Le Doyenné
Restaurant · Saint-Vrain ·
Farm-to-table restaurant with garden strolls and overnight stays
Farm-to-table restaurant with garden strolls and overnight stays
"Located about an hour south of Paris in Saint-Vrain, this farm-restaurant-guesthouse practices an earnest field-to-plate philosophy: vegetables come from the potager outside converted conservatory-style stables, and the menu highlights whatever the garden yields alongside wild game, seafood, and sustainably reared meats. Dining options include a carte blanche (around €135 with an optional €80 wine pairing at lunch) or a Friday four-course menu (around €195 plus €65 for pairings); awarded a Michelin green star, it also offers rustic-chic rooms and requires booking well in advance." - Eleanor Aldridge
"What are two Australian chefs (with stints at Yard, Spring, Bones and Au Passage) doing in the heart of the grounds of Saint Vrain Castle, more precisely in the tastefully refurbished former stables? Well, they are knocking up spot-on food, sourced directly from the estate’s huge cottage garden, which actually existed before the restaurant, using fruit and vegetables that are harvested only when perfectly ripe. A fine dining experience that mingles rural charm and gourmet delights, overlooking the surrounding countryside. Guestrooms available for overnight stays. Booking compulsory." - Michelin Inspector
"Le Doyenné is listed at the The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2025 as rank 70." - The World's 50 Best Restaurants
"Led by Aussie expats James Henry and Shaun Kelly, Le Doyenné in Essonne is a flourishing French countryside retreat with a contemporary, light-filled dining room and guesthouse—opened last year at the Château de Saint-Vrain—and a kitchen garden so fertile it now supplies top bistros back in Paris." - Tom Howells
"The Paris region’s most hotly-anticipated opening of the last year can actually be found 25 miles south of the capital in the small village of Saint-Vrain. It’s where the Australian chefs James Henry and Shaun Kelly, known for their influence in the Parisian bistronomy movement, transformed the former stables of a 19th-century private estate into a working farm, restaurant, and guesthouse driven by the principles of regenerative agriculture. More than 100 varieties of heirloom fruits, vegetables, and herbs make their way into Henry’s vibrant cooking after being meticulously nurtured by Kelly, who has taken on the role of lead farmer. It’s all served on antiqued dishware in a sprawling dining room with exposed beams and floor-to-ceiling windows that keep the garden within close view. The experience doesn’t begin or end on the plate, however: guests are strongly encouraged to take their apéritif or digestive stroll through the farm." - Lindsey Tramuta
