Café Lavinal

We came back here again on 30 June for dinner. This time we were seated indoor. The environment was very good, food excellent and staff very friendly and professional. I and my family loved all the dishes. Will definitely come again when we visit Bordeaux in the near future. We took lunch in this restaurant on 28 June. We ordered, among other dishes, seafood platter, fresh oysters, octopus, beef cheek and pork tenderloin. The seafood and beef were good, but the pork tenderloin was a bit overcooked. Since we were seated in an outdoor environment, the dishes attracted flies. Though the staff later on lighted some candles for us with a view to drive the flies away, the experience tarnished the overall experience of us. I seldom wrote restaurant reviews, but would like to raise the last point so that Lavinal management would look into the situation for improvement.

The food was just average—nothing stood out or left a lasting impression. That said, the pricing for both food and wine was very reasonable, and the overall atmosphere was pleasant and inviting. Unfortunately, the service was disappointing. Upon arrival, I was nearly turned away with the claim that the restaurant was full. It took speaking with the manager to be seated. Yet, throughout my entire visit, the restaurant remained at least 75% empty, which made the initial interaction feel unnecessary and unwelcoming.

The food was very good. They had a good variety of options for the daily menu. Very good prices. I had a carrot soup that was wonderful, the duck was good as well. Their bread and basil butter was fantastic. I do have to say that the Rum baba was not edible. It was as if they just poured a cup of pure rum over the cake. Not sure what happened there. Very good overall.

Lovely setting. Great wine choices by the glass. Superb food. A perfect place for lunch in the Medoc.

Amazing food and service. Best thing you can try the different wines from the vineyard by the glass, specially Lynch Bages 2014 currently.

We shared the lamb shoulder for two and it was one of the best prepared dishes I’ve ever had. Superb!

Great food, good location and service. Cocktails are a little pricey but their 3 course lunch menu was €29

The mediocre food does not make up for the horrible service. Avoid this place, if possible. It has so much potential but falls far short.

This was one of my favorite restaurants in Paulliac. Granted, it's probably one of the only ones, which is quite amusing, but nonetheless this place is fantastic!!!! Wish I had a restaurant like this in San Francisco where I'm from. We actually ate here 2 times in our short 1 day and 1 night here lol. It was just easier from a dashing between wine tasting to wine tasting perspective. But I truly loved this place and didn't mind returning anyway! For lunch, they had some special prix fixe menu where you can choose a starter, entree, and dessert. I chose the Asparagus Mousseline Sauce, Basquaise chicken, and chocolate cake. The white asparagus was so beautiful and delicious. The basquaise chicken was this very homey dish....so satisfying and just hit the spot, with rice that soaked up the sauce. WOW!!! I want to try and recreate this dish at home. The chocolate cake I had for dessert was just okay, no big deal. The dinner was also a set menu, that had come with my hotel reservation (some package with Chateau Cordeillan-Bages). It was similar to the lunch, but different items to choose from. I ended up getting the Salmon Gravlax starter. Wow...this was a treat. The salmon was so silky and melt in your mouth!!! For my entree, I got the Lined Hake with seasoned veggies. The fish was cooked so perfectly, very juicy! My husband got the Foie Gras Terrine for his appetizer, another wow. We've gotten this in the past from other places, but this one was quite amazing, especially not having eaten it for a while!! He also got the Beef Undercut with mashed potatoes for his entree, which he loved. My dessert was "wine strawberries" which sounds weird - it literally was wine and strawberries, but it tasted great. The strawberries were perfectly ripe, and it somehow went with the wine. My husband got some lava chocolate cake, and it was too sweet. Every single savory item here was a huge hit, and beautiful presentation too. I really wish I could have eaten here another 2 times to try everything on the menu!!! Fun setting too. At lunch, we sat inside in their dining room, which had a cute bustling bistro feel. At dinner, everyone sat outside on the patio, enjoying the warm weather and sunset. Lovely! Would highly recommend this for your stay in Pauillac!

Quaint, modern restaurant with a bistro feel in the village of Bages. Excellent cuisine that puts it in the map of Epicurians. Our choices of pigeon, ris d'agneau and foie gras were excellent. You can taste Lynch Bages wines by the glass. For a reasonnably priced (but not cheap) dinner, don't hesitate!

Excellent bistrot dans le petit village de Bages en Pauillac, mais il faut dire que est une ville presque déserte et c'est bon en profiter par ce que les arrondissements ne offrent rien d'autre.

After finishing our tour and tasting at Château Lynch-Bages, we stepped out into Le Village de Bages, a collection of gourmet food and wine shops directly adjacent to the château. It was lunchtime, so we went to Le Café Lavinal, a quaint, modern with a retro feel, bistro in Le Village de Bages. Le Café Lavinal was deceptively large with plenty of outdoor seating in addition to the ample amount of inside dining room. While our lunch was strictly bistro fare; salmon tartare, roasted chicken, and a meringue; it was visually appealing, possessed an upscale flare, and was delicious. Surprisingly, the two wines accompanying our meal (a Pauillac and a Margaux) were not from Lynch-Bages. No matter, they were excellent complements to our food. Le Café Lavinal was thoroughly enjoyable and set the bar high for the rest of our meals during our tour.

