Château de la Pioline, Brasserie et lieu événementiel à Aix-en-Provence — Restaurant in Aix-en-Provence

We had a great dinner here. We met chef Pierre Reboul upon entry and we were sat on the terrace as requested.

Food was well paced, although the tables could have been wiped before sitting us down, they were very dusty and dirty (can't complain when on the terrace but a higher attention to detail necessary when receiving such high quality dishes and presentation).

There were a few absolute standout dishes. The green and black olive course in oil was absolutely incredible - one of my favourite bites at a restaurant - ever! The smoked haddock cream amuse bouch with lemon caviar was absolutely amazing, and I additionally loved the eel and beet amuse. My wife was absolutely in love with the dessert which tasted like the best creamsicle flavour (I know - very western for me to compare to something so basic) but it was divine. The Arctic char and wild leek tempura was also an absolutely stellar dish. The only thing we were too fond of was the anchovy mousse as part of the anchovy dish, it was acidic and quite pungent, although my wife (who hates sardines and anchovies) said the fried sardine with the cream sauce was amazing.

I don't know why it wants you to rate rooms, service and location, but if I were to rate as normal restaurant in here; Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 4 (it just didn't seem super well kept up).

Amazing dining...

Only regret is that we didn't stay longer! After a terrible 2 night stay at a 5 star hotel in Cannes, we arrived here exhausted, the final night of our long weekend, and with a low bar for quality service at a hotel. On arrival, our expectations turned for the better.

First, they helped us along with our poor French skills and didn't balk at us when we at least tried our best, and were more than kind enough to revert to English when it was better for all parties. They greeted us with a cold mocktail on arrival, and offered help with our bags. The host howed us to our room and walked us through all of the features. An in room fridge with a free bottle of cold water and room to put more of our own water in! Unfortunately, that was a rarity for the rest of our trip in southern France so I have to highlight this. The room had a set of doors leading to the beautiful garden, with a private pathway to the pool! Back inside, a most comfortable, large bed. A great TV, and a large shower/bath. We felt so very much at home in our short stay and were sad to leave. We do intend on coming back hopefully someday soon.

Also, the chateau itself. So beautiful! But with modern amenities. Definitely stay here if you are in the area. So close to Aix en Provence proper, and a short drive to the airport and...

We could not understand the rave reviews. We have dined at countless 1-3 Michelin star restaurants around the world and we thot this was the worst. No effort, chef seems jaded, service is poor and dining room had kitchen clutter next to us. Amuse bouche was de-constructed olives. The way it was served was pretty crude (El Cellar Can Roca had them hanging on a small olive plant over 10 years ago)… and desert was “Olives Again!” Rest of dishes was uninspiring. The fish dish was served skinless. Instead of crisping up the skin, the chef coated in batter n fried it.. now who can’t do that. Petit fours was literally 4 little lumps. The restaurant charged €8/pax for water. They served us 1 glass each. period. We had to go hunt down wait staff for more water. The restaurant/Chateau location was close to industrial area. It was a French holiday and Aix was jam packed but the restaurant had 3/4 tables...