L'Embarcadère Blois — Restaurant in Blois

So, the restaurant looked lovely — charming ambiance, tasteful decor, and all the makings of a pleasant evening. I was dining with a French friend (note: I don’t speak French), and things were going well... until, of course, I discovered a surprise guest in my starter: a fly. 🪰 Bon appétit, right?

I’d already eaten half of it before I spotted the little intruder doing the backstroke in my food. We called over the waitress, who very nonchalantly offered to bring me a new plate. I politely declined because, you know, once you’ve seen a fly marinating in your meal, the appetite does tend to pack its bags.

Then she turned to my friend and, in French, muttered something along the lines of “that’s the nature of the business” or “it’s the risk you take.” Oh, is it? How charmingly cavalier. We carried on with our mains and dessert because, at that point, abandoning ship felt like too much effort.

But the best part? When the bill arrived, the starter-fly and all, was included. I asked if she seriously expected me to pay for the fly she served me, and she coolly informed me that she was “in charge” and could generously offer me 20% off that dish. Twenty. Percent. Off. A dish garnished with insect protein.

To top it off, she implied that maybe the fly came from me. Oh sure-I always bring a pocket fly to...

We went for lunch on a Sunday, waited for more than 40min between the appetizers and the main course only to receive the most bland and uninspired dishes EVER..

-Shrimp Risotto: the rice is both overcooked and undercooked somehow (probably mixed batches) and has absolutely no flavor whatsoever. Would’ve expected better after the 40min wait… -foie gras: for 15€ you would expect a lot more, this is in no way a cheap price for an appetizer, yet it was quite disappointing and lacked any flavor.

Nothing much to say about the staff, maybe they were busy, maybe they were tired, but it felt quite superficial and rushed. They did their jobs, nothing more.

Only upside I’d say is the location of the establishment, you might be able to enjoy a nice view if lucky enough I guess.

Conclusion: honestly disappointed, saw a lot of good reviews and a relatively high rating so was expecting better. For what is being offered, the prices are outrageous and an outright ripoff. This restaurant is taking advantage of a good location to sell bad food to passersby unfortunately. Wouldn’t recommend...

We stopped here for an evening meal - completely unplanned - whilst driving from Orleans to Chinon, as we needed a break from driving. The staff were very welcoming when we walked in and I think it was the manager who greeted us (he spoke good English too which helped!) and allocated us a table with a great view overlooking the Loire. All the food and wine we ate/drank here was delicious and very well presented. The stand out dish for us was the Carpaccio de boeuf (which you can have as a starter or a main course) and was one of the best we’ve...