Restaurant l'épine Azay-le-Rideau

Wow! Best meal we've ever had in France. A wonderful lunch in a courtyard, served by friendly staff. This restaurant would bring me back to stay in the town again. We didn't have a reservation as we hadn't planned to stop at the town but the staff were welcoming and friendly and we had a lovely afternoon.

Amazing food and lots of extras like amuse bouches and aperitif bites. The mushroom cream with wasabi and sesame was especially delicious. And the beetroot cream also with wasabi and sesame seeds very tasty too. Excellent wines. Nice terrace with plenty of shades from trees. Beautiful interior decor as well with nice art. I do recommend!! Very friendly. Even a disable access with a bell to enter.

Really exquisite dining experience of our final dinner in the course of our Loire-holidays. I tried the experience menue and can highly recommend. Attentive service, high product quality as well as a tasteful ambience.

"Haute French" means French cookery taken to its highest level. Add "slow food," and i'm ready to be wowed. So this will be a pickier and more technical review at €100 pp than usual. So yeah, the napkins. Chic colour and bespoke rings. I'd trade them both for cotton, or as I'd expect at this level, linen. Here it's 100pc Polyester, no. The top of table is all terrific. Plates and glassware, silverware all really fitting the lovely setting. The inside of the room has an excellent vibe, too. The team is professional and caring. They go missing at the end of the meal, dont repour wines and waters, and no midmeal checks, too. They were busy... but at this level... I hate not tipping but didn't. To the food! The amuse bouche was skilful and flavourful. The beetroot cream lacked the earthy notes that i suspect were the aim here. The sweetness, sure, and the sesame saved it from culinary collapse. But then the same basic structure was repeated the next course. Shiitake are amazing, but they were barely discernible in the repeated cream motif. Surely some shiitake and veal confit in the base, and a more powerful version of the garnish, which sounded powerful but didn't deliver. I get that the whole thing is delicate, but it just goes nowhere, especially right after its cousin, the beetroot cream. Things pick up for me with the sturgeon entree. "Nouvelle Cuisine" anointed in the 70s by Gault Millau, makes a come back. I wish my partners dish was identical. Where my sturgeon is paper thin and trimmed of the gristle that sturgeon has, hers is cut 3 times as thick, with all the gristle left behind. The aboyeur shouldn't have let it out of the kitchen, and the room team should have picked it up, too. I could see it from across the table. The aubergine course was a step in the right direction. A fine composition. I guess the sweetness came from the miso, though that's news to me. It wasn't in balance with the saltiness of the credible caviar used. This balance is key to this dish. The fish was well prepared, with beautiful asparagus and a gentle cream sauce. The veal was too quality, though the farce was a bit neutral for my taste. The puree was baffling. The rule i was taught about puree is to be certain that the puree is superior to the item before it's pureed. Artichoke puree can be splendid. Tuna mousse (a poached quenelle, for example) can be sublime. But thesentwo mixed together have a strange taste and the texture of taro puree. I love vitello tonnato, but this dish needs work. Personally, I'd put a tuna mousse in the veal and let the artichokes do their thing. The other elements are really well handled. Dessert (i would expect a small pre dessert, at this level) was solid, but an opportunity lost. The strawberry dessert was eye-catching and ate nicely. No fresh element? In a country with the world's best strawberries? The rhubarb tries hard to wow, with the curiosity use of red beans. I love them, but in my culture, they're associated with cheap chinese or korean desserts and bubble tea. It was ok, but the par cooked rhubarb didn't seem to have a purpose. Love the freeze-dried rhubarb, though. I see that the slow food nod is held by mostly local sourcing. In France, that's not too unusual because France is as good as any place on earth for produce. As for "haute".. im sorry, but for me, on this day, with these plates, not haute.

L’Epine is a true gem for French cuisine, delivering an experience that easily earns its Bib Gourmand distinction. The menu is refined yet creative, showcasing classic techniques with modern flair. Each dish is thoughtfully plated, balancing textures and flavors beautifully. The attention to detail is evident, from delicate garnishes to well-executed sauces that enhance rather than overpower the main ingredients. Highlights include the impeccably fresh fish tartare, topped with caviar for an indulgent touch, and a velvety purée paired with crispy elements that create a satisfying contrast. The desserts are just as impressive, like the elegantly caramelized pear served with crisp fruit chips and smooth ice cream. Service is warm yet professional, making the entire experience feel both welcoming and refined. L’Epine is the kind of place that reminds you why French cuisine remains timeless.

While the mushroom foam starter was one of the best bites I've had on my trip this far, the app and main were sadly lacking. The egg on the beef tataki was too runny and the duck was inedible. Undercooked and thick to the point where it might have been a mistake of not for that fact that 4 ppl had it cooked the same way. We all debated whether to send it back.

Amazing food, very nice people, the best place for lunch at the Loire Valley

The good: - the 3 course menu was more interesting than the 4 course for sure. I had it and found it reasonable value for the price. - the dishes were well presented and looked beautiful. - the restaurant itself is really pretty and has a good atmosphere. It’s in a building that used to be a church, which I thought was interesting. - one member in my group has a gluten allergy, and the staff were very accommodating and even baked him his own bread for the dinner. So definitely mention any allergies when you book! - the strawberry tart for dessert was great The not so good: - service was suuuuper slow. But I’m not sure everyone experienced this. There were two tables that arrived 30 mins after us, had the 3 course menu, and finished a good 45 minutes before us. So maybe we got unlucky but it was crazy slow to order food, then we had to wait half an hour to order wine, etc etc. - some staff were quite sassy. Some people might not mind this, but I especially given the slow service I found them very unwilling to admit this and then they told us it was our fault for not indicating we wanted wine for the apéritif? Wasn’t a fan of this - the 4 course menu was not worth it. Both people who had it in my group were disappointed and regretted this choice. Not good value for the price. - most of the dishes has very “subtle” flavours, meaning you could not taste anything. I loved the lamb tongue, but none of the other dishes were great. Overall, worth trying the 3 course menu. But not a highlight on my trip and I don’t plan to come again.