Where to eat on the road in France?

Hello all,

In July, I will be driving between La Rochelle and Lyon. I'm wondering if someone can recommend a magical restaurant somewhere between those two cities, for use to stop and have lunch. It can be fancy, but even better would be a hole-in-the wall type place. I don't mind the setting, as long as the food is great.

Thanks!

Cristina Sciarra
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14 Comments

MS
MS May 17, 2013
If you pass through Bordeaux, definitely go to La Tupina.

Otherwise, if you have a smartphone that will work while you are there you should download Michelin's app. Based on your location it will give you a list of recommended(some with stars and some without) restaurants and tells you how far you are from them.
 
SeaJambon
SeaJambon May 16, 2013
When in France and in doubt, eat where the parking lot is fullest -- particularly if you see trucks.
 
pierino
pierino May 16, 2013
...or ducks.
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames May 16, 2013
Not sure what your plans are once you reach Lyons, but the poulet in Bourg-en-Bresse are all that they're cracked up to be, i.e., the best in the world. And the tiny flamboyant Gothic Église Saint-Nicolas-de-Tolentin de Brou there, dating back to the early 16th century, is one of the prettiest masterpieces of ecclesiastic architectural I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. ;o)
 
Greenstuff
Greenstuff May 16, 2013
Hmmm. Better clarify which La Rochelle you mean! I wasn't thinking Brittany or Dijon but on the coast in the Charente-Maritime.
 
Cristina S.
Cristina S. May 16, 2013
As far as I know, the only La Rochelle is on the coast in Charente-Maritime! South of Nantes, north of Bordeaux. I think we're thinking of the same one :)
 
ChefJune
ChefJune May 16, 2013
well, my bad! I thought La Rochelle was up in Brittany! the map shows it a short distance above Dijon. There are quite a few wonderful places to stop and buy food and/or wine or dine on that route, which takes you directly down the wine route in Burgundy. We went the opposite -- up from Lyon through Burgundy. Message me you email address and I'll send you whole bunches of info.
 
Cristina S.
Cristina S. May 16, 2013
Thank you! Will do.
 
ChefJune
ChefJune May 16, 2013
cristinasciarra: I tried those links and they did not come up with anything.
 
Cristina S.
Cristina S. May 16, 2013
Yeesh, you're quite right. Basically, I just typed La Rochelle-Lyon into google maps! We sort of want to get there in the most direct way possible. Since there is no direct train, I thought it might be prettier and easier to drive.
 
ChefJune
ChefJune May 16, 2013
That would depend very much upon the route you are planning to take. Do you plan to drive through Burgundy? If so, I can help you. OTOH, If you plan to drive more west to east, I don't know the Loire, or that farmland section of France that will lie between the two.
 
Cristina S.
Cristina S. May 16, 2013
I think our route will look something like this: http://goo.gl/maps/YLuhr
 
bigpan
bigpan May 16, 2013
I have always enjoyed stoping in a village, buy some bread, cheese, cold cuts, and wine - then find a road that goes into a farm yard and have a picnic under a shade tree.
(we travel with a small blanket and kit with a couple knives and forks and wine glasses.)
 
Author Comment
A Whole Foods Market Customer
A Whole Foods Market Customer May 16, 2013
If you leave La Rochelle around 10 am this should put you in Poitiers around lunch time. Check this place out! Auberge Espagnolemore info?
122 Rue des 4 Roues
86000 Poitiers, France
05 49 55 13 71

Safe travels!
 
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