What a hidden gem!! We were just passing through and stayed at an Airbnb nearby. Unfortunately missed dinner--but after seeing the menu, I wish we hadn't! Duck, quail, rabbit, steak, and so much more. The menu was incredibly impressive. However, breakfast was delightful. We had an omelet made with fresh vegetables from their garden, French toast, a chocolate croissant, an almond butter croissant, herbal tea, and fresh cold-pressed grape juice. Everything tasted incredibly fresh. On our way out, we even picked up some tomatoes and carrots from the farm table. 10/10 on everything. Beautiful farm-to-table food, fresh ingredients, and wonderful service--all served by nuns! It really doesn't get much better than that. We'll definitely make a point of coming back for dinner next time. read more

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French nuns, omelets and croissants. A chapel with latin chants surrounded by a farm cared for by the nuns and monks. What more could you ask for? read more

A hidden gem nestled in the heart of the Driftless hills. True fine dining in an unhurried setting. read more

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Reservations don't work here. Called - was told the reservation book wasn't available right now and they'd call me back. It's been several days. Emailed - used the email address from their website. It bounced as an unavailable domain. read more

Visiting here is always a memorable experience. The food is excellent and the serene, friendly atmosphere is wonderful. It takes you away from the chaos of the outside world right now. read more

While this is quite the drive, it is well worth the time! We are visiting family from out of town and they wanted to try this spot out based on a friends recommendation. We made a reservation for late afternoon, arrived a bit early and were seated right away. This is a popular spot; so I'd recommend making a reservation. The menu is EXTENSIVE- so takes some time to peruse. Once you've ordered; the being out a snack dish with pretzels, seasoned nuts and chocolates. We then moved on to the soup/salad course- everyone enjoyed their house salad as well as one party in our table had the leek soup ('divine') I ordered the Salmon Scallops as my main (it's scalloped salmon ai gratin) with roasted sweet potatoes. It was served PIPING hot and was absolutely fabulous. Rich, but fabulous. Hubby had the beef Bourguignon and really enjoyed the texture of the beef. It was served with an extreme amount of pasta - so he only ate half but enjoyed it all. A breadbasket was passed as well and refills were offered. Our party commented how good their Cod and Monkfish dishes were as well. Wine was reasonable priced - we had a nice French Chardonnay for $19/bottle Service was absolutely fantastic- allow time to walk thru the chapel as well. read more

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Really great clean food items Can't get there every day but when I am near There's o place I'd rather be read more

If you're in the Driftless area you need to make a point of coming here. It's literally in the middle of nowhere and a gorgeous drive through the river valley. My mom wanted to road trip here for her birthday and I was on board. This is a working religious site with monks & nuns tending a big organic farm, making cheese and wine and baking heavenly treats. They are open year round (major religious days excepted naturally) for lunch and dinner. On-site is a charming restaurant, a gift shop selling their goods and a lovely chapel that you are welcome to visit. Whatever you decide to have, know the majority of the food was raised, grown and made on site. You'll taste quality and freshness for sure. We started with soup and my advice is to go for the convent veggie soup. Usually veggie soup is "meh" at best but this was thick & full of flavor. Hands down, best veggie soup ever. I had a lamb stew served with fresh carrots and the best ever white beans. Again, full of flavor and fresh herbs. My sister got salmon with a ginger sauce that she loved, and my mom had pork roast which was delicious. If you are a vegetarian, they serve gorgeous veggie plates for under $10 that are filling and again, really good. If you're finding a theme here, yes - veggies are kind of the star of the show especially when everything's in season. We finished with fruit tarts with seasonal berries and ended up taking a pile of things to go too. Bonuses - the sisters have quite a nice wine list, and there are plenty of charming little touches - snacks to start, knife rests, fresh bread and French butter - you get it. Plan to spend some time - this is a meal to be enjoyed at a relaxed pace. After the meal, you can stop in the chapel to say thanks for an incredible meal, or ask forgiveness for the sin of gluttony. Or both. I'm been honest here - it's worth making the drive out here. The food is excellent, everything is made with care and love and the sisters are wonderful. read more

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A little gem in the Driftless region! Seems dreamy to find a French restaurant tucked away with a delicious, home made and well curated menu & lovely French wines. Service is relaxed, hospitable, and extremely responsive. Meals prepared with love & local ingredients. The atmosphere is kind of unusual, but really fantastic. Perhaps the cleanest restaurant & shop surrounded by meticulously landscaped Chapel, farm land, and living quarters. We loved the entire experience & would love to return. read more

A very pleasant experience. The service and food was wonderful. A French restaurant in the country surrounded by beautiful hills and valleys. read more

Unique establishment run by religious order. Service very slow. Food okay, not great. Interesting experience, but would probably not return.

