in Angers, nearly three times the size of their original 35-square-meter eatery, where just three tables squeezed in. The name remains the same: Badem, a subtle nod to their Breton roots and the town of Larmor-Baden. "Since Baden was already registered by a German restaurateur in Baden-Baden, we simply replaced the 'n' with an 'm,'" they explained.

Originally, fries were just a simple "side dish" on their menu, which was otherwise made up exclusively of tartares. Whether beef, fish or vegetarian, their 100% homemade preparations are available to eat in or take away, fast-food style. When they opened in January 2023, they offered two types of fries: a "classic" version fried in sunflower oil, suitable for vegetarian palates, and another that is blanched and then refried in beef fat, following the tradition of Belgium and northern France.

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