We had a great experience here. Both the owner/chef Olivier and the other staff member were very…read morewarm, kind, and helpful. We learned that the name of the restaurant means "kitchen in the middle of the room," which is literally the case here. We were served some hard salami as a complimentary treat with our drinks. The menu is minimal with only 2 options for each course (starter, main course, dessert), but this is not surprising as it's a very small kitchen with one cook. We shared a starter of crispy phyllo filled with stewed pork, veal, chicken and onions and each ordered duck and turkey parmentier as our main course. The food was so cozy and comforting. It was definitely more rustic than some of the other dishes we had eaten on our trip, but we really enjoyed all the flavors and would definitely come back. Olivier in particular was delightful. Even though he was cooking all the food, he checked in on us multiple times and ensured we were enjoying ourselves. This is a small restaurant and reservations are definitely required.

I'm sure their food is very good. I accidentally- made the reservation at L'llot in Paris. We…read morewalked in and I felt attacked and embarrassed as they loudly and rudely said you cannot have a reservation we are full, look around. They asked abruptly to see my confirmation and as i fumbled with my phone as they were so forcibly rude. Such poor treatment for an honest mistake which could and should have been handled in a much more hospitable manner.

Wonderful steak frites, excellent service, friendly atmosphere. The dessert selection is fantastic.read more

I'm sorry I don't get the other reviews. Only thing I can think is the chef changed…read more Positives: great location by the castle and semi attentive staff. Portions are big/fair. Based on prior reviews we had high hopes. There were 4 of us so we each tried something different. The 2 steaks/duck were super tough ( cooked med rare). We said something to the waiter and we asked if we wanted it to be cooked some more. No thx - additional cooking would make it even more leathery. Fries looked like they were cut in half, then in half, then again. Really why serve a bunch of broken potato pieces. The waiter praised the house wine, and pushed it hard but honestly it was not very good. Maybe "buvable'. A bit sour, no complexity. But heck it pairs with the steak. Sorry, but our worst meal yet in France. (Day 8) . Take your chance- hopefully your experience is better than ours. But don't say nobody forewarned you ...

I don't revel in giving bad reviews. We dined at 5 restaurants in Amboise and L'Ecluse was by far…read moreour least favorite. It wasn't even close. I feel like I was really misled by all the positive reviews because I can't see how we dined at the same restaurant. First for some positives. The staff is very helpful and kind. They do a good job of explaining the dishes. The dishes were all beautiful and very creative. That said, I feel like for us the food was style above substance. Our favorite bite of food was an amuse bouche of fried Loire catfish. It was wonderful. I would have preferred a full portion of this as my entire meal in retrospect. Both of our starters were disappointing. My mom had sea bass carpaccio which was beautiful to look at but was missing both acid and salt and actually made her sick for several days after. I had "The Tomato" which was stuffed with basmati rice and Thai curry, basil pesto, and buffalo mozzarella. It was an odd combination of flavors, yet it had so little flavor. The rice was undercooked, and this dish too was missing both acid and salt. It really tasted very bland for something that was so pretty to look at. How disappointing. We both had the prawns with wok-fried noodles for our main courses. It was served on separate plates for the prawns and the noodles which seems so odd and didn't even make sense like they were two different dishes. The prawns were pretty decent. The noodles were not that good. They were undercooked and way oversauced and the sauce was pretty sweet. Both of our desserts were good overall. In the end, although I loved visiting Amboise and would 100% like to return, I will definitely be skipping L'Ecluse in the future. It did not live up to its reputation. Not at all.

Wonderful meal. Server helped us in English and the food was fabulous! Glad we were able to get in.read more

Restaurant is about 4.5 stars. Reservations are recommended. The town Amboise is a small area. The…read morerestaurants are limited selection and get full easy. The reservation is a must for the good restaurant. We were able to get the reservation at last minute availability. The chef start with chef complimentary dishes. It is cracker with cream. It is a good opening. I got local mascot for drink. We have pre prix menu. Our app is foie gras and pate. My wife have the quail. Both app are delicious. My entree is the roasted lamb and honey pork. The lamb is delicious and cook in pink temperature. Meat is tender. The dessert is exquisite. I have raspberry shortbread with pistachio ice cream. It is Mmmmm delicious. My wife has the crisp dessert with chocolate and praline and mango sorbet. It is delicious too.

Have to start out by saying that the food and service was great! But the ambiance lacked. Bright…read morelights, no tablecloths, candles, music. Could have been a family restaurant. We were staying within a 4 minute walk and happened to pass by Le Clos de Amboise (hotel and restaurant) and wish we would have eaten there because it looked so warm and cozy and the menu looked spectacular. Sie la vie!

Don't miss this restaurant while you're in Amboise! Make a reservation! It's a spot you wouldn't…read morejust happen upon (you'll need to follow signs--it's in a dead end). They only have 14 small tables indoor and out, which may sound like a lot but trust me, they fill up on reservations and we saw them turn many people away. The menu is very creative, interesting, and delicious. They focus on shareable plates, although you could easily just order your own food if you really wanted. We shared caramel pork with tahini-coconut roasted vegetables and crispy chickpeas; Thai salad with fried chicken; and salmon tataki with paprika oil, chermoula cauliflower, preserved lemon and Medjool dates. As you can see, the flavor profiles really range, but the food is prepared to excellent standards and I don't have a single note or complaint about anything we tried. This was our first meal upon arriving in Amboise and it really set the bar high. I wish we had more time in our trip to dine here again, but I will definitely plan to come back if I'm ever in Amboise again in the future.

Second time here and it blew our minds again. If in Amboise make a reservation and go here-it's a…read moremust. Staff is attentive and kind and the food the food! The best in Amboise imo.

We enjoyed eating at this family run business. Good food and amazing service. We enjoyed…read morerecommendations from owners. Must eat here

Stopped here for lunch and was impressed with the menu and the waitstaff. Great people watching…read moreviews as well!

Came here after the previous restaurant experience was awful. As tourist this place is amazing…read more Speaks english and VERY friendly! My family had the pasta, chicken burger, and meat plate and it was by far the best meal we have had here in two weeks that we traveled. The outside patio was wonderful on a cool night. Definitely check out this place.

Very friendly lovely French cuisine Had the lamb shank…read moreperfectly prepared Service atmosphere and food excellent

Great little restaurant. They give you very nice salads, and very high quality beef that you cook…read moreon a hot stone that they bring to table. Excellent, friendly service. Perfect after riding 40km amongst the chateau and vineyards.

Need to post hours. We drove to this spot only to find it closed. I don't have a problem with that…read moreat all but you need to post your hours so we don't get excited and reach for a door that is locked. Thank you. Maybe next time.