Best Charente/Vendée Restaurants... Eating out is a part of the French way of life.   Don’t have a holiday in France without a meal in a French restaurant!  Although there are many unusual French foods (frogs legs, snails, tête de veau etc.) you will find many foods that are a true delight!  The Charente/Vendée have some fantastic restaurants to choose from.
Which restaurant?  Try to find a restaurant that is targeted at French diners (French menus are a good clue!).  Don’t expect to find a fantastic restaurant in the major tourist destinations - here we would recommend something safe and straightforward such as pizza, crêpes etc..
Which time?  It’s often cheaper to eat at lunchtime and during the week.  Sunday lunch is always busy and it pays to book ahead.  In the evenings, don’t arrive too early - 7.30PM is often the earliest you can get served.
Which menu?  Don’t go for à la carte options.  Usually they have the same options as the menu prix fixe and they cost a lot more!  Avoid Menu Touristique like the plague!
Which wine?  Wine can be quite expensive if you go for named bottles.  But carafes of house white or red wine have usually been exquisitely selected by the restauranteur and are excellent value.  Refer to our wine section for more advice on wines in France.

(0)5 45 81 94 13

This hotel/restaurant is set back from the D22 road in the pretty village of Bassac, just east of Jarnac. Nothing special from the outside with a fairly standard hotel dining room, but the terrace for summer eating was quite something else! This overlooked a lovely garden with plenty of space for our children to run around in. We ate one late spring lunch time with friends and the management had very thoughtfully provided 2 circular tables – one for the adults and the other for the children – bliss! with huge umbrellas to keep off the sun.  The food was quite exceptional for all diners, young and old(?) alike and everyone cleared their plates. This is somewhere worth returning to. Menus €16-€43 and €12 for children.