Excellent French cuisine. Cozy restaurant tucked away off a quiet highway. Enter through a gift shop next to a small little chapel. As other reviews suggested, the service is extra friendly but everything takes a long time. Go when you have some time to enjoy the ambience and fresh made French classic cuisine. The portions were large. We ordered a cheese plate, soups, and entrees. My lamb stew was excellent. One of the best meals I've had in some time. Didn't need the salads that came with it so they just packed those up for us to go. We also ordered some desserts and croissants for the morning. Had a decent wine list and we found one that we liked a lot. They corked it for us to take the rest home as well. read more

St Francis' Hermitage Restaurant - Lamb stew - French Near Me - Gays Mills, Wisconsin

Superb. Amazing. Spectacular. Service, food, and ambiance. Run by the sisters of St Francis' order, the cafe offers French cuisine on small plates or complete dinners. Everything is organic and most source hyper-locally, with bread and pastry products, bakes daily on-site. We chose breakfast items, tho it was past noon, fried eggs, an apple, cheese, and onion omelet, with fresh ciabatta and an order of fried potatoes. Excellent Guatamalen coffee was served in individual French press pots, and accompanying dairy products, cream, and butter, were everything you'd expect it to be. The restaurant / order is in the very small town of Gays Mills, Wisconsin, the heart of apple country, population of 500 about an hour east of the city of LaCrosse. They have special multi-course dinners on holidays. Be sure not to miss this gem. read more

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Perhaps the most interesting restaurant I have ever been to - a French restaurant staffed by nuns and supplied with organic ingredients by friars and priests. The food was, pardon my pun, heavenly - both in flavor and purpose. Go - if only to stop in the shop to pick up a few tasty desserts - and save room for dessert! read more

European grandeur in Gays Mills. Elegant, relaxing atmosphere, phenomenal food and the best hospitality.

Wow, what an experience. The food was amazing and the service lovely. And such a unique place... run by French nuns. read more

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Service and Food was delicious. I loved that we were able to relax and not be rushed. I was there with my family end of July 2024. We had a great time enjoying each other's company. It was served like an authentic relaxed European pace. The food was perfect. We each tried a different French dish. I had a Cassoulet! It's a pretty drive to get there among the hills of the driftless region. We had a Sunday lunch reservation. read more

Very unique dining experience with great food and wine. The service is a bit slow but worth the wait. I loved shopping in the market forgone healthy organic food items too. Lovely ambiance and visiting the chapel was an added bonus. read more

The best French cuisine I have ever eaten in my life, the food, the desserts, the wines, everything is a delight, the service is excellent, the nuns are very attentive and helpful, they make you feel at home. the church next door. Everything is beautiful. read more

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Firstly, slow down and relax. You will not get out of here quickly. These are not professional severs, but they are accommodating and friendly. And they come from a much different cultural point of view than we Americans do! That being said, I loved having breakfast here. Amazing quality for the price. The coffee is delicious and served in a personal-sized French press. The apple, cheese, and onion omelette was amazing, as were the berry amônière de crêpes. Light and flaky croissants delivered warm to the table...also fantastic. We live too far away to come with any kind of frequency, but I truly hope to come back some day for lunch or dinner. I'll definitely by visiting them at the Schaumburg farmer's market because I had NO IDEA!! read more

The experience was fun, a restaurant on the back roads in Wisconsin, run by nuns. The food was ok. Steak was tough. The Pork roast was great. We were in the area so it was worth it, probably a one and done situation. read more

We were planning to try this restaurant for a long time and finally we reserved a dinner. The atmosphere was truly special in this holy place the Saturday before the Easter with the festive decorations on the tables and on the walls including carefully chosen classic music. Let me start with the menu. My husband and I were absolutely thrilled to see among the very extensive offerings of the traditional French cuisine almost never found on the menus of the other French restaurants in USA the dishes such as rabbit, the crawfish Armoricaine style, asparagus supreme soup, Consommé de tomate à la Provençale, organic quail cooked in its Cognac juice, and many other delicacies. I posted several pages of the current menu as I had trouble to find this information before I made a reservation because, as sisters explained, the menu changes often. What did we try today? We both started with the staple of the French cuisine-classic escargots served with baguette broiled with garlic and butter. My husband's organic butternut squash soup was mouthwatering. My magret de canard amply proved the superiority of the organic poultry in general and a skillful execution of the recette in particular. Boeuf bourguignon was very tender and flavorful. I truly enjoyed my Snowman with Rum homemade ice cream dessert. My husband's three chocolate cake was absolutely the best in its category. The sisters who served and cooked the dinner were so warm and welcoming . They came to talk to us showing care and sincere interest in the conversation. This dinner turned into a magnificent experience. I cannot wait to be back and to bring my friends and family to share this treasure. I highly recommend! read more

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Wow, my wife and I found this place this weekend and went to breakfast twice. The food was astounding, the atmosphere spectacular! This is what a very very fine restaurant used to be, the service was unmatched by any restaurant of today. No chemical taste in any of the food, rich and delicious was every bite, and the nuns were so friendly and so helpful! You got 3 slices of apple and they were like the apples of old when I was a child, sweet crisp and delicious! When we go down that way again we will try lunch and dinner, but if it is anything like breakfast will be worth every second of travel! read more

Wonderful dining experience. French food and dessert. Highly recommend! Very relaxed atmosphere and attentive service.

