Lunch with Beth after the Saumur market at Le Pot de Lapin
The best markets near the Loire Petite Chateau are in Saumur and Thouars on Friday and Saturday. After a hard morning of café sitting and market shopping it’s time for lunch. Saumur offers a good selection of market-day restaurants.
We might go to Le Grand Bleu for mussels and seafood. Or Le Pot de Lapin where the menu changes frequently and daily wines are featured on the chalkboard. We always like to eat outdoors in good weather. The best place to watch the scene with good food is Bistrot de la Place on the north side of Place St. Pierre. There are several others on the square like Auberge St. Pierre. For a Michelin one-star experience walk over to Gambetta a few blocks away. Near Gambetta is L’Alchemiste, less expensive but an excellent value.
There are fewer restaurants within walking distance of the Thouars market. A good little one with an outdoor terrace behind l’Eglise St. Médard, Le Trait d’Union, 8 Place St. Médard. Or you could drive ten minutes away to
Mussels at Le Grand Bleu after the Saturday Saumur market
Logis de Pompois, formal and very high quality, or 15 minutes away to the nearby village of Oiron to dine at Relais du Chateau, an excellent value. See the unusual Château d’Oiron afterwards, where a classic chateau is juxtaposed with contemporary art.
After the market in Doué la Fontaine on Mondays you can walk to Le Dagobert or drive 5 minutes away to the best restaurant in the city and a Michelin Bib Gourmand, Auberge Beinvenue, across from the unusual Doué Bio Park, where the zoo is set in the limestone caves of the area.
There is a small Tuesday market in Montrueil-Bellay, which is only 10 minutes from our village and considered one of the most beautiful in the Loire. We love La Barbacane for coffee or lunch on the terrace with a splendid view of the Chateau.
For the Angers market on Saturday we are partial to Autor d’un Cep, a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant. This is a casual restaurant with good wine and creative menu.
There are dozens of good restaurants around the Chinon market on Thursday. It is one of our favorite medieval cities nearby. We enjoy a simple meal in the central square at Bistrot de la Place. Award winning is L’Oceanic.
At the small Fontevraud market on Wednesday’s, the Restaurant Le Délice is an excellent value. For the one-star experience in the village we recommend La Licorne. Combine your trip to Abbaye Fontevraud, one of the greatest in France.
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