Le Patio — Restaurant in Béziers

We visited this wonderful restaurant twice during our stay in Béziers - once for lunch and once for dinner. We were enticed both by the reviews and by the pictures of the lovely patio. Unfortunately, we were seated inside on both occasions, but this was entirely our own fault - this is a popular restaurant and we were not organised enough to make reservation, even though this seems a very straightforward process on the website. However, the interior of the restaurant, with its exposed stone walls, is also very pleasant.

On our lunchtime visit, we chose the set menu. We had a delicious poached egg with a mushroom sauce, veal skirt and a wonderful rice pudding with caramel. A drink is also included, making this menu excellent value.

On our evening visit, I chose the meagre fish, which was served with polenta and a hint of fish soup, while my mother had the cod, which was served with beans and a garlic emulsion. Both dishes were exquisitely presented with very interesting flavours and textures. For dessert, which both had the chocolate finger, which was also wonderful, and we both felt that the description in the menu did not do justice to the perfect combination of a chocolate mouse, sitting on top of a delicious biscuit containing candied orange. The dish was completed by generous dots of a wonderfully rich caramel sauce.

Our meals were completed by very nice rosé wine, and extremely good coffee. Service was both friendly...

9 of us had lunch here today. We all chose the Assiette Gourmande. (3 course menu) Half chose fish and the rest chose chicken. 3 chicken arrived raw on the inside but we only noticed once we had started to eat. We sent them back and they were re-cooked. No apology was given. One friend was so put off by the experience he did not carry on eating. When we, quite reasonably, asked for his meal to be deducted they refused pointing out that they had re-cooked it so it was his fault if he didn’t want to eat it. We made a fuss and the restaurant called the police (who came but we’re not that interested and basically told the restaurant to sort it out themselves since eight people were happy to pay). The whole experience was deeply unpleasant and I have a pain in my stomach now which I hope is not going to lead to anything further. In the end we compromised with the restaurant deducting €10 from the €21 price. In any other part of the world this would not have been an issue but the restaurant could not appreciate the absolutely appalling danger of serving 3 customers uncooked chicken. They think it’s our fault not to notice and fail to appreciate they had broken the trust we established with them in ordering a professionally cooked in the...

The food at Le Patio was superb – fresh, flavourful, and beautifully presented. The setting is truly delightful, especially the open-air internal courtyard, which creates a charming and relaxed atmosphere.

The menu is also very fairly priced for the standard of food, offering excellent value considering the quality and presentation.

Service, however, could be improved. A warmer welcome, friendlier staff, and the occasional smile would make a big difference. Timings could be more consistent, and there were a few instances where items were forgotten, but remained on the bill. Staff presentation could also be enhanced – not suggesting formal attire, but some team members’ casual dress appeared a little scruffy.

Overall, Le Patio has plenty of appeal thanks to its excellent food, fair pricing, and lovely setting, but with a few adjustments to service and presentation, it could be outstanding.

Regardless of the small areas for improvement mentioned, I would say it is a must visit for...