l'echo et l'abbaye

It was okay.

Fine.

We came as a group of 20 friends, all couples, to visit the abbey church and had lunch at L'Echo et l'Abbaye. This is only about the restaurant, not the hotel. Reservations are a good idea if you’re in La Chaise-Dieu. The cooking was well done, with local ingredients and family-style dishes given a bistronomic touch. The meat was tender but still had a nice bite, and the fish wasn’t overcooked, with a lovely pearly look. The flavors worked well together, especially the tonka bean with the potato and beef chuck stew. Service was so quick that the food arrived almost as soon as we sat down. We’d been asked to choose ahead of time, which suited us since we had a schedule to keep for our visit. The welcome was pleasant. I understand that one large banquet table wasn’t possible, but the seating could have been arranged better. One small table ended up with an odd number of people, leaving one couple split between two tables. The beef chuck could have been trimmed a little more carefully. I’d also expected a bigger wine list for pairing with the food, particularly with the €60 menu. Prices are toward the high end, so I found the value average, though that’s about the cost, not the quality. A pleasant restaurant with a few small things to improve, and one I’d recommend.

We went just for the restaurant and chose the €26 set menu, main course and dessert. It was delicious, homemade food, and we were happy with our choice. The service was friendly and professional, and they brought amuse-bouches and little snacks, a lovely touch that’s unusual at this price. Excellent meal, warm welcome, great value. Highly recommend! 👍