THanks to the Irish Herault (late 2010):
The two Michelin-starred restaurants in Béziers held onto their honours last night. And there are one or two others that are rather good too…
1. l’Ambassade
Status: one Michelin star
Head chef: Patrick Olry
Address: 22 boulevard de Verdun
Location: almost directly opposite the main entrance to the railway station
Web: Restaurant-lambassade.com
Telephone: 04 67 76 06 24
Typical reviews: “Established local chef just gets better and better.” – Graham Tigg at Languedoc-Dining.com
This is the more established of the two Michelin-starred places. Pricey, and service is a bit too formal and fussy for us.
2. l’Octopus
Status: one Michelin star
Head chef: Fabien Lefebvre
Address: 12 rue Boieldieu
Location: just off the main promenade Allée Paul Riquet, down a side street near the Galeries Lafayette (follow the sign on the Allée)
Web: Restaurant-octopus.com
Telephone: 04 67 49 90 00
Reviews: “Simply some of the finest modern cooking to be found on this list. Bargain set lunch” – Graham Tigg
This place has been going since 2005, and got its first Michelin star in 2008. Despite the rather spartan dining room, it has some of the classiest cooking in Béziers and we much prefer it to l’Ambassade.
“Une étoile Michelin, cela rassure le client. Il y a toujours des personnes qui ne jurent que par ce guide.”
- Fabien Lefebvre, talking to Midi Libre yesterday. (“A Michelin star reassures the customer. There are always people who swear by this guide.”)
3. La Compagnie des Comptoirs
Status: No stars but don’t let that put you off
Telephone: 04 67 36 33 63
Web: Lacompagniedescomptoirs.com
Address: 15 place Jean-Jaurès
This outlet of the Michelin-starred Pourcel brothers is a brasserie serving Mediterranean cuisine with an Asian twist. Two-course menus cost from €21. We haven’t been there yet but it’s on our list of “must tries”.
4. La Raffinerie
Head chef: “Monsieur Blaszak et son équipe a votre service”
Status: No stars yet
Address: 14 Avenue Joseph Lazare
Location: a large, recently renovated old sulphur refinery, formerly used to crush sulphur shipped from Sicily for distribution in the local vineyards. It’s tucked away by the Canal du Midi on the Quai du Pont Neuf
Telephone: 04 67 76 07 12
Web: Laraffinerie.com
A very up-and-coming place, inspired by Chez Philippe, the celebrated restaurant in Marseillan. French based international cuisine, with plenty of Spanish and Italian touches.
5. Le Cep d’Or
Address: 2 Impasse de la Notairie
Location: In a little side street just around the corner from la cathédrale St Nazaire
Telephone: 04 67 49 28 09
Website: none
Last but not least, this cosy little restaurant is our favourite in Béziers. Traditional French with a few clever modern twists, good value, excellent service, and the most perfectly charming waiter in the world.
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