Caves Madeleine — Restaurant in Beaune

Sadly, one of the most horrible experiences we've had in any restaurant, ever. We were really looking forward to visiting and this was the first restaurant we booked a table at before visiting Beaune. Had this been the last place we visited on our trip, our entire holiday would've been ruined.

Our honest feedback is found below. We genuinely hope the restaurant takes it to heart and changes their seating most of all.

First and foremost, the food is great. We could taste the freshness in every dish and there were no complaints; simply delicious! The tasting menu was also very reasonably priced. Crisp, clean flavors in every dish.

What ruined our experience was the general atmosphere, seating arrangements and the resulting (bad) service. We were sat, like most people that night, at a communal table. Get ready to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with complete strangers and if you've ever trained your legs or are just tall; you WILL be uncomfortable for the entire evening.

As we looked around, we started noticing things. We were sat in the middle of the communal table, so staff had a hard time reaching us or taking our order. People around us looked annoyed, most of the time.

A noisy table of 6 drunkards got ALL the attention of the restaurant team and our fellow diners. The wine recomendations we were hoping for; they got it. Even a little tasting! Meanwhile, we had asked for some wine, which we had to wait two full courses for to finally see poured in our glasses. Quick service; they got it. Meanwhile, we had to ask 4 times (!) to see the wine list again. Clear communication; they got it. Meanwhile, a newer (?) member of the team very quickly explained our dishes and ran away every time. The sommelier also managed to mess up our order multiple times (a Bourgogne Aligote isn't red and if I ask for sweet/dessert wine three times, don't serve me another tannic red wine, please).

Service was friendly, but way too busy managing the absolute chaos of this restaurant. We had also asked beforehand if we could take our dog and that would've been no problem. We were so glad we left him at the house; the poor dog would have been stressed for weeks had we taken him.

We left feeling exhausted and exasperated, 200 euros lighter and a headache richer.

Our feedback: get rid of the communal table and replace it with (at most!) 4 tables for two. Also get rid of the table next to the toilet door (those people also hated their experience, but they also had to stand up every course to head outside and smoke!). Doing this will give the team more breathing room, give the kitchen ample time to get out all the food, give the server time to properly explain dishes and give the sommelier time to properly take orders and give thoughtful recommendations (which we know she could do!). To summarize: less tables = better service and a better time for everyone; the restaurant...

Cave Madeleine changed owners somewhere last year I believe, and we wanted to go there ever since. Unfortunately we are only in Beaune a couple of days a year and last year our holiday felt together with their holiday. So we waited and we finally went this year in August. But the restaurant was absolutely worth the wait!!! One can only talk in superlatives about this place. The sticker on the door 'where chefs eat' filled us with great expectations, and we were not disappointed. From the welcoming word to leaving the restaurant everything was just about perfect. The waiter speaks fluently English, which I think is a real asset in a town like Beaune. We speak French, but I could see that there were many English and Americans that really appreciated that there was someone talking English and explaining the menu and wines. Between all the tourists we noticed some locals, so I think this is a good sign also. The menu wasn't that elaborate, but still long enough to make it a hard choice. I see smaller menulists as a big advantage because it's mostly prove of the chef working with fresh ingredients. And when our dishes came they really showed they ware made with fresh ingredients. I can't remember the exact name of the soup I had, but it was a southern tomato soup and it it actually was one of the best soups I ever had in my life. I wouldn't mind eating soup for the rest of my life if that was the soup I would have to eat. As a main dish I had risotto with vegetables which was very fresh also, great taste, perfect bite, everything you are looking for in a risotto. My 11-year old had chicken with mashed potatoes and is still talking about it. You get lots of vegetables, which I think is a rare plus point in a world where lots of restaurants neglect those treats of nature!!! To end with, the dessert was perfect also. Voluptuous of taste, but light structured. Heaven on a plate!!!!!! The winelist is very elaborate and at a fairly good price. If your lost the 'sommelier' helps you with great pleasure to help you find the wine you want. The place itself is utterly clean but the decoration is not too 'posh'. There is a big table in the middle which creates just the right atmosphere for both diner among friends or a romantic dinner for 2. When we were there, there was an English family of 4 asking to come again the day after. Unfortunately that evening was there last day before their holiday. Otherwise we would have been back also somewhere in the following days. Now we will have to be wait until next holiday. But at least we know it is worth...

I found the food lovely but not stunning or worth the price and our overall dining experience was uncomfortable and insulting.

food: We opted for the tasting menu which included three starters, two mains and a dessert. portions were quite small. Hake dish included minced hake, minced to same size as the apples and potatoes or was mixed with, but there were far more apples and potatoes than fish, we had a very difficult time finding any fish to be honest. the other fish dish was essentially a doughy fish poached meatball, which had a slight fish flavor, served in a delicious sauce, but the fish was but an essence. rabbit ravioli was very tasty but was but one single ravioli. the other items i don't recall.

value: I ordered two glasses of wine, they had 3 reds only by the glass and I was told the first two were natural (and hence "funky") so only one red was a refined option. our check came to 162€ with two dinners and two glasses of wine. we were still a little hungry.

service: I made our reservations 2 months prior and we were the first guests to arrive when they opened. despite that, we were seated on a plank of wood over a well on high chairs, facing a wall with our backs to the other guests and the outside dining area, with no room for our long legs. it was awkward and uncomfortable. when I asked to be moved to an empty table for two I was refused. I guess we weren't good enough for an actual table? they also wanted to serve my red Bourgogne wine in a tiny ISO glass and take away the red Bourgogne glass from the "table". what the heck!?

as I write this, I'm actually a little angry and offended at the overall experience we had and cannot recommend this restaurant, nor would I return.

We had a much more pleasant dining experience at La Lune for a fraction...