The service was actually really good... I had the gazpacho which was very creamy... It wasn't anything that I would say is outstanding but it was ok I would give it a 3.5/5 I would of liked more of a different taste than tomato because gazpacho isn't supposed to be just tomato otherwise it would be called tomato soup.... I ordered the sea bass fillet for my main course it was very good , the portion was very small and it wasn't filling but it was good. The location was nice it is right next to the winery and it's very quiet but a lot of tourists P.s I would of liked more of a variety of bread other than white bread . Would I recommend ? Yes but I would spend wisely because it is very expensive and I don't think the price matches the foods quantity . Your getting more quality over quantity which is in my mind good

I don't know why everyone go there for lunch in Boudreaux ...maybe the location... I met three guys from different group in wine tasting tell me they saw me in this restaurant But the food is so average and because it's crowded I think the service is average as well...but nobody really cares coz we all drunk..lols... No matter what as the guy spotted me told me ; it's such a great meeting point. Go meet some people there if you like

Found this cafe out of sheer luck. Ship was docked in Pauillac on Monday night. Went into town to find a restaurant and nothing was open. Walked to the next village, about a 20 minute walk, and found this gem open for dinner. The staff couldn't be more welcoming and we learned this is the sister restaurant to a Michelin starred restaurant down the road. Food was fantastic and the bread was even better. Our waiter suggested a 5 Euro a glass white wine that went perfect with the oysters we ordered. Simone, our waiter, was great, as was the rest of the staff. Ran into the owner of the Delectable app who was sitting next to us. Fortunately I was using his app to take pictures of the wines we were drinking. Just a great cafe in the shadow of Château Lynch-Bages.

Had a great lunch both of us had the beef luncheon special and it was very good. Make sure and make a reservation because they turn people away who don't have reservation because they appear to sell out daily. I think that speaks for itself.

I had a little trouble finding this place at first because the sat nav on my rental car didn't have the street name in Pauillac. If it wasn't recommended by our tour host, I don't think we ever would've picked this place on our own. I ordered the Medoc Entrecôte and it was steak heaven. This was a perfectly cooked steak and the red wine sauce was amazing. It also came with this potato pastry thing that perfectly complemented the main event. It is huge - so have a big appetite if you order this because you wouldn't want any of it to go to waste. My friends ordered other dishes and they looked okay.

We loved our lunch here! It's in a very cute little spot and the food was delicious. I got sea bass which was very fresh and came with a beautiful buttery sauce and ratatouille. So yummy. And my husband got the duck breast with roasted potatoes which he loved. The place was packed, luckily we had a lunch reservation because they were turning people away! The service was very slow, but I expect it's because they were busy. I think this is where tour guides make reservations for their clients, we saw other people from previous tours here.

Great place for a lunch break during wine tasting. It is in the village of Bages, which is essentially a small square with a playground, restaurant, boulangerie, and chacuterie. The village is anchored by the Chateau Lynches-Bages. It is a little hard to find as the village is tiny - you may have to drive on unpaved gravel roads. It is surprisingly busy, seemingly with tourists and locals. Cafe Lavinal is a traditional French bistrot in terms of atmosphere and food. It is nicely decorated and has a modern, rustic feel. You may have to be aggressive in ordering because service is VERY slow. The waitresses aren't very helpful when you ask for recommendations ("everything is good") but the sea bass was amazing. Tender, crisp skin - perfect texture. It is flavored perfectly while still retaining the essence of a delectable fish. The baguette is one of the finest - warm with a crunchy exterior and moist soft interior. Dip it in olive oil and salt and you're in carb heaven! For dessert, the creme brulee was spectacular. You can also go to the boulangerie across the street - get the apple tart!

After our morning tasting our sommelier had reserved a lunch for us at this restaurant in the small village of Bages and it was a great choice. Only reason a 4 star is time between servings. Staff was fabulous, our waitress was extremely helpful with wine choice.

We had a three-course lunch here today. Memorable pork and white bean main dish and creme brûlée. very nice ambience and good service. At 28 euros, it'll be hard to beat the price and quality anywhere in France and many other places in the world.

Good wines, good food but terrible serving which destroyedxournEuro 100 wine by stirring the bottle and not admitting it. We enforced a change of bottle and she took it personnally and treated our table like shit afterwards.

This place is highly regarded because it is in the village lynch bages, they serve a limited menu and have a great wine list. It was a beautiful day so we ate lunch outside on the patio. We ordered and waited around for drinks. I remember that this is France so service is not expeditious. They were out of a few items from the specials and regular menu, one particularly that i was looking forward to. I was bummed but I managed to put together an order anyways. Service was particularly slow on this day because they seemed swamped. Slow enough that the Frenchies I was there with went and grabbed the server a few times. We ordered a bottle of white wine from Bordeaux which is becoming more and more unusual for the region. The food was good but not excellent. The service was particularly slow even by French standards, but the setting was beautiful. Definitely a place to go while visiting Village Bages.