Étant arrivé après un long voyage, on avait envie de manger tranquillement au restaurant. On nous a…read moreoffert une table à l'intérieur, puisqu'on n'avait pas eu le temps de réserver. on s'est dit " pas de problème."  le problème. C'était le défilé des gens qui cherchait les WC. C'était pas évident et ce n'était pas très agréable pour l'ambiance du repas. En plus, l'ambiance, c'était loin de relaxe, puisque le serveur courait littéralement sans cesse. C'est aussi lui qui nous a dit brusquement dit que le millésime pouvait changer de ce qu'il y avait sur la carte. En fin de compte il nous avait apporté une bouteille différente de ce qu'on a commandé. Il l'a changé en s'excusant. Le steak que j'ai commandé " saignant"  était servi bleu. Corrigé avec encore des excuses. Malgré tout ça, mon mari à apprécié son plat d'agneau pressé Et le dessert de fondant au chocolat était bon. J'espère que ces jeunes vont se rappeler qu'en Provence on n'est pas pressé !

We dropped in based on a quick read of the menu and are so glad we did! The food was excellent and…read morea really great value. We had the sampler plate (they had a different name for it, obviously!) and fish dish, both were excellent, particularly the sampler plate. It had a little bit of just about everything. The fish was perfectly done, soft and silky. The terrace is beautiful, you get great sunset views.

This was absolutely the best meal we had during our week in Provence. The food was fresh, and of an…read moreexcellent quality. The service was warm and welcoming, and the atmosphere, sitting next to the historic fountain-lavoir, was very relaxing. We had the caillette, served with fresh veggies, each with it's own light vinaigrette, and a delicious grain. All was organic, including the wine. Excellent lunch!

I was surprised that this restaurant wasn't already on Yelp, but then I learned it only opened a…read morecouple months ago. What a beautiful restaurant in every sense. Located in the medieval city of Vaison la Romaine, you're surrounded by ancient stone houses, cobblestone roads and enchanting fountains. We were lucky to get one of three tables on the terrace for lunch on a typical sunny day in Provence. The menu is short but sweet: 2 starters, 3 mains (2 of which are always the same and a plat du jour which changes), and a selection of homemade ice cream for dessert (I didn't find out if there were other desserts after the strong recommendation of ice cream by another diner). This was by far our best meal in Provence. We paid twice as much for a meal at La Bartavelle and it wasn't half as good. My husband and I both had the namesake La Caillette, a Provençal specialty, and it doesn't get better than this one. It's like a very large pork meatball mixed with herbes de Provence, but believe me, it tastes way better than I could ever describe it so I won't try. It was served alongside a generous portion of perfectly seasoned bulgar and a whole juicy tomato and salad with a delicious vinaigrette. The meal tastes like one that would come out of a grandmother's kitchen in Provence. My husband and I talked to the friendly owner a while, who was quite good with English, and he's very passionate about the food and using high-quality ingredients. My husband and I also shared a small pitcher of rose wine which complemented the meal wonderfully. For dessert, I had mint ice cream with mint leaves strewn throughout. I told my husband you'd better have a bite of this because you'll never taste anything like it again. The ice cream was the essence of mint that grew wild in your garden as a child. And the creaminess... My husband had chocolate ice cream, which was excellent, but I just can't get over the mint. You must come to this special restaurant if you want a true Provençal meal for a modest price. And it's open continuously from 10-7, unlike many restaurants that close after lunch at 2:00. I only wish I had more time in the area so I could eat here again. It's one of those meals I'll always remember.

Imposed meal, absolutely exceptional and all is home made!! Even the bread…read more The place is beautiful too. Perfect.

My favorite restaurant in South of France during this vacation. Food is incredibly great!read more

It was a wonderful lunch at "Le Verger des Papes". Excellent food and service. The salmon tartare…read moreand the dessert were delicious. After the meal, you can visit the Pope John XXII's Castle and vineyard. Amazing place.

Probably the worst place with the worst service. They would not service me and told them their…read morerestaurant was full when they had every seat available. This is a disservice to the area and an absolutely disgusting behavior of service. I hope no one visits this terrible establishment that uses nothing but a name for customers.

