Charles Barrier

Very good. Some dishes were not really hot, only warm...

Delicious meal with impeccable service. Very fine dining. Highly recommend and reasonably priced. I didn't notice a Michelin rating but I think it deserves one. Very elegant. Three course dinner for 59€. Wine of course extra but a very good selection of local wines that are worth trying

When you first are seated, you'll be met by a wonderful host, who speaks to providing an evening of the maximum pleasure. However, this charming moment will prove to be the highlight of our evening at Charles Barrier. We had a Friday evening table reserved in advance for a group of 6, and were a few minutes early to our 20:30 reservation. However, our servers avoided us, including eye contact, until 21:00, water had to be begged for and not delivered until 21:10, and our order not taken until 21:20, 55 minutes after we were seated. There was no apology, explanation, or concern for our well being during this time- we were simply ignored. The food would not prove to be a saving grace. The cuisine was of a semi limited prix fixe menu, with our table having tried all permutations of the menu. We found the appetizers of tartar and languistine to be enjoyable, but the entrees to be incredibly average. In particular, our sea bass entree was dry and lacking any flavor in its sauce. The only highlight was a recommendation for a bottle of the local "L'Intrepide" wine, of which we ordered two and then had to continue negotiating to be poured our own wine. Dessert was fine, though continuing our trend, the order of a cheese course was summarily forgotten and not offered upon being pointed out. It was simply omitted. Inexplicably, water would be kept away from our table and ignored unless requested 2-3 times per pour. We would be disappointed in this meal had it been an average restaurant around town, but we were left utterly astounded as to how this restaurant could possibly meet the Michelin standard.

When we walked in and saw the decor we thought God faded glory.This was probably one of the best meals I’ve had in years simple excellent French cooking.

Like every other review here, the food is superb. Great value for the quality of food/drink you're getting.

Excellent food, very friendly service and good quality/price ratio.

Wonderful dinner on New Year's Eve: fabulous food, wine and service. Thank you to all the staff.

Beautiful food with excellent service

I was very excited to attend a reception at this Michelin star restaurant but was somewhat underwhelmed. It could have been the way the hosts set everything up but the service wasn't what I expected. For example, they had beautiful arrangements of champagnes and several waiters but they did not come to you or offer a drink. You had to get up and get it yourself. I enjoyed trying the bites, especially the shrimp and eggplant. They did deliver platters to each table. My favorite part was the cheese but you had to get up for that also. It was awkward. Restaurant itself is very beautiful and we had great weather for the patio. I'm sure it's better if you have the full seated dining experience.

Charles Barrier delivers the full French fine dining experience and excels in every area. First impressions matter and I immediately felt relaxed upon arriving at the restaurant. Our luggage was whisked away and we were transported to our table overlooking an attractive courtyard which would no doubt have been used for our aperitifs had the weather been kind. First impressions became concrete opinions as the food and wine arrived. The menu is full of classical French dishes which have been tweaked just enough to keep them current without detracting from the joy of their historic origins. The food was complimented by a wine list which focussed on wines from the appellations surrounding Tours and featured classic producers and up-and-comers alike. The bottle of Chinon red recommended by our sommelier was extremely good. There were a number of stella dishes. My favourite was my main of Le coeur de ris de veau, essentially a giant piece of sweetbread perfectly cooked and served with delicious fricassée of mushrooms and a veal, truffle and vin jaune sauce. The sweetbread was not just the biggest I had ever seen, but also the most tasty and in combination with its accompaniments my mouth was buzzing with the different textures and flavours. Close behind was Charles Barrier's signature Grand Marnier soufflé desert which we had to order at the start of the meal. I have never seen a soufflé rise so high - I would love to know how they did it. However, in addition to this technical feat, the soufflé was amazingly light and the Grand Marnier flavour was partnered by a refreshing grapefruit sorbet. A great way to end a great meal - so good in fact, that we were already planning our next visit before we had left!