Any Favorite Restaurants in Bordeaux, Chartres, and Versailles

I don't have a Bordeaux restaurant to offer but will say that when I ate on a restaurant terrace facing the cathedral that they did not have paper menus, you had to access with a QR code on the table. This was at the end of Covid restrictions in Oct 2021 but I did not have data coverage on my phone and couldn't QR it up, lol. My tech skills have improved vastly since then! This may have changed since people are not wiping down menus any more but I just wanted to give you a heads up over the possible need.

BTW, I just pointed to something on the chalk board menu so that worked out fine.

Oh, just remembered, I did enjoy a nice meal in Bordeaux at La Belle Epoque, right across the busy street from the riverside walk. The address is 2 Allee d'Orleans.

I wouldn’t hesitate to go to the Cafe Bleu in Chartres. Right across the street from the right side of the cathedral. It was raining the day we visited so we didn’t want to search around. Normally I avoid any restaurants right next to the ‘main’ venue, but it was very good, nice service and not that expensive. We even returned for dessert later.

Not a restaurant per se, but in Bordeaux we enjoyed the wine bar aptly named Bar a Vins, just down from the TI. Lovely for a cheese plate and glass or 2 of wine. You’ll find it mentioned in most guidebooks and travel sites.
We ate at Le 1925 at our hotel’s recommendation and it was enjoyable (if not fantastically memorable).
I can also recommend a great little coffee spot called Kuro which was just around the corner from our hotel, the Best Western Bayonne Etche-Ona. We had coffee and croissants there every morning while we were in Bordeaux. The proprietor is a cool young guy who speaks excellent English!

Bordeaux: Les Drôles for duck and Backyard Brique House for pizza and craft beer.

Versailles: Au Chien Qui Fume

Pam, SJS, elizabethclincoln, jphbucks:

Thanks so much for your input! I'll report back on any places we try.

I just got back from our 2nd, 3-week stay in Bordeaux. There are a number of restaurants we have gone back to several times because they are SO good. Le Cafe du Port is on the east side of the river just a quick walk over the Pont de Pierre - excellent food right on the river with a stunning view of the city. Up that same side of the river there are a number of guingettes near Darwin - they are small, temporary restaurants. Casual but more about the beer than the food. Chez Alriq is one that has great music and tapas - you can Google the schedule - there is always a line for this place when music is on. Just a few yards up the river is another one (can't remember the name) that has an artificial beach and really good beer but not great food. A very good cafe with a beautiful view right on the Place de la Comedie is Le Regent. It seems like it would be a tourist trap but it isn't - the food is very good and the view is great! Just below that cafe, on the Cr du Chapeau-Rouge, toward the river, is Le Murano, an Italian restaurant. Their food is Italian but with a twist - like risotto made with red instead of white wine. Really good food. On the cathedral square, Le Cafe Rohan is excellent. Not sure how many times we have eaten there (quite often!) but the service is very friendly and the food excellent! Pay too much for an overpriced drink on the rooftop terrace of the Intercontinental Hotel - spectacular views over the city. The cafe near the southeast entrance to the Jardin Publique is very good - crepes and galettes with excellent cocktails - L'Orangerie. Have a croissant or other pastry item at La P'tite Boulangerie Notre Dame in the Chartrons neighborhood - voted the best pastries in Bordeaux, and I truly think they are! Honestly, there are so many great restaurants in Bordeaux - I haven't had a bad meal there. Just to add - take a look at the website "Lost in Bordeaux". It's run by an American who lives in Bordeaux and it's comprehensive. She even has a month by month guide to events in the city and surrounding area. Very informative and useful! Good luck and enjoy Bordeaux - it's one of my favorite cities in France.

Anita - What great info! I can hardly wait to try out some of these locations. Thanks so much!

Forgot to mention that the rooftop bar at the Renaissance Hotel across from the Cité du Vin is a fabulous place from which to view the city at night. Sunset is an especially good time there.

Le Tout du Cru is the seafood restaurant on the Chartrons quay. Finally remembered.

I also second Le Café Bleu in Chartres as well as Le Bœuf Couronnée

In Bordeaux I loved Le Chien de Pavlov and the restaurant at the Théâtre called Le Quatrième Mur.

You've received some excellent suggestions. I'll add just a few more: The Chartrons neighborhood in Bordeaux has a number of excellent cafes, restaurants, bistros. I have yet to have a bad meal in that area. Across from the Cité du Vin is Les Halles Bacalan, which is a food hall with some great offerings and is more casual. In Saint-Pierre district (Bordeaux), Piha Café is my favorite coffee shop in the whole of Bordeaux. They make a delicious cup of coffee and have great pasteries from some boutique local boulangeries that are excellent. Just down from there (also in Saint-Pierre) is Personne n'est Parfait (PnP), which is a great lunch spot. A more typical French restaurant that I've enjoyed is just off Rue Ste Catherine called Maison Mère. I'm sure there are more but you've received some great suggestions to get you going. Happy eating!

SON, Symbiose, La Tupina, Au Bistro…there are si many! You’ll also want to try the covered market on weekends around lunch time for a fun cultural and culinary experience.

In Chartres, I third the Café Bleu, and I really liked the (fancier) Moulin du Ponceau.

Le Moulin de Ponceau was my #1 before they turned into a Lebanese restaurant and now they're very back to french but very experimental .

We ate at Moulin Ponceau in Chartres this spring and had a very fine meal with exquisite service and a simpy stunning view -- and since the illuminations also occur down along the small river -- if you finish dinner after dark you can see the illuminations along the bridges before hiking back up to the Cathedral. It is a wonderful restaurant. We ate there 20+ years ago and then it was closed so we were happy to see its new incarnation.

If I only had a day in Chartres this is absolutely where I would eat.