L'Hôte Antique — Restaurant in Blois

Always open, centrally located, well-priced, great service French/English, beautiful decor, comfortable & DELICIOUS.

I rarely write a restaurant review on the same evening as my visit but L'Hôte Antique restaurant in Blois is an exception: it was THAT GOOD. It is well-priced, friendly & professional service in a delightful French modern ambiance: simply put, it’s PERFECT. English is understood and welcomed as are single diners, all combinations of couples, friends & families. I felt welcomed, as a solo diner, from the moment l entered.

If you are in Blois, anywhere near the Château or the main street, I highly recommend making a dinner or lunch at L'Hôte Antique restaurant. I made a reservation by leaving a message in English on their answering machine (speak slowly & spell your name clearly). I later went in person (in case my message was not received). A young man with a beard (who appeared to be either the maitre or manager) greeted me & quickly confirmed receipt of my phone message requesting a 7:30 dinner reservation. He even remembered my name! That competence & kindness impressed me. FYI the restaurant rush-hour in France appears to begin at 8:30 pm. I suggest you reserve earlier to avoid the craziness when everyone arrives simultaneously.

I was there on a Sunday evening. Finding a restaurant in France that is open on Sunday evenings is difficult. This restaurant is open every day; also highly unusual in France. I also based my decision on the well-deserved TA reviews. All the 5-star TA reviews got it: the L'Hôte Antique is excellent.

This was the best meal I’ve enjoyed in my week driving from Château to Château along the Loire. I opted for one of their menus (see photo for menu options); each dish was delicious. I had my iPhone translator to ensure I didn’t order snails, liver or tripe. I was hesitant to order the steak option but it was perfect: juicy, well-sized, tender, perfectly cooked & flavorful. My excellent waitress explained that the L’Hote Antique buys from ONE butcher, a Mssr. Papillon (Mr. Butterfly). The same butcher prepared who provided

the steak, prepared the appetizer. The starter was a combination of a variety of homemade pork specialties made prepared by Mssr. Papillon himself, accompanied by assorted crisp pickled vegetables, including French cornicions. The appetizer were so generous I could have easily finished there; but I continued to the steak, served with grilled vegetables & crispy small roasted potatoes. The French desserts are not to be missed.

I watch my salt intake and confirm the chef at the L'Hôte Antique succeeded in his application of salt. I say this because I found that many French restaurants overdo the salt (for my taste).

The atmosphere is delightful. Some guests were wearing Bermuda shorts but most wore jeans or dress pants; some gentlemen wore jackets. I found most restaurants in France very accepting of their guests’ choice of attire.

As I had chosen the 3-course dinner, it included a third plate, dessert. I chose the 3-chocolate cake. It was moist, fresh & flavorful. I skipped cheese plate as I could barely finish the chocolate cake.

Even if you don’t go to lunch or dinner, drop by between meal times and try a dessert and coffee or tea. portion is so large you could even share it. Amazing again. (See the photos). It kinds of mouse: white, milk & dark chocolate: outstanding. I couldn't finish it: I was quite full from what was an absolutely delicious dinner.

Let me know if you agree with me after you try the restaurant at the...

The menu looked very good (and was pretty expensive) so we thought this was a good place. When i looked on google maps i saw the amazing photos of the food, so we went there. The food looked really good, but what my acquaintance ordered was the sea food and it was very chewy and the sauce wasn’t tasty at all. I ordered Crabs, or what i thought they were. It ended up being a sandwich covered in cheese with crab filling, the cheese was way too much and it wasn’t tasty. Very disappointing… The meat was apparently good tho. The desert was a macaron, it was pretty good but really hard and there was little filling, which was also frozen and not creamy as supposed. One woman was really nice but the other one kept talking with the cooks and seemed pretty annoyed. Overall it wasn’t for me, but maybe if i would have ordered something else it would have been better. Also from the menu off i thought this was a very high class restaurant but the interior was very lacking, it looked cheap and so was the annanas...

It is a good local restaurant to visit at Blois. There are ample parking lots right in front of the restaurant and thus making it convenient for drivers. At arrival, we waited for awhile before seated. The area is so clean and brightly lit with nice decoration and table setting. We are comfortably seated even though restaurant is full. The tables were adequately spread out so we are not cramped altogether. The food is well done and we enjoyed it. Compliments to the chef. We like to give thanks to the service team for the pleasant surprise as it is a birthday dinner. They went the extra mile to make it special for us. We give 4 stars because everything is close to perfection except that service crew lacks a little friendliness and smiles. They serve professionally but we didn’t feel the warmth and welcoming. Also, for tourist, it will be good if service crew are well converse in English language. Perhaps, this can be taken note of and the restaurant will be absolutely...