What a wonderful surprise to find this special restaurant. We had a delightful brunch with 3 generations of family, from 4 years to 81 and everyone was delighted. The French style omelets are so tasty and perfectly cooked. Chocolate croissants, French toast and many others. I even stocked up on frozen lamb chops and lamb stew from the gift shop before we left. The sisters were welcoming, professional and sweet. The connected chapel is also a real treat to take a quick peak or maybe pay your respects if it suits you. It felt like we were in the French countryside. Well worth the trip. We will visit next time we're in the area. read more

We really enjoyed our Mothers Day/23rd Anniversary early dinner at the Hermitage on a rainy day! The Sisters were very sincere and accommodating. Wine was good and reasonably priced. Can there be any better endorsement of those Catholics than a lovely alcohol assortment. We did the Mothers Day specials (Quail and Salmon) which gave us an array of tastes to share. The local cheese plate was a nice touch. Bread came late and butter never did but in spite of a few service flubs we were smiling. Pleasantly composed platings. The chapel was a very humble experience and great vibes. We read about slow service but that was not really our experience. Thank you Sisters! read more

C'est magnifique!! Such a beautiful little gem and gift from the Lord! The food is exceptional, the church and restaurant are really quite lovely and the service is wonderful! God bless the amazing sisters at St. Francis Hermitage! read more

This was one of the finest restaurants I have ever encountered. The food was excellent, the ambience was great, the clientle were so very friendly and accommodating. We were a group of six and not one of us had any complaints. We had dinner on Friday night and went back Sunday morning for breakfast. We felt pampered. read more

Perfect espresso wonder people delicious food. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for an authentic French restaurant.

Love, love, LOVE this place! Don't be in a rush, this is a typical European dinner. The nuns were friendly, knowledgeable and personable. The food.... Oh, soooo good. It was worth the wait. Wish we lived closer. This was some of the best food we've ever had! read more

St Francis Hermitage Restaurant is a slice of heaven on earth. Exquisite French cuisine in the heart of the Driftless. Every item in the menu is made with love and tenderness. The Sisters of the Fraternite Notre Dame, who prepare and serve the food, are a blessing unto themselves. Today was my 69th Birthday. At the close of our meal my wife and I were gifted with a three layered chocolate cake - with candles lit to boot. Both their interior and outdoor seating area is intimate and socially distanced in this era of COVID-19. If you're anywhere near Gays Mills, Wisconsin, you must take this opportunity for them to serve you. The proceeds of which help support their larger service to the community, which is delivering food to the homeless and those in need. I simply could not give a higher recommendation. Thank you for all you do. - Larry & Jacqueline Long read more

This amazing restaurant tucked in the Gays Mills hills is an original, weird, Driftless region foodie fantasy gone slightly sideways. Forget your restaurant formulas. This place serves up delicious French food--from simple omelettes to more complex dishes--prepared with organic fruits and vegetables grown on the farm where the restaurant sits. French nuns (yes, from France!) make things like chocolate croissants and serve them with French Presses of fair trade coffee and simple sugar cookies gratis on the side. Lunch and dinner can be accompanied by nice wines. Prices are very reasonable. The main focus of this establishment is prayer, however, so don't expect professional service. Food doesn't always come out in a timely manner or logical sequence. Bring your friends, settle in for a long chat, or bring a deck of cards. read more

This lovely restaurant is open most Saturdays and Sundays for 7 AM to 7 PM and special events by arrangement with the restaurant. This food is prepared and served by members of the "Fraternite Notre Dame," French nuns and priests. This is a very new restaurant with lovely table settings and decor. I've eaten here several times over the past 2 years for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and it is always special. The food is delicious and attractive and it is all prepared in the restaurant. Yesterday, three of us had a late lunch. I chose the "Duck Confit" special which included a tasty salad (lettuces, red cabbage tomato, ham, olives, egg, onions, etc.); fried chunk potatoes; and delicious, moist duck quarter. It was excellent! We also had a Yule Log dessert of cake, a creamy filling, and chocolate mousse. Wine and beer are also available, but we chose coffee. It was like eating a meal prepared just for us! The duck, chicken, and lamb are raised on the property. You can also buy French pastry tarts (lemon, chocolate, glazed fruit) and eclairs that are made by the nuns. It is such a treat to dine here! read more

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