I cannot speak highly enough of L'Essentiel, from their food, to their service, to the beautiful…read moredecor and table settings. Service is welcoming and accommodating for my poor attempt at culinary French terms. The Chef even came out to answer questions at three occasions. First up, a trio of amuse bouches called land and sea. I don't typically like foie gras but this was incredible. I would actually order this again if ever back in Avignon. The Parmesan biscuit was technically amazing, with such subtle flavor, crispy on the outside, and soft, light and creamy inside. The mushroom "egg roll" was crispy, flaky with great umami. The Jerusalem artichoke risotto was my absolute favorite; I'll likely dream of this dish and try to replicate the recipe. It's unlike anything I've had before, so creative, unique and insanely delicious. The artichokes were cooked perfectly , tender but still firm. The risotto was actually a thick, creamy foam, packed with bold creamy flavor and truffles on top. The sea bream was glistening with the crispiest skin, along with carrots and a silky champagne sauce. The veal was so tender with the most delightful sweet onion tart. The tart was surprisingly good with the best onions I've ever had. Kudos to the chef for shopping the market everyday for the freshest and highest quality products! The scallops were sliced beautifully and were balanced so well with the acidity of raspberries and pomegranates. We started out with the strongest amuse bouches, and Chef didn't disappoint from there, maintaining and exceeding our palette's expectations. Chef Mohamad deserves a Michelin rank!!

KenScale: 8.0/10…read more It's not often a restaurant boldly comes up with a name "essential". When I was looking up different restaurant options during our stay in Avignon, I initially chuckled at the name and figured why not give a chance at the place. My wife Jun and I were coming back from a full-day wine tasting tour with a rather big lunch, so we were not completely starving when we entered L'Essentiel's lovely courtyard. Still, we ended up having a very solid meal here, as all the dishes we ordered had something nice to say about. You can go with either one of the tasting menu options or simply go a la carte at L'Essentiel. Given that we weren't terribly hungry, Jun and I opted for the latter and ordered one appetizer, two main dishes and a dessert to share together. I don't know why we saw tomato gazpacho only just now near the tail end of our two-week honeymoon/summer vacation; in any event, the one that the kitchen put together was quite refreshing, perfect for a summer appetizer with mozzarella di buffalo cheese in the middle. While cod with orange sauce infused into jasmine and creamy polenta looked pedestrian in plating, there is no denying that the fish was expertly cooked with ideal temperature and texture. I was initially worried that the fried foie gras accompanying the beef Rossini filet might simply overpower the meat with too much richness, but the server assured that won't be the case. Listening to her turned out to be a smart idea because the foie gras had a surprisingly delicate side to it that complemented the beef filet quite well. With roasted potatoes on the side, the filet was a winner dish. For dessert, a rather artful display of chocolate ganache and crispy peanut on top of chocolate dulce emulsion (with black chocolate ice cream submerged below) was as delicious as it looked. I secured a reservation at L'Essential through my credit card concierge service so I don't know how difficult it is to get a table at the restaurant; if you want to go for al fresco dining in the summer season at the courtyard that makes you feel like you're eating inside a small but lovely palace, it does seem like a good idea to book in advance. There is a multi-page wine list focusing on the wines from the region; we ordered a bottle of nice vacqueyras that worked well with the dishes we had ordered. L'Essentiel is somewhere in the middle in terms of value proposition; it is not as pricey or fancy as three Michelin-star haute cuisine establishments but it certainly is more refined than an everyday bistro, which also means it works on a more variety of different occasions. If you are staying in Avignon and feel like you want to have an elegant meal without breaking the bank, L'Essential is a good option to consider.

OMG!! The best !! We arrived in Avignon and our host recommended thus lovely restaurant!! Great…read moreambiance and serve but the food was freshly cooked and delicious!! Great local beer as well!! A GEM!!!

Wow!!! Family run, incredible food, great ambience. Made we want to book a trip to Corsica, the…read morefood was that good.

Ambiance and service were fine. Squid was rubbery and absolutely tasteless, even with copious…read moreamounts of lemon and salt. Lettuce for salads was iceberg. Overall disappointing, but my daughter enjoyed her chicken tenders salad and the buratta heirloom tomato salad was good.

Seems like every place we found in Avignon just keep getting better and this was our last night in…read moretown before coming up to Paris for a week. I had the Iberico pork with ratatouille that was the best meal I have had in France so far! We were seated outside until a storm kicked up and the quickly moved us all upstairs which turned out to be a great choice! It was a great place that I would easily go back to again

Our Airbnb hosts introduced us to this lovely place, and we are so happy they did! The waiters were…read morevery attentive and patient, the ambience quite lovely, and the food is absolutely fantastic. I ordered the Menu Provence and tried some unique French dishes fresh from their kitchen. Super satisfying and tasty, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

Wow! Our hotel helped us find this place (it's definitely off the beaten path) and it was one of…read moreour best meals in France. They have a nice terrace (due to COVID we ate outside), and a bunch of different menu options. We chose the "surprise" seafood menu and were so happy we did. They had a few "surprise" menus and it seemed like possibly a bit of a scam...until we got our food. It was one sumptuous dish after another, all perfectly plated. The server (I'm guessing this is a family affair, it seemed to be a mom-and-pop type place with the kids helping out) was so excited about the food, it was infectious. The desserts were glorious! Wine selection was amazing for the price.