Restaurant Le Grand Bleu

An absolute gem. We had such a good dinner. The chef's wife was hosting and her service was perfect. The food is DELICIOUS! The magret de canard and the beef were just melting on our tongues- just perfectly cooked and soft as butter. From starters to desserts, we were delighted with everything we tasted.

This place is a hidden gem. My wife and I were delighted to discover that the chef, a former Michelin star chef, chose to leave the star behind for a more tranquil environment, yet his food remains at the highest standard. You are essentially getting Michelin star quality in a relaxed, welcoming setting. It outshines any other place in Sarlat. Every dish is executed with superb quality, and the service is exceptional thanks to the perfect team of the chef in the kitchen and his wife looking after the front of the house. You can feel that both of them genuinely love what they do. We are so glad we stumbled upon this gem. It is now our go to spot in Sarlat.

Frédéric, owner of the lovely B&B Le Temps Retrouvé just steps down the street from Le Grand Bleu recommended this restaurant. Perfection! Chef Maxime and wife Audrey are a perfect team. She receives customers, she serves, she watches over all with a superb professionalism and efficiency. Maxime, chef par excellence who is delightfully playful, leaves the kitchen to come by and assure all needs are met. Order the souffle!! The decor is lovely, the ambiance elegant but relaxed and welcoming, thanks to these two who truly make you feel at home.

It’s a very long time since I have tasted food like this. We had an amazing meal: le chef est très exceptionnel. Each of us chose from a different menu as well as the chefs special. Each course was perfection, including the amuse bouche and the little sweets with coffee. I can’t wait to go again.

We came here because of the great reviews, and were very pleased that they were able to sit us even though we didn't have a reservation (and were dressed for hiking). The service was very warm, attentive, and efficient, and the place had a nice, laid back ambience. In terms of the food, however, it was a mixed experience: Foie gras, beef carpaccio, and langoustine appetizer - 5/5. This was the best dish by far, with the flavors melding together beautifully. To be honest, this set us up to expect all other dishes to be great, but this was unfortunately not the case. Sweet breads with vegetables - 4/5. Still good, but we've have had better versions (sauces, accompaniments) in other places. Steak main - 4/5. Same as above, nothing to write home about - good but not much more remarkable/impressive versus even how we cook at home. Duck main - 2/5. This was the most disappointing dish as the duck was incredibly tough (we've been having duck throughout this trip and this was the toughest by far), and the sauce it came with didn't really go well with it. The onions (I think?) that came with it were also a bit burned, leaving a sort of bitter taste so I didn't even eat them. Macaron dessert - 3/5. This was very creative and interesting, but didn't quite work as well in flavor execution as in theory. I appreciated the ingenuity of the olives, and asparagus, etc but felt like it needed something to tie everything together, and make the dish more pleasurable, not just interesting. Fruit jelly dessert - 2/5. This was also quite disappointing - likely lots of thought and effort put in it, but the final flavors were flat/bitter/simplistic, and could definitely be improved. Overall, we liked around half the dishes, didn't like the other half, but truly appreciated the nice, friendly service.

Refined food with tentative service. We strongly recommend this place.

2021 update: still an amazing restaurant. Photos updated. Their pork was some of the best pork I had in France on this trip. A great Michelin starred restaurant with reasonable prices. Lunch menu on Saturdays are comparable to other restaurants in the area (cheap for a Michelin star restaurant, so great deal). excellent attentive service that explains their food well.

On my last day in Sarlat, I found its best restaurant (so far). Clearly a cut above the rest. The degustation menu is very good value considering the wonderful quality and presentation of the dishes. The decor is modern and welcoming. The staff is exceptionally attentive and the Chef is a cracker. Booking well ahead of time is unsurprisingly essential. Thoroughly enjoyable dining experience. If you have reservations towards French coffee (like me), don't order it.

Probably the best restaurant in Sarlat. Food is original, many hot / cold combination (Grand Marnier soufflé / Basil ice cream) and a blend of different texture, with noble ingredients and master realization. Excellent ris de veau. The only drawback would be the setting, near a road and the train station. The room is nicely arranged but we would expect something more impressive or grand like a Manor / property with more character. Good value for money. One Michelin star to follow.

Food is ok but beware of sour faced waitress with bad dismissive attitude. She will make your dining experience quite unpleasant.